We’d like to thank our friends at www.inclusiveemployers.co.uk for this guest post…
Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace
Businesses are increasingly realising the value of inclusion and diversity in their workforce. Policies alone are not enough to build an inclusive workplace, and inclusion shouldn’t be a box-ticking exercise.
At its most basic level, a diverse and inclusive organisation is an organisation in which no one feels left out because of their age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, or other factors such as social background.
This means that the organisation is composed of a diverse mix of people who are valued as individuals, and who feel they can be their full selves at work and therefore achieve their full potential.
What are the benefits of inclusion?
There is a human case and a business case for inclusion. We passionately believe in the human case – that inclusion builds a society in which everyone is able to thrive and be themselves and where accessible and inclusive workplaces are the norm. Celebrating difference and upholding the values of equality and justice are key to our ethos.
There’s also a wealth of compelling evidence that having a diverse and inclusive workforce has huge benefits for businesses, allowing them to:
- Better reflect and understand their customer base
- Recruit and retain the best talent
- Reduce legal risks around exclusion, discrimination and harassment
- Pursue innovation and access diverse thinking
- Ensure employees feel valued – driving engagement and performance
McKinsey have demonstrated how diversity and inclusion drives financial performance: their report Delivering through Diversity (2018) for example shows that organisations in the top quartile for racial diversity outperformed organisations in the bottom quartile by 35% above national industry median.
How can you create a diverse and inclusive workplace?
Established in May 2011, we are the UK’s first and leading membership representing over 100 UK organisations looking to build inclusive workplaces. We offer consultancy, training and thought leadership, to help you make inclusion an everyday reality at your place of work. We are passionate about making sure that employees understand that diversity is about them, and inclusion is their opportunity to add value and feel valued.
If you’d like to talk about inclusion, please get in touch at www.inclusiveemployers.co.uk