Diversity in the workplace involves employee differences in race, ethnicity, gender, ability, education, religion, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. Promoting diversity provides new ideas and perspectives to solve problems and drive innovation.
Promoting diversity in the workplace increases employee engagement, performance, and productivity. The results include stronger job satisfaction, employee morale, and attraction and retention rates. These factors help strengthen the bottom line.
Choose among these methods to promote diversity in your workplace.
Train Employees on Cultural Competency
Provide training on diverse cultural backgrounds for employees at all levels of your organization. Understanding other cultures supports professional employee interactions. These activities help strengthen communication, collaboration, and cohesion.
Training on cultural competency might involve:
- Learning about cultural traditions and approaches to work.
- Staying current on international events and politics.
- Taking advantage of travel opportunities to visit global teams and offices.
- Forming relationships with diverse colleagues and coworkers.
Treat Others as They Desire
Be mindful that diverse employees might prefer to be treated differently from how others prefer to be treated. Therefore, you should educate employees on sensitivity to an individual’s boundaries and expectations when interacting.
For instance, employees of different cultures might perceive a handshake, eye contact, or personal space differently than other employees. As a result, understanding these differences helps respect employees’ values and minimize misunderstandings.
Remind employees they can ask an individual about their preferences to help meet their standards. Also, employees should apologize and correct their behavior if they mistakenly offend.
Observe Diverse Holidays and Traditions
Create a culturally diverse holiday calendar. Encourage employees to get involved with celebrating different cultural traditions:
- Hold meetings outside of times of prayer.
- Schedule team lunches outside of times of fasting.
- Share food, music, and celebrations from around the globe to encourage colleague and coworker interactions.
- Acknowledge significant religious or cultural holidays with well-wishes through email or over coffee.
Actively Seek Diverse Ideas
Continuously encourage diverse employees to share their ideas and perspectives to benefit the company. Employees with diverse experiences have different approaches to resolving business issues. Therefore, you gain insight into solutions you might not have considered.
Would You Like Help to Promote Diversity in Your Workplace?
Partner with Connectology for help to promote diversity in your workforce. Contact us to learn more today.