In recent years emphasis has been placed on businesses to focus on diversity and inclusion because, well it's just the right thing to do! But why are diversity and inclusion so important and why are the terms not just faddy buzzwords?
Stormzy recently accepted an award for being a diversity champion within the music industry and I loved what he said as part of his acceptance speech as it applies to all businesses. Stormzy encouraged people to,
“really see the worth and the value of embracing a wide range of voices".
I love this quote.
What is Diversity and Inclusion?
In a nutshell, diversity and inclusion is all about making sure as an organisation you're open to everyone, by respecting and appreciating what makes them different, in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, education, and national origin and that you're able to create a sense of belonging for everyone who works for you. We are all different and are made up of many layers so it's also important not to put people in boxes but be aware of, and embrace, our differences.
What do all the different acronyms mean?
D&I- This stands for diversity and inclusion
DEI- This stands for diversity, equity and inclusion but can also stand for diversity, equality and inclusion
Diversity looks at the range of differences that make us who we are
Equality is about treating everyone in the same way
Equity is about making sure resources are distributed in a fair way as not everyone has the same needs
Inclusion is about your behaviours how you respect people, make them feel included and that they belong
Aneta covers these topics really well in our Youtube video, she also covers intersectionality and takes a much deeper dive into D&I. Make sure you have a watch by clicking the link below!
Why should businesses be bothered?
How boring would the world be if we all thought the same, all did the same things and never tried anything different? How stagnant would your business be if it was just made up of people who all thought the same way, never challenged the status quo and never took advantage of people's different points of view and experience? Businesses should be bothered about diversity and inclusion because having diverse people will have a positive impact on your business and candidates are less likely to be interested in working for an organisation that isn't diverse and inclusive. Equally, people want to work within diverse organisations.
Simply put, Diversity and Inclusion are also good for business, research shows that diverse organisations outperform those that are not diverse and adopting systematic, authentic and business-led approaches to diversity and inclusion helps businesses win, you can see some facts and figures on why diversity is good for business here; https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-wins-how-inclusion-matters
I run a small business shouldn't I be thinking about diversity and inclusion once I'm big and have more people?
The short answer is no, when you're creating your business and crafting your organisational culture it's a great time to be thinking about diversity so that the way you approach diversity and inclusion can grow with your business.
Are there any free resources that can help my business?
Yes! Our advice is to make sure your diversity and inclusion efforts are authentic to you and your organisation so whilst there are lots of resources out there make sure what you choose to do is authentic to you and your business, have a look at these resources for some inspiration;
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Disclaimer
All information within the post is provided for guidance only; always seek your own legal advice.
The information with this post was correct at the time of publishing, March 2023 but may be subject to change.
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