A 2019 survey portrayed that only 5% of BIPOC people and 28% of women were employed in tech firms. But in 2020-22, we saw the rapid digital transformation of workplaces. Inclusion & diversity became factors for bringing the right employee experiences at work.
That’s been possible because the quality of the workforce in the latter half of 2022 is changing. Their mindset is not at all similar to what it was before the pandemic.
Workers now focus on receiving more equal, respectable, and inclusive opportunities than ever. This forces organisations to change and restructure their norms to nurture and develop top talent cost-effectively.
But there are more avenues for us HR leaders and specialists to explore. Those are related to reasons proving the importance of diversity in the workplace. Thus, explore the blog post below and get to know why these concepts are becoming the talk of the town.
Are these concepts here to stay? If yes, what aspects are attached to these concepts? We will get to know and learn the same below shortly.
7 Reasons For The Emerging Importance of Inclusion & Diversity In the Workplace:
Meet and hit financial goals.
Several online studies conclude: that companies promoting inclusion in workplaces have a 120% chance of meeting their financial goals. That is the by-product of improved retention and employee engagement rates.
Engaged and connected employees deliver projects faster without wasting company resources, including their time.
A room for fresh ideas to take birth.
Inclusion & diversity is necessary for workplaces to make room for fresh ideas. Because every employee is bringing something new to the table. They have highly personal and professional experiences in their backgrounds.
They have unique strengths which can multiply the business growth once respected, heard, and acted upon. An inclusive work culture enables employees to discuss their mindful ideas openly.
The uKnowva social intranet is one platform where every employee connects. There is no limitation to connecting and meeting goals on time using that tool. In addition, it gives way for more inclusiveness and diversity because the modern workforce is from anywhere.
Thus, companies expect new and unique ideas brought by different employees on the table to discuss, dissect, and deploy.
A way for employees to bring their whole selves to work.
Diversity in the workplace means employees do not need to hesitate or be shy. They can bring new ideas, queries, suggestions, and discussions. There has to be room for new tech tools like uKnowva’s HRMS.
This tool enables employees to put up questions, surveys, polls, and forums. They connect there without fear of judgement or misconduct. Instead, each staff member is encouraged and respected to vote and take the dialogue further.
This way, the company culture becomes more empathetic and sympathetic towards human values and aspirations. There is no tolerance for discrimination or disrespect.
That is why employees feel free to bring their entire personality to work to contribute completely. Such feelings and emotions help the staff to connect with the firm and its culture more deeply.
When these feelings simmer and surface, employees favour the organisation over others. Thus, such freedom produces more employee engagement and retention at work.
Teams innovate faster.
According to one of McKinsey’s reports, companies acquire more projects and financial goals. That’s when they promote diversity at their workstations and environment.
This means employees get to exchange fresh ideas daily. In addition, such activity opens up more opportunities to explore, inspect, and experiment with creative and innovative ideas.
Employees in various teams need to innovate their plans, structure, and project process or charter faster. That is the primary way to compete against the ongoing market competition and gain an expected competitive edge.
Acquire business outcomes with pride.
Inclusion & diversity factors do not make employees feel uncomfortable or incapable. Rather, it’s the opposite. Employees become the pillar of change in the organisation. They are ready to accomplish goals faster and proactively.
They do so with pride and honour when organisations recognise their hard work on time. Recognising and appreciating timely efforts are two major factors that keep the inclusion values alive in the culture.
Employers and reporting managers leverage the uKnowva social intranet and HRMS. These tools have both project/timesheets and performance appraisal systems. From there, they calculate and evaluate each employee’s performance over a defined period.
They make strategic decisions without disrespecting the person to allocate them to better and more productive teams. Often, recognising and appreciating employee efforts is easy using the employee achievements highlighted in these systems.
Employees also feel prideful when their efforts receive appreciation from the entire organisation. They need such a boost to drive more business outcomes effectively and honestly.
Turn employees into brand ambassadors.
Another reason to implement inclusion & diversity is to encourage employees to become brand loyalists. Employers now increasingly understand the value their employees add to the culture.
The technologically-advanced approaches and systems they establish are all people-centric for this reason. That’s why when employees are equally heard, respected, and taken care of; they stay around more.
Employees favour the organisation regularly in front of others. They subconsciously talk about their company’s culture and environment. In no time, they genuinely become brand vocalists and ambassadors.
One example is referral programs. Using this program, employees can bring their favourite to their teams if those candidates have the potential to drive growth as expected.
Plus, employees earn more with each successful referral. Thus, promoting diversity in the workplace is fruitful for employees. They are confident in bringing change by referring the job openings to others in their circle.
Their social influence maximises when their referred contacts join the company. So it’s a win-win scenario for such dedicated, objective, and respectful employees to expand the company outreach.
A genuine sense of belonging increases job involvement.
Employees feel the rush of a sense of belonging by boosting diversity and inclusion. They do not feel neglected, isolated, unheard, or disrespectful anymore.
Even when new employees turn up and their old pals leave, the culture remains the same, with an open mind to connect and collaborate. So, employees are never fearful of being boycotted.
Rather, they thrive in teams where new members join to learn from each other. Such a sense of belonging is necessary, especially for new hires and remote workers.
That will help companies and HR departments strategically tackle socio-economic complexities as they arise. Plus, employee engagement scores improve beyond expectations when they recognise and realise that they belong.
Conclusion:
From the seven points above, young HR professionals must understand the importance of inclusion & diversity. Such notions and avenues are respected and implemented faster in organisations with smarter HR tools.
The uKnowva HRMS is an emerging example that promotes employee engagement and empowering experiences. You research such tools before implementing or downloading the same in your culture.
