Sometimes, what convinces a professional to stay in their workplace is the feeling that they are accepted and appreciated, whatever their background is. When predetermined notions are shelved, and every coworker is given a chance to prove how much skill and talent they have, it builds a company culture that emphasizes acceptance and equality. A community that does not welcome prejudice but champions human dignity above all is a community worth staying in.
This is the goal of diversity and inclusivity, especially in the workplace. Suppose a company is willing to give equal chances to all professionals despite their gender, age, or cultural background. Chances are they’ll enjoy the benefits of a workforce with an almost nonexistent attrition rate and many job seekers wanting in. A diverse workforce does not only have benefits for the individuals they hire but also for the company as a whole.
How does a diverse workforce make you an employer of choice? In what ways will promoting inclusivity create a positive employer brand? Let’s learn why diversity also bodes well in employee population and longevity.
Professionals are seen for sheer skill and talent, nothing else.
An assistant professor and researchers from Stanford Graduate School of Business concluded through a survey that workers are willing to let go of up to $1,000 in salary just to be employed at a workplace that celebrates diversity. The research team also found out that younger, entry-level employees with less work experience are concerned with knowing the company’s statistics when it comes to their diversity hire.
These findings indicate that many professionals are now opting for organizations that are more accepting of people despite their race, gender preference, and so on. This can be connected to apprehension when one tries to be part of a company and is judged solely on their cultural background or age. Jobseekers coming from prejudiced backgrounds might not even apply at all.
But there have been efforts now to promote inclusivity in the hiring process. For example, companies in the UK, US, or Canada will discourage applicants from including a photo in their resume to avoid accusations of discrimination in the application process. There are also movements to anonymize hiring efforts: asking for work samples instead of mere resumes, using gender-neutral pronouns when writing job posts, and removing filters for gender, race, and age when using recruitment apps.
It used to be that discrimination in hiring was an unnoticed norm. For instance, it was 2018 when Facebook users filed landmark discrimination complaints against 66 companies who posted job openings that only men and younger professionals could see. These complaints resulted in an order for Facebook to stop ads that seemingly filter out workers who aren’t male or part of the younger demographic.
Now, diversity hiring puts everyone on an equal plane and will be evaluated based on how well they will perform in their future job. When potential hires grab news of this kind of recruitment, they’ll give your company a shot because they know you will welcome them in a place that celebrates inclusivity.
A diverse workforce is future-proofed with creativity and innovation.
If a company can welcome new employees onto its operations floor, the next step is to make them stay. But if they do not see the company’s staying power in the industry or has its struggles to stay afloat, employees will search for job stability elsewhere. Believe it or not, inclusivity and diversity are means to future-proof your company and work roster.
A professor at Columbia Business school emphasized how diversity enhances creativity. When company leaders allow diversity in search of unique ideas and perspectives, they become better at decision-making and problem-solving. Consequently, research from the Harvard Business School revealed that diverse teams are better at making decisions than cognitively-similar teams. In fact, diverse teams arrive at decisions 60 percent faster than non-diverse ones.
Long story short: diversity improves decision-making. While changes in the market are bound to happen, a company that celebrates diversity also celebrates openness to try new things out, to adapt to what the market will demand in the future. Moreover, when a workforce is composed of individuals who welcome not only a difference in backgrounds but also disparities in opinions, this harmony will continue for a long time. Who does not want this, partnered with job stability?
Companies that showcase diversity understand the needs of today’s professionals.
There is a heightened awareness of mental health nowadays, even before the rise of the pandemic. Among the youth, those who experienced discrimination about their bodies, gender, or race were 25 percent most likely to develop mental illnesses.
While workplace discrimination is an undeniable reality, it is not experienced the same way as others. In a survey among professionals, 75 percent of Black employees admitted to experiencing workplace discrimination related to their race or ethnicity. It is also in the same survey that undermined employee wellbeing was mentioned more for Black and Hispanic workers than their White counterparts.
As mentioned above, workers are willing to lose up to a thousand dollars’ worth of pay just to be in a company that champions a diverse workforce. Women, the differently-abled, members of the LGBTQIA+, and others who have experienced discrimination also come in the form of professionals who excel in their field. They would be excited to build their career in a company that understands their unique needs, a company that is willing to adjust for them. For example:
- Leaves from work aren’t questioned, and employees don’t feel guilty about taking care of their mental health through vacations.
- Promoting gender equality and respect for a person’s gender identity leads to comfort and productivity in the workplace.
- There are no glass ceilings, and everyone is allowed to reach as high as they can on their career ladder.
- Professionals of diverse cultural backgrounds can bring in new influences, philosophies, and points of view on how to go about work and openly share them.
Of course, a diverse workforce does not alienate or discriminate. Through fair treatment and equal consideration of what an employee can bring to the company, workers feel valued the way high salaries and stellar benefits can’t do. More than monetary rewards, today’s workers need recognition and professional care.
Clearly, a diverse workforce feels like home. Think of what this “home” environment will do to your employer brand when current and former employees have nothing else but positive words about your company.
LEAD EMPLOYEES TOWARDS THEIR BEST VERSION THROUGH DAVIS COMPANIES.
The best employers bring out the best in their employees. While a diverse workforce will surely do this, the help of a premiere staffing agency is also key to reaching perfection and operational excellence. Davis Companies is committed to attaining this excellence, and you can achieve it too.
We are committed to building personal integrity and willingness to go above and beyond through the professionals we hire. At Davis Companies, we pride ourselves as the top choice for our clients, because of our dedication to continuous improvement, from the relationships we build with our hires to the efforts we make to push them to eliminate obstacles.
Are you ready to pay witness to the Davis Way? Contact us now.
