Talent Diversity – Creating A Global Organization

Written by: Rashmi Anchi

Today, organizations are adopting a culture of diversity, inclusion, and equity by learning the intricacies of how they can recruit a diverse workforce which in turn results in employee well-being. How? Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) should be prioritized by organizations to improve workplace well-being. Training is critical for creating a positive and inclusive workplace that promotes the health and well-being of all employees. Employee well-being is incomplete unless organizations can successfully strategize to improve diversity, inclusion, and equity. However, the process of training will come only after employees are recruited and selected to be a part of the company’s culture. In today’s modern workplace scenario, when a new employee joins an organization, basic knowledge on DE&I must be provided.

 

 

Related – Why Learning Should Be An Organizational Culture

One question that arises is, “How can organizations integrate DE&I in their recruitment process and how well can they do it?” Let us address this question in two parts. One, how organizations can include DE&I in their recruitment process as a strategy to attract talent as well as ensure employee well-being, and second, how they maintain this DE&I knowledge to manage and retain employees in their organization. An article on Include at empower.com mentions;

• Inclusive workplaces promote increased employee well-being.
• Employees with high levels of well-being are more inclusive.
• Effective well-being initiatives accommodate the diverse needs of different employees.
• Mental health and well-being are recognized as a diversity issue in best-practice diversity and inclusion programs.

Implementation of diversity in recruitment can make a considerable difference in the process of attracting the resources and insights needed to take the business forward. Some of the best practices, we, as HRs can include in recruiting can be:

Show your employees that you accept Diversity and Inclusion

Employees being picked up for the selection process must be chosen irrespective of their race, sex, gender, or ethnicity. I watched a TEDx video on YouTube, “The H in HR” and this video spoke to me.  The focus is about how a Senior HR Consultant faces a transgender employee during the selection process, how she handles the situation, educates herself about DE&I, and how whenever she meets candidates today, her aim to attract the best talent based on the competencies and not on any other factor. Every human has the right to work for a job that suits them best and every HR professional must ensure that the HUMAN in HR stays with the organization to develop a talent pool that will translate into the intellectual capital of the organization.

Try & Understand What The Employees Want

Candidates as a new joiner expect only one thing – fair treatment. Employees want to be treated as equals and to do so, every HR professional must seek the needs of the employees. Ensuring employee well-being is the least one can do, right? During the recruitment process, recruiters should ask candidates about their expectations from the organization and tell them about the culture adopted by them concerning DE&I. An HR professional must be patient, a good listener, understanding and have attention to detail, only then employees will be comfortable to gel into the culture, be happy that the people in their workplace accept them and this brings a sense of belongingness among them. Being able to make an employee feel at home is one of the most important factors when it comes to well-being.

Knowledge sharing about Diversity and Inclusion through Training

Every organization needs to manage its knowledge systematically to keep it within the employees and add more knowledge to that base. Usually, organizations have systems to store this knowledge to be used for the future and can be incorporated into their training programs. As employees must be updated on a timely basis, this helps facilitate meaningful training as well as knowledge about DE&I. This ensures well-being for the employees as they learn to work well.

Be your self-advisor

Trainers have a strong impulse which helps in ease of work and designing training programs inclusive of concepts like DE&I. Trainers being experienced in the field of training have the know-how of how programs work and in what way they can be most effective. Based on that, they can bring the topic of DE&I into the training program without making trainees feel intimidated. Trainers must first be supportive of their selves to initiate a training program that shows immediate transfer and development in their mindset while working.

Make inclusion an ongoing process:

Making inclusion a top priority must be the aim of every organization. Including DE&I in the training program, ensures that all workers operate in an environment of comfort and safety. It is the foundation of an effective diversity training program. Irrespective, of a person’s race, gender, sex, skin color, age, weight, culture, and place of origin, they should be taken into the organization, made known about work culture of DE&I. This creates a positive atmosphere and conducive work environment for new employees to feel a sense of belonging and well-being to be satisfied in all the work they do.

Also Read – Citizenship Behavior For Better Organizational Performance

All that can be said here is that integration of DE&I from the process of recruiting right up to retaining them in the organization is significant for growth of the people. I hope the insights shared in this article address the question posed in the beginning. Adding an element of DE&I in talent acquisition is a must because today, organizations prefer a mix of culture, mindsets, and different perspectives for a better outlook on how to tackle problems as well as innovation and idea generation into their products, services, and processes.

“Inclusion and fairness in the workplace is not simply the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do”

Alexis Herman