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The UK workforce is more diverse than it has ever been, which is great news for those looking beyond political correctness and implementing fair policies and working practices; looking to make a real difference. When diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) are taken seriously in the workplace, the organisation benefits from a larger and more diverse talent pool and a more positive reputation.
People want to work for an employer with good employment practices. Practices that are in evidence, day to day. And they want to feel valued at work. Employers now recognise the importance of DEI in recruiting and keeping hold of the talent and skills necessary for success.
Alongside practices that recognise every employee’s right to fair treatment it is important to create an open and inclusive culture. A culture where everyone feels valued and respects their colleagues, knowing that their contribution to the organisation is recognised. It is all about valuing everyone as an individual.
Promoting and supporting DEI in the workplace is an essential element of good people management. However, it can be easy for an employer to overlook the dynamic of their workplace and then do not ensure it is both fair and respectful.
Whilst UK legislation covering age, disability, race, religion, sex, and sexual orientation etc, sets minimum standards, an effective DEI strategy goes beyond this and looks to add real value to an organisation. Evidence shows an effective strategy, which is more than a written policy and is implemented across every team, contributes to positive employee wellbeing and engagement. Simply saying that you are a diverse and inclusive organisation is not enough. It is not about having the right policies in place, but more about fostering a culture where everyone feels valued and supported to do their best work. And this should start at the top with management showing inclusive behaviours in their language and actions. It is essential to have an inclusive environment where everyone feels able to take part and achieve their potential. Low morale within your teams can result in decreased productivity and potentially high turnover rates. You should also reward and recognise employees through measurement systems that are fair and free from bias. When every employee sees they have opportunities, trust is cultivated and fairness in the workplace becomes the norm.
An ever-increasing number of employers now realise that their wider reputation goes beyond environmental impact. They have recognised that the overall image of an organisation is important to attracting and retaining employees. In other words, their approach, attitude to and incorporation of DEI practices is now under scrutiny. It is proven that more diverse workplaces have advantages in recruiting top talent. Diversity improves employee morale and happiness, which in turn leads to greater job satisfaction and reduced employee turnover.
Inclusion fosters positive behaviours where all the team feel that they belong, their opinions are welcome and valued and they are being relied upon to contribute. Currently, there are approximately 32.8 million people employed in the UK. So, that’s 32.8 million different points of view, ways of thinking and potential for innovative ideas just waiting to be tapped. Be that organisation where your managers create an inclusive, diverse culture where they inspire every employee to engagement and better performance.
HR & Payroll software experts, Frontier Software, have been successfully delivering systems to record, manage and analyse your people data for approaching 40 years. With unlimited data, history and easy to use reporting tools; statistics for diversity, equality and inclusion are at your fingertips in real time, any time.
More Information:
Contact Frontier Software on 01276 456902, email [email protected] or visit our website at www.frontiersoftware.com