TO INCLUDE OR TO EXCLUDE, THAT IS THE QUESTION...

Tim Holden, Managing Director of the British human resources and training consultancy Fluid looks at the importance of inclusivity and its impact on innovation, productivity and profit.

WHAT IS INCLUSIVITY?

The best definition I could find was “the fact or policy of not excluding members or participants on the grounds of gender, race, age, sexual orientation, disability etc.”
This begs the question why would a forward-thinking organisation not want to create and maintain an inclusive culture?

EXAMPLES OF SUCCESS

Evidence is everywhere one looks of successful organisations harnessing the talents of a diverse group of employees. This may be in terms of problem-solving, where women and men work together to achieve a goal in demanding timescales. It could be where a computer games developer benefits from youthful exuberance and creativity coupled with a steadying hand from a worker who has completed similar projects many times in the past. Designing a new building may unintentionally overlook the need for disabled access, resulting in costly amendments that need to take place at the very last minute.

TAPPING INTO DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW

However some organisations unintentionally fail to grasp the importance of inclusivity. Only last week I was working with a new client in an English town with a large Asian minority, but this was not reflected in the breakdown of employees by ethnic origin. Due to the recession this particular business had no difficulty filling vacancies, attracting 50 applicants to each role and asking on average five candidates to attend interview.

Putting aside the fact that Asian people may feel less comfortable buying goods and services from the business when they walk into the trade counter and no-one looks like them, a huge opportunity is being missed to develop a proposition that will encourage more individuals from an Asian background to make purchases. Proactively targeting Asian newspapers, websites and schools with a sizeable Asian population should lead to increased profits through additional sales.

CREATING A CULTURE THAT WORKS

Stopping bullying and harassment at the earliest opportunity is crucial to success in this area. One organisation close to us had issues around homophobic taunts, which started as banter but spiralled out of control into graffiti in the men’s toilets. In the UK as I am sure in Canada sarcasm and wit can quickly turn into unpleasant behaviour that forces valued employees to resign and tarnishes the employer brand for the future. Productivity may fall as people spend too much time thinking of “funny” things to say/do and playing practical jokes. The economic downturn means that engagement is low in many workplaces, and a fine line needs to be achieved between social interaction in a positive environment that leads to satisfactory levels of morale/job satisfaction with minimal absenteeism and acting swiftly when things go too far.

No-one ever said it was going to be easy, but achieving success in respect of inclusivity is a very worthwhile objective.

Back to articles page