Harnessing Change to Become a More Accommodating Employer
The year of the pandemic is regarded by many to have been a positive catalyst for change in the workplace, with racial diversity and equal rights brought firmly to the fore. As a result, a far greater awareness of diversity and inclusion in the workplace has emerged, bringing with it increasing opportunities to those from disadvantaged backgrounds, the creation of many new Employee Resource Groups and visible allyship for those from minority communities.
As we return to our offices, it is essential to take time to reflect on how you and your team can become more accommodating of those with differences and set the standard for a better work-life balance and a stronger voice for all members of your team.
Enabling Flexible Working
According to many of Diversity Network’s members, standards of work are changing, and changing for the better. The last year has seen remote work become an integrated aspect of many offices’ workflow – not just through lockdown. Even though many companies are encouraging people to come into offices now, we are beginning to see a much more fluid way of working emerging. While being full time in the office can work for some people, for others, such as parents, carers and those with disabilities or long commutes, it can make life much more difficult, and there are clear advantages to being able to use digital means to work more flexibly. Even after lockdowns have been lifted and some workers are returning to their professional premises, it is unlikely that we will see a full return to offices as the default from now on. Workers are unlikely to willingly comply with draconian rules which give them less freedom and possibility than before.
Practicing Greater Tolerance For Diverse Viewpoints
To get diversity and inclusion in the workplace right, it’s important to allow the workplace to be a space for diverse talents, diverse opinions and to accommodate people from diverse backgrounds. Understanding the value of multiple perspectives within the workplace can help you develop products and services that are more appealing to a wider array of people as a result. It will also enable your workforce to be happier and more productive.
Benefits of Courses and Self-Directed Learning to Promote Greater Tolerance and Understanding
In order to better understand and support your staff, courses and self-learning can really help the way you interact with your team. For example, taking health and social care courses online or subscribing to Diversity Network’s Professional Access Portal can help you to learn new skills which will better help you to interact with fellow staff, find new ways of resolving professional conflicts and help you to champion others, while better understanding independent viewpoints and values. Rather than trying to ‘pull everyone into line’, it can very much help to understand their unique perspectives and meet them where they are.
Improve How You Communicate With Staff
Effective communication is key, both to develop your own skills as a professional, and also to be able to foster greater dialogue within your own team too. Being a better communicator and a more accommodating employer can be a huge benefit to your staff. Many statistics prove that celebrating diverse talent and actively championing them within the workplace will make your team more productive.
Through these methods above, we highly recommend going beyond yourself to see how you can become more accommodating and listen more closely to your staff’s needs – and create an enabling, supportive, creative, inclusive and diverse team that everyone wants to be a part of. You’ll be glad you did!
SUSTAINABLE WORKFORCE SERIES
