Written by Andrea Bruneau
In this blog, we explore how to make your workplace accessible and welcoming to a wide range of individuals, and how to enable a sense of belonging once they become part of your organization. Attracting diverse talent is important; but true inclusivity is about more than just diversity metrics. It's about creating an environment where everyone, regardless of their background, identity, or abilities, feels like they belong by virtue of their ability to access and contribute their unique perspectives and talents to your organization.
Connecting with Diverse Talent
Building a truly inclusive workplace requires a commitment to creating equitable recruitment processes and removing barriers that may prevent individuals from underrepresented groups from applying or advancing within the hiring process.
Practical Strategies:
Diverse Sourcing Channels: Utilize community organizations that support underrepresented groups, minority-focused job boards, diversity recruitment events, and diversity-focused recruitment agencies to access a wider range of candidates.
Standardized Interviews: Standardize interview processes and questions to reduce the influence of unconscious biases and ensure fair evaluation of candidates.
Blind Hiring: Remove identifying information such as name, gender, and age from resumes and applications to focus solely on qualifications and skills.
Gender-Neutral Job Descriptions: Use gender-neutral language in job descriptions to attract a diverse pool of candidates and avoid inadvertently excluding certain genders.
Diverse Hiring Panels: Include representation from protected classes (eg: gender, race, age) on hiring panels to mitigate the impact of unconscious biases.
Accessible Recruitment Process: Provide accommodations such as accessible application platforms, alternative interview formats, or assistive technology.
Fostering Belonging
Connecting with diverse talent is only one component. Creating a sense of belonging is essential for retaining and engaging employees over the long term. Belonging is the feeling that individuals can bring their whole selves to work, that their contributions are valued, and that they are an integral part of the team and organizational culture.
Practical Strategies:
Religious Accommodation Policies: Accommodate religious practices and beliefs by offering flexible work schedules, prayer or meditation spaces, religious holiday PTO separate from company holidays, dress code accommodations, or dietary considerations during appreciation events.
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs): Utilize your company's ERGs to connect and gain insights into the needs and preferences of diverse communities.
Regularly Collect and Act on Feedback: Implement mechanisms for collecting feedback from employees about their experiences in the workplace, including any instances of bias or discrimination. Take action to address concerns and continuously improve the inclusivity of the work environment.
Promote Pay Equity: Regularly review and analyze pay data to identify and address any gender, age, or class-based disparities in compensation. Ensure that employees are paid fairly for their skills, experience, and contributions, regardless of demographic factors.
Cultural Competency Training: Offer training programs to educate employees on cultural competency, unconscious bias, and inclusive communication practices, fostering greater understanding and empathy among team members.
Inclusion is about equitable access and belonging. By implementing practical strategies such as diverse sourcing channels, standardized interviews, religious accommodation policies, and cultural competency training, companies can create environments where all employees feel valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives and talents.
Ultimately, building a culture of inclusivity not only benefits individual employees but also strengthens the organization as a whole. Gartner research indicates that successful DEI efforts can result in a 20% increase in inclusivity, and correspond with increased employee effort, intent to stay, and job performance. Fostering a workplace culture of belonging is not only the right thing to do for employees' well-being, it is crucial for the long-term success and sustainability of any organization.
The DMC Workforce Success Team has more than 20 years combined experience and provides sustainable solutions to the complex social issues that affect large, medium or small businesses. Building authentic relationships is at the heart of DMC’s work, developing trust and honesty with employees to get to the root of issues and include them in the design of solutions.