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Many large corporations have proven the business advantages of having a diverse working environment. Nevertheless, it is vital to understand that there is still a long way to go before businesses worldwide achieve true workplace diversity. Building a diverse workplace is a long-term process that requires constantly prioritizing employee needs. What are the key strategies for advancing workplace diversity and addressing the needs of employees? Determining the correct approach will require a conscious effort from the side of business leaders and HR professionals to make employee diversity a core value in their organizations. It will also require creating and enforcing efficient diversity policies, sensitivity training, and inclusive evaluation criteria. To understand how workplace diversity puts employees' needs first, continue reading the article below. This article will also provide insights into the methods that can help diversify the workplace. What Is Workplace Diversity? A demographic study by Pew Research Center predicted that by 2055, there will no longer be one ethnic majority in the US. If society is becoming more and more diverse, this only means that the workplace will need to make adjustments as early as possible to accommodate the change. Workplace diversity needs to happen now. But what exactly does workplace diversity constitute? According to Joy Sceizina, an executive business partner and private estate manager, “Diversity in the workplace means the representation of individuals that come from a variety of backgrounds. A diverse workplace usually has people from different ethnicities, religions, worldviews, and ages.” However, having people from diverse backgrounds is not enough to realize the true potential of a diverse workforce. Maximizing a diverse workforce requires that senior members of a company — the managers and owners, for example — hear the concerns of the employee population and include their voices in making important company decisions. What Are The Benefits Of Diversity To The Workplace? 1. More Creative Perspectives Available When the workplace consists of people from different backgrounds, these people also carry different perspectives informed by their social and cultural experiences. Meeting a new viewpoint and culture stimulates creativity, especially when this meeting happens in a setting conducive to acceptance and tolerance. Fostering creativity in the workplace boosts productivity and can increase a company's agility. Additionally, a diverse workforce has more potential for decision-making and problem-solving than a homogenous one. Diversity can be a starting point for creating more innovative solutions to improve a company's service, resource management, customer relations, and many more. 2. Greater Understanding Of Target Demographics Multicultural marketing is gaining significance in creating brand awareness for businesses. Businesses need a better understanding of different cultural backgrounds to reach out to varying cultural communities more effectively. Sandra Garcia, a business strategist and consultant, states, “To make a positive brand impact, you need to create messaging specifically for targeted communities.” What better way to understand your target communities than to have representation in the workplace itself? A diverse workplace can provide valuable insights into the motivations and pain points of a diverse target demographic. 3. Greater Employee And Customer Satisfaction At the heart of workplace diversity and inclusion is keeping employees satisfied. In turn, this results in the satisfaction of clients and customers. “Investing in diversity can result in lower turnover. Simply put, employees who feel appreciated and are given equal opportunities in their workplace will be more loyal and less likely to resign,” says Talent Acquisition Specialist Rafaila Anastasiou. In short, diversity in the workplace creates a positive environment because individual employees are seen and heard. As a result, they can function better and address client needs better, too. How Does Diversity Address The Needs Of Employees? 1. Employees Feel More Seen And Valued It is important to remember that every employee in a company is an individual. They have wants, needs, motivations, and pains. They have values and principles. They also have a history and sociocultural background. All these details need careful consideration if business owners want a diverse workplace to function effectively. A company must put in more effort and intentionality to ensure each employee feels seen and valued. While the effort required is higher, the increase in productivity is proportional — if not greater. Furthermore, a diverse workplace indicates that a company does not discriminate against employees based on their gender, skin color, class, or other factors. Instead, employees receive appreciation for their performance and the new viewpoints they provide. Their varied backgrounds are not seen as a negative trait but as a valuable contribution to the company. Here’s an important reminder, “A company is made up of people. To run a business and forget about the people aspect is to run a business that will likely fail.” 2. Employee Performance Are Evaluated Objectively And Without Bias Employees in a diverse workplace are not judged based on their background but based on the value they contribute. Objective assessments meant that what matters to the company is their performance — regardless of the employee's skin color, gender identity/expression, cultural background, or anything else. Thus, employees can rest assured that their superiors are fair and honest about their assessments. Of course, no evaluation criteria are entirely perfect. Managerial evaluations will have a level of bias here and there. However, as long as there are active conversations to bring inclusivity in the workplace, business leaders and managers can be encouraged to challenge potentially biased assessments. 