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Diversity isn’t enough. Companies must focus on inclusion
Diversity isn’t enough. Companies must focus on inclusion

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Digital technology continues to evolve at warp speed. Advancements result in a world previously relegated to science fiction, and greatly enhance the quality of life.

As these digital transformations captivate our world, we cannot discredit the diverse talent driving innovation. Diversity of thought and backgrounds is key to innovation; it brings diverse ideas and experiences to the table.  Given this, it’s no surprise that global IT organizations have begun to build a diverse workforce that accelerates the pace of digital transformation even more.

But diversity alone isn’t enough. Inclusion must become a key business focus. To truly unlock the power and potential of all talent, companies need to ensure that people of different genders, races, ethnicities, and socioeconomic status, and those with different physical and cognitive abilities, are not only part of the employee base but have a seat at the table. Inclusion ensures that companies can build and sustain a diverse workforce.

Five steps all organizations must take to create a culture of inclusivity

  1. Pivot beyond unconscious bias training. Creating a culture of inclusion means moving beyond traditional unconscious bias training to inclusivity training. It is not only imperative to provide inclusivity trainings, but also to provide leaders information to help understand psychological safety. When employees feel safe to be their authentic self – and to take risks – they can bring innovative and creative ideas never seen before. A new study from Workhuman found that a mere 26% of workers felt psychologically safe during the pandemic and experienced higher levels of burnout, stress and greater feelings of loneliness.  Working women experienced less psychological safety than men, and working parents had lower levels of psychological safety. As workers begin to return to the office, it’s more critical than ever that companies create a culture where people feel safe to be themselves. Check in with your employees, thank them for their efforts and keep the communication lines open.
     
  2. Encourage allyship. Inclusivity doesn’t just happen, rather it evolves and becomes authentic when organizational leadership encourages and facilitates a culture of allyship. According to a research report from Bentley University's Gloria Larson Center for Women and Business, employees of organizations that foster strong allyship and inclusion cultures are 50% less likely to leave, 56% more likely to improve their performance, 75% less likely to take a sick day, and up to 167% more likely to recommend their organizations as a great place to work. Being an ally isn’t easy, but when people speak up against those who may feel marginalized, they feel a greater sense of belonging.
     
  3. Build leaders. A commitment to diversity and inclusion is a big part of what today’s workforce yearns to see in an organization, and helping employees prepare to be tomorrow’s leaders is a great investment. In addition to the traditional upskilling that all tech-organizations need to stay relevant, there needs to be a focus on leadership training. Most organizations have now started to focus keenly on women’s global leadership development programs that aim to accelerate women’s advancement into senior/executive management with coaching and mentoring. Mentoring is one of the top strategies used for career development and progression. According to McCarthy Mentoring, retention rates were higher for both mentees (22% more) and mentors (20% more) than for employees who did not participate in a mentoring program.
     
  4. Give employees a voice. Empower your employees to shape and drive global, regional, and local councils and affinity groups. When structured both top-down – sponsored by executive leadership – and grassroots – championed by employees at all levels, employees can impact meaningful change. These groups provide safe spaces for employees to share their interests and aspirations. Affinity Groups (Employee Resource Groups) are most effective when they focus on key pillars like
  • Attract: Recruit top talent by participating in recruiting activities.
  • Develop: Offer personal and professional development opportunities.
  • Retain: Engage talent by becoming and remaining a desirable place to build careers.
  • Network: Connect with each other, as well as with external networks.
  1. Hire smart. When leaders have specific goals to hire and retain diverse talent, it is more likely to happen. Leadership levels should carry a target relative to their business area for hiring and retaining diversity – complimented by regular monitoring and communication of the progress at logical periods through the year. What gets measured gets done.

Inclusive workplaces deliver immense long-term business benefits. Supporting inclusivity in the workplace is no longer a choice, but a responsibility. And when companies collaborate on this road, it is an extraordinarily fulfilling journey.

This article is authored by

Nita Nambiar, Head of Diversity & Inclusion at Cognizant India

 

 


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