Remote work has become the new normal. According to McKinsey's American Opportunity Survey, 87% of employees prefer flexible work arrangements if they are allowed to choose between the two.
BCG research states that the employees of companies that possess most workplace diversity are thrice more likely to be happy at work, and are twice more likely to be having good work-life balance.
In addition, studies show that younger generations-including millennials and Gen Z-and their older seniors are placing increasingly greater value on diversity and inclusion at work compared to earlier generations.
With that said, however, remote work comes with its share of challenges, most of which pertain to workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion. Such employers need to develop the organizational culture about a strong diversity and inclusion strategy to ensure proper functioning by all employees working virtually.
Using AI-powered solutions, such as those offered by Skima.ai, HR can streamline diversity efforts and smoothly run a recruitment, onboarding, and team development process that is free of bias toward a truly inclusive remote culture.
The Role of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I)
The three key elements in establishing a successful and prosperous virtual work culture are diversity, equity, and inclusion. An inclusive workplace provides equal opportunity to all employees regardless of the background.
This, in turn, leads to a better workforce, thus contributing to the success of an organization. Inclusive companies, above all, are creative and innovative because different perspectives bring in new ideas and enhance ability to identify better solutions to problems.
Workplace diversity, being a part of a remote setting must be encouraged through deliberate engagement so that nobody feels excluded. Inclusivity at work means all genders, races, and backgrounds had the opportunity to contribute, grow, and feel like they belonged.
Keys to an Inclusive Workplace
Keys to an Inclusive Workplace
The goal of an inclusive workplace is to make sure that all employees feel:
- They have a voice
- They belong
- They are treated as unique individuals
- They are valued
Such a culture would call for consistent effort and time, not just towards the implementation of policy or process, but also towards the behavior of every single individual in the organization. A remote employer has to make proactive efforts to build an environment of inclusion by all members of a diverse team, where any employee feels supported and included at any place or location.
Creating an inclusive culture by embracing workplace diversity in the workplace would allow companies to manufacture workspaces where everyone believes they can make a difference there.
Committing to diversity, companies attract and retain the best talent and thereby create spaces and opportunities for all employees for collaborative innovation.
A lack of diversity and inclusiveness in a work environment can have many negative implications, which may go as far as having low employee engagement up to very high turnover rates, "groupthink," and reduced innovation-and all will hurt the long-term success of a company.
However, the enhanced connectivity and flexibility with remote work achieves an unparalleled opportunity for diversity and inclusion in the workplace and ensures that, in fact, all employees, from any gender, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation, can meaningfully contribute.
Here are four strategies to reinforce diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) in a remote work environment:
1. Enhance Virtual Collaboration
Remote work promotes inclusive work environment. This is because different people from different places and experiences can come together to work remotely, like never before. When a team is diversely composed, creative ideas for problem solving flow. Open discussions via technology involve the voices of most people: all walks of life. This therefore makes decision-making much stronger and capable of tackling challenges from many perspectives.
2. Commit to Remote Team Building
It is not possible to work on relationships with no face-to-face interaction. Team-building activities are important for the employees of different ethnicities, genders, and sexual orientations to associate with each other. Virtual introduction of new team members, created groups of tasks, or virtual social events can be held to foster camaraderie in the workplace while keeping diversity a priority. The more diverse customer base is, the more teams have to reflect the same thought and experience.
3. Implement New Training Opportunities
In the context of distributed work, leaders should initiate growth and learning in the workplace. They should champion cross-functional training and learning and embrace diversity. They should continue embracing, promoting, and celebrating inclusivity as well. Virtual mentoring programs can help employees navigate from different backgrounds, and regular one-to-one check-ins make anyone who works there, regardless of their identity, fairly developed. This enhances ethnic diversity while showing commitment to equity.
4. Promote Individual DE&I Objectives
Everyone should contribute to advancing diversity and inclusion at work. Inspire your team members to set personal DE&I commitments, for example by speaking up when they see exclusion happening, reaching out to an unknown person every month, or supporting colleagues when interrupted. All that will make working with you an inclusive experience, so everyone will feel valued. Developing goals for embracing diversity unleashes the value of workplace diversity and results in a more unifying, focused, and engaged team.
The benefits of workplace diversity and inclusion are extensive, positively impacting both employees and companies. Diversity and inclusion in the workplace foster a more welcoming, productive, and equitable environment, ensuring that all team members, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation, feel equal and valued. When people feel included in an inclusive work environment, they are more engaged, contributing to better outcomes.
From a business perspective, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) translate into improved financial performance.
Here are 5 Benefits of workplace diversity:
1. Increased productivity and results, driven by enhanced creative and innovative thinking and superior problem-solving. Research shows that inclusive teams can be 35% more productive.
2. Such organizations are now in a position to attract candidates from various backgrounds and globally dispersed locations, thus broadening their candidate pools to build a more diverse team. Companies can now tap a wide range of experiences and views.