3. There Is A Greater Understanding Of Demographic-Related Needs When a company gives more importance to inclusivity than uniformity, it creates an understanding that each employee's needs vary. There is no such thing as one size fits all. According to Ron Eldridge, Director at Great{with}Talent and Co-Founder of FindMyWhy, any strategy looking to improve employee commitment must be “dependent on a clear understanding of the differing values influencing employee engagement within your workforce.” Of course, such values are partly influenced by their various demographic experiences. For instance, people with disabilities who are part of the workforce may need specialized office facilities. A company that caters to the needs of this specific group of people will invest in such facilities. Similarly, since women have historically been looked upon as homemakers and caretakers, their position in the workplace will need more empowerment than men. 4. Employees Make Friends With People From Different Cultures One of the best things a workplace can give an employee is friendship with people with new viewpoints. In today's society, having friends from walks of life will help them understand the world better. A diverse workplace can become a bridge of friendship for two people from different backgrounds. When a workplace values diversity and inclusivity as its core values, it imparts the same principles to its employees. A multicultural workplace helps its members become more empathetic towards people who are different from them. They learn to look at people as humans, first and foremost, and as someone equal to them, not above or below. A workplace that creates opportunities for these connections makes a lasting impact on a more equitable future for society. How To Advance Diversity And Prioritize Employees’ Needs? 1. Encourage Communication And Collaboration Workplace diversity will not achieve its true potential when companies do not seek out unity through cross-cultural communication and collaboration. Due to sociocultural differences, there may often be misunderstandings and inaccuracies, so you need to exert a double effort to listen and be patient with one another. Siyana Sokolova, a Project Manager and Talent Management professional, reports the following as the main factors that create misunderstandings in a multicultural work setting: Stereotypes Language or accent Different communication styles, especially non-verbal communication Hence, a company with a diverse workforce must establish clear communication and collaboration policies that address these factors. They must also provide training sessions to teach employees how to communicate in a diverse environment. To communicate better and more effectively, one must: Use clear language to express meaning Be familiar with differences in tone, expression, and body language Exercise reflective listening Have an open mind 2. Start Diversity From Leadership Positions Promoting diversity and inclusivity among employees is challenging when such endeavors are absent in a company's leadership. Leaders are the ones who make all the necessary decisions that hugely affect the company, so when there is no diversity at the top level, these decisions tend to be single-minded and biased against certain groups of people. On the contrary, a diverse leadership will have more empathy towards people of different backgrounds and can implement better policies to address the needs of a diverse workforce. “In a world where ‘ethnic cleansing’ is a present evil, leaders need to be an instrument to another set of values that do not rate people, by prejudices,” says Brigette Hyacinth, a keynote speaker on leadership and HR. 3. Evaluate Employees Objectively In a Harvard Business Review article titled “Why Most Performance Evaluations are Biased, and How to Fix Them”, Mackenzie et al. blamed the problem on the open-box evaluation strategy. Most evaluation forms regarding employee performance are composed of blank spaces which the managers fill out while trying to remember what this or that employee has contributed to the team recently. Unfortunately, the article emphasizes that: “Without structure, people are more likely to rely on gender, race, and other stereotypes when making decisions – instead of thoughtfully constructing assessments using agreed-upon processes and criteria that are consistently applied across all employees.” Evaluating employees requires new criteria with specific rubrics; similar questions must apply to every employee. The evaluation forms themselves need reformation to remove preconceptions and bias. 4. Clarify Official Diversity Policies And Procedures The