Developing Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace: Best Practices for Your Business

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Developing Diversity and Inclusion in the
Workplace Best Practices for Your Business

• https//goodmanlantern.com/

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The world is full of beautiful, smart, funny, and
insightful people. People from all walks of life,
cultures, ethnicities, races, and genders. Its
peoples diversity that makes daily life
interesting and unique. Imagine a world where
everyone had the same views, upbringing, and
opinions as you? It would be rather boring,
wouldnt it? Diversity is important. It allows
for new ideas and experiences to be shared. When
we open our minds to integrating with different
people, we open ourselves up to learning more.
Its the same in life as it is in business.
Diversity and inclusion in the workplace are
vital for this very reason.
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Its not only great for the cultural side of the
business but for productivity and business
processes too. Studies have shown that inclusive
teams have shown to have better productivity and
staff engagement. This is attributed to a diverse
team having better problem-solving skills, as
every individual brings a unique view to the
table. LinkedIn has reported that diversity is
directly tied to company culture and financial
performance. Their data indicates that 78 of
companies prioritise diversity to improve
culture, and 62 do so to boost financial
performance. Heres how you can improve
equality and diversity in the workplace as a
business owner.
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Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace Means
Breaking Stereotypes and Unconscious Biases

• We all have an unconscious bias. These are
  beliefs that are hidden deep within us that may
  not necessarily align with our conscious beliefs.
  But, theyre extremely important to pay attention
  to. Knowing when we are being biased and creating
  an awareness of the stereotypes we may hold of
  people based on the way they look, speak or
  present is the first step to overcoming them.

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• Leaders in companies need to question themselves
  and employees so that everyone is constantly
  aware of their assumptions. The best way to
  tackle this is to keep a thought journal and
  track behaviours. The more a company can learn
  about stereotypes within their organisation, the
  easier it will become to avoid them. With this
  bias test project, you can get your employees to
  learn about their associations with race, gender,
  and sexual orientation.
• Its important to understand that having an
  unconscious bias does not make you a bad person.
  It makes you a human. Everyone and we mean
  everyone has unconscious biases. The best thing
  you can do as a business owner to break these
  biases is to have regular internal bias training
  seasons. Open up a path for discussion for this,
  and youll see great results for your companys
  diversity.

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• A diversity training program is a great idea to
  help employees navigate and understand cultural
  differences. Programs like this help employees
  feel connected and give them an understanding of
  each others communication styles, identities,
  customs, and more. In the long run, investing in
  training can prevent and help a company deal with
  conflict.

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Equal Pay for Equal Work

• One of the best ways to encourage diversity and
  inclusion in the workplace is to be a fair
  employer. Employers that reward their employees
  fairly are companies that retain staff at much
  higher rates and attract a diverse applicant pool.

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• When a company provides a level playing field and
  equal opportunity for all staff members,
  workplace satisfaction levels go up, and so does
  productivity.
• By paying employees fairly, youll garner the
  reputation of being an attractive organisation to
  work for. When posting a job listing, youll soon
  find that youll have more applicants who feel
  encouraged to apply and feel a positive sentiment
  towards your company.
• Who doesnt want their pick of the best employees
  out there?
• Make sure your business evaluates its current
  employees earning potential and ensures that it
  matches their output only. This needs to mitigate
  any biases that you may have identified at this
  point.

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Understand and Acknowledge Different Observances

• With a team that is inclusive of many cultures,
  religions, and orientations comes the need to be
  sensitive to holidays and observances. This can
  be a beautiful thing. Team members have the
  opportunity to share cultural events, learn more
  about their colleagues religious practices and
  extend good wishes for any celebrations. The more
  a team can understand one another, the more
  inclusivity and tolerance it breeds.

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• By keeping track of various holidays and
  understanding who observes them, you can be
  respectful towards your team when it comes to
  scheduling meetings around these dates. Its also
  important to note if these impact catering for
  business events, as some religions avoid certain
  foods, such as pork.
• Acknowledging these holidays will gain your
  company a considerable amount of respect with
  your team and make each member feel seen and
  included. When people feel seen, they perform
  better. Its a win-win for everyone!

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Mix Teams up Regularly

• Did you ever sit at the same desk in school and
  hang out with the same group of people during
  break time? If your answer is yes, thats quite
  normal. As humans, we gravitate toward what is
  familiar. We like to be comfortable. However, you
  dont grow within a comfort zone. Its the same
  for work teams that have become comfortable.
• Prevent your employees from forming cliques and
  encourage them to mix up teams often. By having
  teams made up of people from differing
  backgrounds, theyll learn from each other and
  better understand each others values, cultures,
  and experiences.
• Perspective increases understanding within teams,
  and this will spur creativity and productivity.
  People of different genders, backgrounds, or even
  ages will bring fresh ideas to the table. Your
  projects will benefit from this range of
  knowledge.

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Diversity Is a Constant Work in Progress

• The benefits of diversity and inclusion in the
  workplace are clear. More perspective builds more
  understanding and compassion. However, always
  remember this is a constant work in progress.

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At Goodman Lantern, we like to reach out to our
teams with anonymous surveys to discuss any
concerns anyone might have. We encourage all
companies to facilitate check-in mechanisms
that discuss employee well-being as well as
inclusion. If your team feels safe enough to be
transparent with you, it fosters inclusion.
Understand a bit more about why diverse teams are
so important to our culture. We hope it can
inspire your teams! Diversity, equity, and
inclusion will drive engagement in your company,
making it more resilient and holistic. Focus on
improving diversity and inclusion in the
workplace, and youll be sure to create a
thriving business.
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THANKYOU!

• Goodman Lantern

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• 1 9292993999

• hello_at_goodmanlantern.com

• https//goodmanlantern.com/