3. Better employee retention because workers feel more accepted in work environments due to encouragement of ethnic diversity and the inclusion of more women and other underrepresented groups.
4. A stronger, more attractive employer brand, which tells interested candidates that the firm gives importance to diversity at the workplace and favors inclusion for all workers. This enhances the reputation of the company and attracts excellent diverse customers from all over the world.
5. Breaking down silos and echo chambers by introducing a variety of perspectives, which gives organizations a competitive edge. When companies embrace diversity and encourage a broad range of voices, they are better positioned to adapt and thrive in evolving market conditions.
10 inclusive workplace best practices
Once you are ready to launch your diversity initiatives, these are 10 best practices to guide you on how to promote the workplace diversity:
1. Establish a remote D&I committee
Start by setting up a D&I committee within your organization. This will provide a framework with which to better assess your present standing, set goals, and learn what your employees require to create an inclusive working environment. For instance, Recruitee established a D&I committee to address the needs of their team and ensure diversity, equity and inclusion through external experts, gathering feedback through surveys. They have employees of different levels who meet bi-weekly to follow up on the progress made to their D&I roadmap.
2. Involve all employees in conversations about inclusion
All employees must be involved in the conversation for the workforce to operate efficiently. As workplace diversity is a cultural initiative, it is pertinent to do a survey of your team to get honest feedback. Ask them insights into how you can make the work environment more inclusive, build on its bright spots, and work towards areas of improvement. Use all this input to shape a path forward that everybody can support.
3. Develop a formal D&I policy
Develop a formal policy around D&I that aligns with your remote work practices. This document should outline your commitment to being a diverse, equal, and inclusive workplace, including specific steps, roles, and resources that will be utilized to meet your vision. This policy should accommodate remote settings and describe how you will support employees from diverse backgrounds.
4. Encourage open communication and feedback:
An inclusivity program is only as effective as the candid, honest feedback. Encourage a culture of radical candor by ensuring that employees are comfortable discussing diversity and inclusion in the workplace with their peers and leaders. Implement real open-door policies and anonymous channels for sharing concerns. Use this feedback to continuously evolve your strategies.
5. Create non-work interactions
Recreate the organic, casual interactions that spontaneously happen within an office environment. Establish avenues for casual check-in and conversation around topics of interest to them. This fosters connection in a dispersed group and community building.
6. Create organic connections
Offer employees opportunities to interact informally and one on one with each other. This will allow team members to connect with each other and build friendships beyond surface-level relationships. Every effort will help create an ideology of embracing diversity and meaningful workplace connections, especially in remote settings.
7. Create organic connections
Offer employees opportunities to interact informally and one on one with each other. This will allow team members to connect with each other and build friendships beyond surface-level relationships. Every effort will help create an ideology of embracing diversity and meaningful workplace connections, especially in remote settings.
8. Be an empathetic leader
It begins with leadership; it trains leaders to take a more empathetic approach, to focus on equitable opportunities and correct bias. Provide for a weekly check-in to maintain attention to employee wellness and inclusion, rather than merely submitting an update on work.
9. Be an empathetic leader
It begins with leadership; it trains leaders to take a more empathetic approach, to focus on equitable opportunities and correct bias. Provide for a weekly check-in to maintain attention to employee wellness and inclusion, rather than merely submitting an update on work.
10. Make D&I at the centre of your recruitment strategy
Start with your hiring process for your D&I efforts. Identify where bias may be happening and educate recruiters on unconscious bias and objective hiring processes. That could involve auditing recruitment ads and job descriptions to ensure it appeals to a diverse customer base, ensuring possible candidates from various backgrounds. When concentrated on diversity and inclusion during the recruitment process, you create a very inclusive workplace culture from the start.
Conclusion
Fostering diversity and inclusion in the workplace is crucial to the point that all your employees feel included and productive. Therefore, embracing diversity and intentional strategies in the company will be helpful to establish a diverse team that supports creativity and innovation. An inclusive work environment enhances employee satisfaction while fostering productivity and the ability of an organization to attract and retain top global talent. The future of business success lies in prioritizing DE&I in remote settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What is an inclusive workplace?
An inclusive workplace values and supports all employees, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, or background, ensuring equal opportunities for growth.
Q2. How does remote work affect diversity?
Remote work expands workplace diversity by enabling global hiring but requires intentional efforts to maintain inclusivity and connection.
Q3. What are the benefits of workplace diversity?
Diversity and inclusion boost productivity, creativity, employee retention, and strengthen employer branding.
Q4. What are the best practices for remote inclusivity?
Key practices include forming a D&I committee, encouraging open feedback, and providing equal development opportunities for all.
Q5. How can inclusivity be tailored for global teams?
Focus on flexible schedules, create support groups for employees from diverse backgrounds, and ensure equal access to resources for remote workers.
