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Harnessing the power of diversity in the workforce
Harnessing the power of diversity in the workforce

October 11, 2022

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Tucked in a leafy green corner of suburban Mumbai stands Mirchi and Mime, a restaurant known for its succulent chicken and eclectic menu served exclusively by speech and hearing-impaired staff. Patrons use sign language printed on the menu to place orders. The trainer roams the floor to give real-time training to the staff. Birthday celebrations are unusual (clapping is replaced by sign language), the staff bristles with pride and positivity, and goodwill floats in the air. I’ve never seen irate patrons.

This, to me, this is an ecosystem at the heart of which is the belief that inclusion drives innovation, which in turn leads to commercial success.

But the report card on diversity leaves much to be desired.

McKinsey in its 10-year research report – “Women Matter”, articulates that women represent 50% of the world population but do not account for a fair share of world GDP. If the gap were to be bridged, the world GDP would increase by 11% by 2025. Several studies have also established the correlation between higher participation of women and organizational performance. Yet, the representation of women in boards, management committees and line roles remain low.

While US-based organizations have ratcheted up their D&I efforts, the complexity around inclusion has also grown significantly. The Black working population, for instance, constitutes roughly 12% of the private sector and continues to be underrepresented in the high growth areas and industries and overrepresented in low growth geographies and low paying jobs. The status of LGBTQIA+ is equally concerning, with the group still fighting for legitimacy and equality in many countries. Only four CEOs across Fortune 500 organizations are openly gay. The transgender experience at the workplace – across countries – calls for urgent investments around their inclusion.

Between these major strands, exist a myriad hidden strands that need equal focus. The refugee crisis across the world, for example, looms large not to mention deep rooted poverty that further exacerbates systemic imbalances. 

So, how can organizations create a blueprint for inclusion?

While every organization operates in a unique ecosystem and needs to build their own distinctive Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) proposition, these four principles are fundamental to success:

  1. Understand your why –What kind of diversity will drive commercial success? By hiring “like me” across your organization, are you missing out on diverse talent pools? Geographies? Innovative ideas? Deep local expertise? Are you following diversity themes because it makes you look good or do your internal employees resonate with your themes? Asking these questions can help you fine-tune your strategy. Sometimes, it is great to start diversity initiatives with the client at the center and build it back internally. It’s important to go beyond the obvious themes of diversity. For instance, hire Arts graduates as coders, tennis coaches as private bankers and home makers as leaders. For me, it has also been crucial to consider talent gaps and our intrinsic biases that cause us to overlook unusual talent pools over the years.
     
  2. Build inherently diverse teamsJust like you would staff a project with complimentary skills, it is important to build diverse teams around projects and problems. Just the difference in thought processes and life experiences help create more robust solutions. CEOs would do well to spend time with new recruits to get fresh perspectives and HR heads with technology orientation to build engagements at scale. The job of leaders is to create conditions that foster this type of environment structurally rather than through serendipity.
     
  3. Build the ecosystem around diverse teams An organization I know hired transgenders without creating the necessary ecosystem to support them. No one around them was sensitised about how to engage with the group or be empathetic towards their needs. Unsurprisingly, this resulted in massive retention issues. We need to understand that diverse teams have diverse needs. I have often heard people generalize, “young MBAs are pampered”, “women are emotional and high maintenance”, “gay people don’t integrate well with the rest”, “it’s challenging to hire the differently abled” and so on.  I believe that being a leader is challenging and the job of a leader who leads a diverse team is to continuously serve the needs of its members. The good news is there are tons of resources available to support you.
     
  4. Balance top-down approach with employee advocacy D&I creates true impact only when it’s integrated with your enterprise business strategy. Establish diverse groups that can come together to ideate and craft the inclusion and diversity experience, while others champion the experience through various channels. This must be driven by the CEO and her/ his leadership team. People need to see their leaders passionately champion these causes. Yet, an intense focus on top-down diversity initiatives leads to the erosion of employee agency.  Encouraging employees to voice their opinions in the workplace creates a sense of belonging. Recently, I was privileged to witness inclusion in action when a group of our employees of Ukrainian origin in the UK ran a self-managed giving campaign to support the people impacted by the Ukrainian war.  

It's clear to me that modern organizations have an incredible opportunity to value individual voices, create a sense of belonging and ensure a sense of equity in their systems and processes. While we may not be able to change history, we can shape a new and better one – together!

About the author

 

By Shuchika Sahay, CHRO, Firstsource


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