Creating Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace

There has been a significant shift in national demographics, and workers are seeking more diverse and inclusive companies to work for. That could be explained by one poll that reported 45 percent of U.S. workers experienced discrimination and/or harassment in the past year. Taking on the topic of diversity and inclusion in the workplace is becoming a rising priority for many companies.

When you take a moment to look at your company as a whole, you can begin to approach diversity and inclusion in the workplace with the power of data, especially when it comes to developing an Affirmative Action Plan. Data gives you the factual information you need to understand your company’s culture and direction to shape a more diverse and inclusive future.

Examine & Address Diversity in Your Business

The first step in examining and addressing diversity starts with identifying problems that call for solutions. This includes gathering data from current employees to gauge their personal experiences and perceptions of diversity within the company.

Getting the data necessary to begin this process is best handled by a professional human resources company like Employer Support Services. With the help of human resources professionals, you’ll be able to handle diversity-related questions from employees. Human resources experts can help your company get a comprehensive intake of information needed to address diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Diversity & Inclusion Practices to Implement in the Workplace

Once your company has identified the potential root cause of diversity problems, such as ethnic and cultural differences or generation gaps among employees, it’s time to implement new practices that encourage inclusion.

1. Improve Visibility with Stronger Diversity Analytics

Companies need to understand the framework of their employee population outside of gender, ethnicity, and race. In the past, firms have relied on engagement surveys and business resource groups to measure their employee population size and satisfaction. With more advanced diversity metrics, companies are better prepared to engage with internal lack of diversity and inclusion and implement practices that support inclusion in the workplace.

Diversity analytics should go beyond the management team and be made available for all employees to see. With a better understanding of the data, employees can be more conscious of the range of individuals they work alongside.

2. Transparency in Compensation & Pay Equity

The expectations for transparency in compensation and pay equity are high. A company’s approach to pay equity can greatly affect its overall reputation and employee engagement.

With comprehensive data revealing transparency in compensation and pay equity, it’s easier for companies to discover insights and identify areas of opportunity when it comes to pay gaps related to race, gender, or sexuality. By working with human resources experts at ESS, your company’s management can identify pay equity issues and gather the data needed to create a plan of action to fix them.

3. Eliminate Bias in the Recruiting Process

With data about diversity and inclusion in the workplace, companies can address any biases present during the recruiting process. A study reported that 67 percent of job seekers cited a diverse workplace as an important factor in their job search. Making changes to your recruiting process might mean redesigning the interview process and implementing implicit bias training.

Employer Support Services can give your company the skills it needs to thrive in the recruiting process while eliminating bias. Using our Applicant Tracking System, recruiters and managers can gain a new outlook on their candidates and hiring process while encouraging diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Affirmative Action Plan

Increase Productivity with Inclusive Business Practices

By fostering an inclusive and diverse company, your business’s production can soar. Research has found that companies with higher-than-average gender diversity and employee engagement had 46 percent to 58 percent better financial performance than companies below the median.

Individuals working in a more diverse workplace are more satisfied in the workplace and inspired to be more productive. Employee engagement increases as companies make it their goal to connect with and understand the individuals working for them.

[Related: Increase Employee Engagement to Increase Productivity]

With the technology available to conduct comprehensive data research on your employees, your management team can improve workplace culture, employee engagement, and overall productivity. Contact ESS today to start collecting data and creating a plan for a more diverse and inclusive work environment.