Diversity and inclusion starts with listening
Today, with the expanding technology and contracting distances we are closer to each other like never before. You can grab a slice of Timber Pizza — The best pizza in D.C. and then Kelly’s iconic roast beef sandwich at a time difference of a couple of hours. This ease of travel and communication has resulted in a multicultural society that works together.
When we talk about working together, the United States has always represented itself as a land of many beliefs and cultures. People from all around the world have made it their home and are living together in harmony. However, there are cultural and communication barriers that arise because of it.
When we listen and celebrate what is both common and different, we become a wiser, more inclusive, and better organization. ~Pat Wadors
Every individual has its own identity and it becomes very important for a good organization to identify and respect that identity. The importance of this diversity is explained very beautifully in this blog by Angela titled Why Diversity and Inclusion Are More Important Than Ever. She emphasizes the point that the talent pool belongs to the world and until and unless we allow everyone to participate we will never have the best workforce.
We may not agree with everyone every single time, however, it becomes important for us as professionals to listen to every opinion. Going back to the title, how do we ensure that we are including the diverse culture into our work space? The title also gives an answer.
Diversity and inclusion will start by listening. We have to start listening to everyone. Understanding everyone. The job of HR is very important here. Somen Mondol in his blog Diversity And Inclusion: A Complete Guide For HR Professionals gives fascinating data shared by HRs regarding how companies deal with diversity.
How do we ensure diversity and inclusion at workplace?
It depends on your company and the level of diversity it has. However, we have made a 4 pointer to give you a brief idea of how you can ensure that everyone is included and thus maximum productivity and a healthy workspace is established.
- Listen to all points of view and interpret: When we are working with people of so many backgrounds, it becomes important for us to listen to understand and not listen to argue. Talk it out and come to a conclusion that makes everyone happy. Every voice must be respected and listened to. Abhishek Mundhra has captured the very idea about active listening in his blog Engagement starts with active listening emphasizing on the need for leaders to be good listeners.
- Bubble the key themes that your people care about: Issues for employees can be as trivial as the coffee machine not dispensing coffee at the correct temperature to something serious like not being able to concentrate due to too much noise around his work station. The work from home trend arising due to COVID19 has also generated a new lot of problems. As a leader, it, therefore, becomes important to have the right idea about what your employees need. Always remember, a happy employee will always try to deliver better than expected.
- Take a stance: Often at workplaces relationships between employees go bad due to n number of reasons. A difference of opinion, different cultural backgrounds, or habits sometimes result in bullying or bad conduct. Some are able to handle it and some can’t. It becomes the responsibility of every single person working to take a stance when anything wrong happens by informing the concerned authorities of if possible trying to sort the issue over a nice hotdog.
- Action and drive accountability: In many companies, issues are heard but never worked on. Listening is important but taking action on the issues faced by your employees is even more important. Action always speaks louder than words. As an employer, you must make sure that the problems faced by your employees must be dealt with by the people responsible thereby establishing accountability.
Your workplace is your home for a good 8 hours a day 5 days a week. It must be a happy one. Organizations like berryworks are working to bridge the gap between the employer and employee through innovative AI-based HR solutions. To conclude, due to this advancement in technology we are closer like never before. Let us use this as an opportunity to learn from each other and better ourselves every day.
