by Diversity and inclusion seem to go hand in hand. There is a lot of buzz surrounding making workplaces more diverse. This often means making hiring processes as transparent and open as possible.
Diversity and inclusion are not one and the same, and neither happens through osmosis. To make employees feel more included, appreciated, and safe in the workplace, initiatives must be targeted to achieve specific results.”- Karima Mariama-Arthur, CEO and founder of Word Smith Rapport speaking in Forbes.
Leadership Strategies:
Challenge your unconscious bias
Eric Kandel won a Nobel prize for his work in the field of neuroscience. He believes that the majority of our free will actually takes place subconsciously. This leads to something called unconscious bias – a predisposition to see a situation in a certain way.
One unconscious bias is the classic gender role association: MALE = WORK and FEMALE = HOME.
Check your social media activity
What are the demographics of your followers on Twitter?
Treat all individuals equally irrespective of their designation, back ground, community and religion. It hardly matters to the organization whether the individual concerned is a Christian, Muslim, Hindu or a Sikh. What matters is his willingness to learn and passion to perform. Rules and regulations ought to be same for everyone. If the organization has decided to give ten leaves to its employees over a period of one year, make sure the same is granted to the office staff, pantry boy and even to the entry level executive. There are organizations where only the top level people enjoy the company benefits. Such a practice is unacceptable and leads to dissatisfaction among employees.
Incentive slabs and bonus criteria should not change with designation and hierarchy. Policies need to be same for every individual associated with the organization. If you scold your subordinate for coming late to work, make sure your top manager also comes on time. Don’t change your policies for people.
Encourage employees to interact among themselves, discuss work, share experiences and also gain from each other’s experience. Believe me, this way individuals not only come closer to each other but also get to know a lot about each other’s strengths, culture, working style and also learn many new things from them. Every individual has some or the other talent. Let people share their knowledge with fellow workers and utilize their talent in the best possible way. Encourage them to sit with their fellow workers once every day to discuss team’s strategies and even decide on the plan of action as to how to achieve the organization’s goals within the shortest possible time frame. In today’s business scenario, it is essential individuals develop the habit of working in unison; else work can never be accomplished within the deadlines. When individuals work together, not only they help each other in their respective assignments but also motivate each other to come up with their best work every time. This way, your organization also becomes a better place to work.
Appreciate employees whenever they do well. Individuals need to be given their due credit. Generally what happens is that whenever a team performs well, the team leader gets all the recognition and appreciation whereas the team members are left out. You need to be impartial towards your employees to promote organizational diversity.
Encourage individuals to celebrate festivals together irrespective of the religion and community they belong. Divide them in groups and ask them to decorate the office, arrange for a small party at office, get gifts for colleagues and so on. The idea is not to check whether they are capable of doing so or not but to make them aware of different cultures and traditions. Such an initiative also goes a long way in developing a feeling of trust and respect for their counter parts. This way, they start accepting each other and also working together as a single unit.
Encourage effective communication at the workplace to promote organizational diversity. Make sure everyone in the organization irrespective of his designation or level in the hierarchy is aware of his roles and responsibilities. Make sure organization policies are communicated well to each and everyone.
Guide your male employees and ask them to behave sensibly with their female counterparts. Make them understand that they need to draw a line somewhere while interacting with their female colleagues. Do not blindly support them. If any female employee complains about anyone, please do not ignore the same. Try to find out the actual problem and act at the earliest.