primary significance of having official company policies is the protection of employees' rights and claims. Hence, the employee handbook must be clear on diversity policies and procedures to protect the rights of minorities in the workforce. Employees need to feel confident that the company actively pursues inclusivity, with systems and conditions in place to attain it. Specifically, what is the company's stance regarding diversity and inclusivity in the following areas: Conditions of employment and termination Benefits and compensation Consideration for promotion Participation in company events and programs Participation in company decisions Every new hire should be able to understand these policies and have easy access to the resources to review them. When there are updates, all employees must be well-informed as well. 5. Enforce Zero-Tolerance On Discriminative Practices Workplace diversity policies must also be clear on zero tolerance against discriminatory practices from leaders and employees. Clear punishments must be in place for any act of discrimination, but first and foremost, the employee handbook must be clear on what counts as a discriminative practice. Acts of discrimination include, but are not limited to, the following: Racial and ethnic slurs Misogynistic jokes and remarks Inappropriate comments on culture and religion Body shaming and name-calling Any other forms of bullying To address any discriminative offense, employees must have a way to relay complaints to the higher-ups. One such way is to provide an accessible complaint form where employees can anonymously file their reports on perceived policy violations. 6. Establish Sensitivity Training Everyone has unique biases and predispositions, so a company must actively instill sensitivity in its employees to increase awareness of the company's aim to advance workplace diversity and inclusivity. Employment and HR Adviser David Bell shares his insight on the topic: “Seek diversity solutions; this could be a training program[me] for your entire organization which can focus on unconscious bias, cultural education, and legacy issues. Other diversity initiatives can include a tailored culture program[me] for employees which seeks to celebrate key awareness/religious events.” 7. Ask For Anonymous Opinions And Feedback A diverse workplace that does not implement inclusivity cannot function efficiently. No company can achieve true diversity when there are people who do not have a voice or if the people listening retain predispositions toward one idea or another. Employees' opinions and feedback must hold equal weight despite their backgrounds. Why make it anonymous? Claire Schmidt argues in a Forbes article: “Those who hesitate to give feedback do so because they have something to lose: They fear retaliation, that they won’t be believed or that they’ll be ostracized from the team. This is especially true for those in minority groups and entry-level workers who can’t risk losing their jobs.” Anonymity makes employees feel safe to express their opinions and concerns. Additionally, the managers and leaders themselves will be able to avoid resorting to their preconceived notions and biases when reviewing these anonymous forms. 8. Start From The Hiring Process A diverse workplace cannot happen while HR professionals do not hire talents from various backgrounds. More companies nowadays consciously include a note regarding diverse and inclusive hiring in their job search posts. However, it does not stop there. When hiring a diverse workforce, there should be no bias when interviewing and assessing potential employees. Hiring must consider the applicant's credentials, experience, and skill set. To fully achieve an inclusive hiring process, all people involved must receive training on how to be creative in spotting the right pool of talents amidst a diverse group of applicants. Remember that, during the hiring process, the company is not the only one assessing the applicants. Applicants are also considering whether or not the company can provide a safe and inclusive working environment should they get hired. To Wrap Up Sheryl Sandberg, the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, in a Thrive Global article about gender equality in the workforce, leaves this challenge: "We need to resist the tyranny of low expectations. We need to open our eyes to the inequality that remains. We won't unlock the full potential of the workplace until we see how far from equality we really are." This challenge applies to all cases of inequality and discrimination in the workplace, not just issues regarding gender. True workplace diversity is still far from what it should be. Companies need to make a consistent effort to ensure employees' needs come first. Related Questions 1. What are some challenges to making workplace diversity work? Communication issues are still common in a diverse working environment. There are several barriers, such as language, prejudices, and the lack of common ground to establish trust. A company needs policies in place to foster empathy and understanding. 2. What is the difference between diversity and inclusivity in the workplace? Diversity pertains to having people from different backgrounds represented in the workplace. Inclusivity (and inclusion) are the methods a company uses to foster diversity.