It’s no secret that diversity can be one of the best things a company can promote. Diversity provides business leaders with different perspectives on issues dealing with product and or marketing. The fact is that diversity only provides good to a company. However, wanting and actually implementing a successful diversity program are two different things. The following list entails some of the best ways to implement your programs while removing common obstacles that prevent them from succeeding.
Change How You Find Talent
When it comes to hiring a diverse set of staff, you should understand that this is not about providing special treatment to any particular race or religion. You can promote diversity within your hiring practice by making it as transparent as possible. This means clearly laying out language that states that you only hire on ability and merit rather than a quota. According to Wepow, it’s also a good idea to avoid terminology such as overly masculinized terms that could alienate certain groups of candidates. This language within your wanted ad allows the public to understand that you want a diverse set of people rather than the typical pool of candidates that most companies get. In addition to language, we encourage business leaders to also promote their position within various mediums as well. If you see that you are only getting one set of people within your current medium, switch it up, add other sites such as monster.com and even through your Instagram page to name a few.
Create a Safe Work Environment
According to WB&T, a hostile work environment is one that affects an employee’s ability to comfortably perform tasks. Unfortunately, even in today’s times, we live with people who may not be the most welcoming to a diverse staff. Therefore, as the head of your company, it is crucial to understand your work environment and remove any negative actions being implemented by your staff. Bullying and harassment should never be tolerated. Often times, people will leave your company and not provide an answer as to why in order to remain in good terms with past employers. Having large amounts of minorities leave your company is a sure sign that something is wrong with your company culture.
Communicate
Effective communication is one of the key components in promoting a successful diversity program. Programs may not be successful not because your staff is racist but because there has been zero communication about the end goal with your staff and management team. Always make sure to lay out clearly the policies being implemented as well as the goals that the company hopes to accomplish within a certain period of time. Clearly, state the consequences of not following these rules and stick around to answer any and all questions that your staff may have for you. Lastly, make sure that your managers are in-line with your goals; after all, they are often the ones at the forefront of the day to day of the business.
Although we’ve only outlined a few of the most important factors in implementing a successful diversity plan, we highly encourage you to do additional research on this topic. Simply adhere to the list above to begin laying down the foundation of a strong program for promoting diversity within your company.
For more advice on how to run your small business, try our training program! We are here to help you succeed.