Strong and clear diversity and inclusion policy has huge benefits for both employees and managers. Worklogic’s Investigations Support Officer, Emine Yavuz discusses how a diversity and inclusion policy is important and essential.
Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace
Workplace culture is the heart of an organisation- the culture of a workplace establishes the beliefs, standards, and practices of a business.
Every individual in a workplace comes from a variety of backgrounds, each have differing needs, concerns, and life experience. In more recent times, organisations have been giving greater attention to diversity and inclusion policies. As our understandings around diversity deepen, the need for robust and clear policies in this area has come to the fore.
What is diversity?
Diversity covers a range of human differences such as culture, religion, sexual orientation and language. The scope of diversity also includes mental and physical ability, disability, education, age, socio-economic status, and race of its employees.
For an organisation to thrive, it must create an environment where employees are given the opportunity to embrace their diverse backgrounds. Recognition of a diverse work culture is of great benefit to any company.
In studies and surveys it has been proven that organisations that embrace diversity and are inclusive, enjoy great results. Employers with robust diversity and inclusion policies see a rise in productivity, innovation and employees are likely to be far more engaged. By embracing people of diverse backgrounds, there is potential to transform your organisation and have a deeper understanding of your employees. Diversity and inclusion policies have proved to establish more productive and vibrant workplaces.
Importance of a D&I Policy & benefits of a workplace review
A Diversity and Inclusion Policy is (D&I) is essential. A strong D&I policy sets out the following:
- an organisations mission statement.
- strategies in implementing diversity and the practices and standards adopted.
- D&I policy should promote an understanding of what your employees are guaranteed, that their differences are acknowledges and understood.
A D&I policy can include a number of policy standards:
- It can set out responsibilities of those in leadership positions, providing continuous educational programs and training to raise awareness and encourage to broaden knowledge and skills.
- inclusion of mental health programs and services.
- setting standards for a fair and inclusive recruitment process.
A D&I policy can assist in eliminating discrimination and providing for a safe and inclusive workplace for all employees and external stakeholders.
But where do you start?
In determining the state of your company, conducting a workplace review is a great start. Worklogic is committed to providing for a workplace that embraces diversity. Worklogic acknowledges that each individual comes from different circumstances, we believe everyone should be treated with respect and dignity.
One of our main areas of work is in conducting Workplace Reviews. A workplace review involves getting a deeper understanding of the experiences and feelings of employees towards their organisation. It is a collection of opinions and perceptions of employees towards their company. Employees speak to an independent consultant from Worklogic who reports on common themes, concerns, and feelings of those being interviewed.
A workplace review report is a valuable piece of information that assist companies to improve and find gaps in policy, most importantly, it highlights areas of concern of its employees. Diversity in in understanding that not all employees are the same, that we come from a rich background of experiences, lifestyles, and beliefs.
