Is your organisation trying to become more inclusive in 2020?
The importance of inclusion in the workplace is increasing and it is now considered a necessary factor for consumers and job hunters. In fact, 86% of millennial females and 74% of millennial males that are job hunting, consider a company’s approach to inclusion so it’s a big part of growing your organisation.
In this blog, we consider the major benefits of inclusion that can influence the growth of your organisation. We’ll also look at the common challenges that organisations face when building an inclusive workplace and how you can overcome these barriers to start moving towards a more inclusive work environment.
The Benefits
Inclusion can make employees happier
Creating an inclusive work environment where everyone feels included helps to boost morale amongst your team. The feeling of inclusion provides team members with a sense of belonging and they can understand the impact they have in the organisation. Higher morale has a direct relationship with a higher level of productivity meaning your organisation can operate more efficiently to support growth.
Inclusion creates a more innovative workplace
If you have a workforce built up around people from the same background, with the same culture and the same opinions then your workplace culture and way of thinking will always remain the same. Building a more diverse and inclusive workforce will encourage a broader way of thinking as you start to bring in different ideas from individuals of different backgrounds and cultures which will ultimately help your organisation on its path to greater innovation. Innovation will provide you with the competitive advantage you need to grow your organisation.
Attracting the best talent
An exclusive organisation that ignores certain people in the talent pool are a thing of the past. In today’s world, individuals are now paying attention to company policies on inclusion when considering a new job. If you’re an organisation that is not promoting an inclusive workplace then you could be forcing away some amazing people with a fantastic skillset that could really make their mark on your organisation. The organisations that are thriving today are the ones that promote and support an inclusive work environment, and it is these organisations that attract some of the brightest and most influential individuals that will shape your organisation for the better.
Customers respond to an inclusive organisation
More and more organisations are now implementing inclusion into their marketing strategy (89% of companies actively communicate about their diversity and inclusion efforts) as a way to connect with customers because the consumer is valuing inclusion more and this factor heavily weighs in on the consumers buying decision. Building and promoting your inclusive workforce can help you create a stronger reputation and appeal to more customers which will help you grow your organisation.
The Challenges
Leadership must buy into an inclusive culture
It can be challenging for organisations to build an inclusive culture because it's difficult to have all your team buy into the idea of building a more inclusive culture. Creating this change starts with the leadership team. Leaders are responsible for adopting change and spreading this throughout the organisation. This is a more common challenge in larger organisations where there is a higher number of employees who need to be informed about the importance of adopting an inclusive culture.
Lack of awareness about the importance of inclusion
Leading on from the previous point, teams that do not have enough information about the importance of inclusion will not be able to adopt an inclusive culture as it requires everyone to buy into the culture to make it a reality. Asian Business Connexions aims to inform organisations and individuals about the importance of a more inclusive workplace and through the ABC membership you can inform your team about the best practices to make your organisation more inclusive.
Organisations are unaware of the best practices for promoting an inclusive workplace
There are many organisations that are unaware of the best practices to help them develop a more inclusive work environment. Asian Business Connexions supports organisations in developing an inclusive workplace by providing inclusion workshops and resources through the membership to inform organisations on how they can approach inclusion.
Summary
Becoming an ABC member can help your organisation to create an inclusive culture and work environment that will have a positive influence on those who work for you and those you do business with. Ultimately, creating an inclusive environment that benefits everyone involved will also help your organisation to grow.
Learn more about ABC Membership