7 Ways to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in Your Workplace … and Beyond
Equality is something we all strive for in our workplaces and within society as a whole. Although most of us appear equal on paper, there are multiple unconscious biases that make finding or staying at a company difficult. Fortunately, learning how to promote diversity in your startup isn’t.
How to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace
From capturing new markets to increased revenue, diversity can improve your startup’s ability to persevere despite rapid industry change.
Here’s how to promote inclusion in your workplace.
1. Recognize and Talk About Unconscious Biases
Topics that revolve around diversity can make others uncomfortable because there’s a lot of baggage associated with it. We see ourselves as good people. When our identity is questioned, it’s common to go on the defensive. This is a big reason why diversity training is ineffective.
Dismantling our unconscious biases isn’t easy, but it’s essential to frame diversity talks as optional. Your employees will be more willing to attend these meetings if they do so willingly, as they’ll approach complex topics with an open mind. Real, genuine change can’t be forced.
2. Celebrate More Than One Company Holiday
In North America, we tend to favor Christmas and other Catholic/Christian holidays, but those may not be as important to some of your coworkers. Feel free to celebrate Christmas, but be sure to include other major holidays, like Eid, Raksha Bandhan, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, too.
Alternatively, you could add floating holidays for employees that don’t wish to take off other days. For example, one of your coworkers could book off Halloween (Samhain) or their birthday.