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Workers should be valued in a company. After all, your employees determine the quality of your products and services. Consequently, the quality of the employees that you hire and the culture that permeates your workspace is a big factor to your business’ success. It’s why human resources – the team responsible for managing the company’s employees – have become one of the most important departments in the modern workforce. In fact, the HR industry is set to grow above the average rate compared to other careers in the business world.

One critical employee management aspect that HR focuses on is diversity and inclusivity. In fields like STEM, where uneven diversity growth hampers innovation, leaders continuously seek inventive HR solutions to combat homogeneity and foster inclusiveness. Sadly, this is a common issue across many other vital industries, prompting HR courses to adopt more comprehensive curriculums to address gaps in representation and equity. Eventually, this will lead them to be able to evaluate, craft, and implement business policies that maximize growth opportunities indiscriminately.

But what is it about employee diversity and workplace inclusivity that’s so important to a company’s continued growth?

Greater productivity

Members of underrepresented groups face more than just social barriers at work — they also worry about practical concerns related to the job. Working conditions disproportionately affect women’s mental health, reflecting the need for workplaces to address the asymmetrical disadvantages that certain groups have to deal with.

An inclusive workplace prioritizes the unique needs of its employees to promote welfare, providing adjustments to accommodate concerns like mental and physical health or disabilities. In turn, workers are more likely to perform well and contribute positively to the atmosphere in the workplace when they face fewer barriers to their work life. 

Diverse perspectives

Business leaders benefit from a diverse set of skills when their companies attract a more expansive talent pool. Employees offer insights unique to their positions, such as direct input and feedback from customers or specific details in business operations. A more diverse workforce enhances creativity and helps foster innovation. They are also more likely to find new approaches to certain problems by thinking beyond conventional solutions, thus enhancing the efficiency of the company. 

Greater business profits

Diversity and inclusion have a ripple effect on the business’s profits by improving productivity. Employees are more likely to thrive in an inclusive environment where they can enjoy equal opportunities for career advancement, work-life balance, and belonging with minimal discrimination. Additionally, commitment to diversity and inclusion signals that your business welcomes all kinds of people. This allows you to extend your marketing reach to a more diverse group, increasing profits. 

Increased employee engagement and retention

An inclusive workplace fosters greater employee engagement. Today, 70% of job seekers say they value a company’s approach to diversity when considering jobs, reflecting employees’ desire for inclusive workplaces. Treating workers with empathy also results in fewer turnovers. Actively implementing initiatives to combat stereotypes and accommodate different educational and socioeconomic backgrounds, languages, cultures, religious and political beliefs, disabilities, and family settings allow workers to develop greater trust in their employers.

Diversity is pivotal in an enterprise succeeding and will help improve the workplace from within while helping to connect with its customers and clients more effectively. But for diversity to thrive, business leaders must be able to foster an inclusive culture that puts employees at the center. In doing so, they cultivate a work environment that fosters productivity, positivity, and innovation.

By: Roxanne Jayleen

Stay In The Game provides opportunities for competent, educated individuals who have been out of the workforce. Now, they can get back in the game and put their talents to work. We offer jobs, training and community support. For more information, please visit our website https://stayinthegame.net/ or contact us at info@stayinthegame.net.