Most Common Mistakes in Diversity and Inclusion

You may already have a Diversity and Inclusion plan in place as in the UK there are minimum legal guidelines which need to be met. However, many businesses approach to Diversity and Inclusion stops at legal compliance. Due to the nature of Inclusion there may be things that businesses are doing by mistake which are having a negative effect on Diversity and Inclusion efforts.

Diversity

Diversity is about recognising differences and acknowledging the benefits of having a range of perspectives when it comes to representing the organisation and customer base whether that be race, gender, age, disability or religion.

Inclusion  

Inclusion is all about adapting the workplace to ensure everybody feels valued in the business, that their contribution matters and they are equally respected. What matters in an inclusion strategy is that everybody feels safe at work no matter their background, identity or circumstances and are also given anything they may need to be able to do their jobs effectively.

Not One Size Fits All

Diversity and inclusion efforts are not ‘one size fits all’, each plan surrounding Diversity and Inclusion should have adjustments dependent on the people involved. As Inclusion is all about being treated fairly and equally, it is essential that the plan is adaptable. Each employee should be focused on as an individual. Many businesses make the mistake of believing their policy will be okay for everyone. However, it should be adapted to every employee.

It Needs to Start from the Top 

Are your senior leadership on board? Your strategy should start from the top otherwise it simply will not work. Employees are more likely listen to senior leadership in their team rather than someone from the HR department. A good strategy works from the top down and should be deeply engrained in your company culture.

Not just for HR

It shouldn’t just be an HR initiative, it should be a company-wide initiative. Focusing on Diversity and Inclusion as a one-time process does not work. Update your policy regularly whilst measuring and evaluating the outcomes. This will ensure your policy will benefit all employees long term.

Not Just for Employee Attraction

Your strategy should be for the benefit of your employees, not for vanity. Having an inclusive workplace is all about making your employees feel safe and valued at work. Therefore, developing messages for recruitment that do not match your internal message will soon lead to high turnover of employees.