A modern healthy workplace goes beyond the traditional concepts of preventing injuries or diseases. It now encompasses a variety of aspects ranging from ergonomics, to health care, to positive psychology, to community and culture.   Especially as the world market increasingly competes for quality labor, employers must treat building and maintaining a healthy workplace as integral to a sustainable business model.  A positive, safe, inclusive work space gives employers a competitive advantage in terms of productivity, public image, and profit.

Why are diversity and inclusion primary parts of a healthy workplace?  Every workplace is diverse, whether employers recognize it or not.   Each employee is unique and has an individual set of needs, skills, and attributes.  Companies who understand the human spectrum that goes hand-in-hand with being an employer will be much better positioned to set themselves up for long term success.  Being realistic and working successfully with the real human assets in the company is the only pragmatic way to fully utilize the potential of all employees. 

What is Diversity and Inclusion?

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that diversity is only about race, color, religion, or gender.  The reality is that the definition of diversity is even simpler.  Diversity is anything that sets one person apart from another.  That includes where someone grew up, their socioeconomic status or background, their education, their family configuration, their political or ethical ideologies, even their opinions and methods of self-expression.

Inclusion is more of a feeling, a sense that all of the members of the group are accepted, especially for the things they cannot change about themselves or that they hold dear.   Employees who feel valued for who they are tend to participate and contribute more.  Modern corporations all attempt to outline the main tenets of their corporate cultures.  The businesses viewed as having the healthiest corporate culture are mindful of this attitude of embracing human differences. 

Fostering Diversity and Inclusion

To create an organization that cultivates inclusiveness for all kinds of employees, companies need to consider both physical spaces and business practices. 

Setting up the physical spaces where employees will work starts with practical and legal compliance considerations like handicap accessibility and ergonomics to prevent workplace fatigue.  To truly advance inclusivity in the office, structure it using the principles of universal design.  Universal design creates a comprehensive environment to be used comfortably by all people, with minimal additional adaptation needed.  The key concepts are accessibility, flexibility, simplicity, and room for error and learning.

The practices that foster diversity are the same that establish a healthy corporate culture.  Normalizing shared values, a priority placed on wellness, respect for cultural and personal beliefs, and social support help employees feel invested in both the company and the work they are doing. 

Preventing and Addressing Discrimination

Preventing people’s overt and unconscious bias from taking a toll on the environment in the workplace starts with top management waterfalling a genuine dedication to inclusivity down to every level of employee. In recent years, governments have stepped up their efforts to drive greater acceptance of employment diversity. 

Many U.S. states require employers to provide some form of discrimination training on a regular basis.  Many professionals who have to take continuing education courses to maintain their licenses have found that their licensing boards are now requiring some level of diversity and inclusion training, particularly those in the medical field.

Employers who want to remain in legal compliance and who want to get out in front of potential problems are turning to easy to access classes for employees such as sexual harassment online training and courses in understanding diversity.   

The Financial Benefits

It is true and worth acknowledging that there are many state and federal laws that require things like equal pay, a process for investigating complaints of unlawful discrimination, and reasonable accommodation for employees’ disabilities.  Failure to adhere to those laws opens a business up to litigation as well as federal, state, and even municipal fines. 

Basic compliance is the minimum.  Changing the corporate mindset from focusing on just preventing problems to the concept that excellence at inclusiveness is good for growing a business and will show dividends towards the corporate bottom line. 

An inclusive atmosphere boosts attendance, increases job satisfaction, and reduces grievances.  Links have been made to show that healthy workplaces are strongly correlated to fewer worker accidents, as well as lower levels of burnout, depression, and turnover. Every employer can see the savings in these statistics.

Word will get out.  Having a good workplace is good public relations.  A diverse team will have a wider set of resources to draw from when providing customer service.  Customers who have positive experiences will tell others.  Employees who love their workplace will tell others.  A quality workplace that takes time and effort to make employees feel appreciated and welcome is a highly attractive target for high quality job candidates.

It’s the Future

A demand for healthier, more diverse and inclusive workplaces is the new future for corporate culture and business responsibility.  Employers who don’t start learning now will quickly find themselves behind the curve and at a competitive disadvantage. Also, it’s the right thing to do.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Diversity and Inclusion Builds a Healthy Workplace appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

More than a third of FTSE 350 board positions are now held by women, an increase of 50% over the past five years. Women on Boards UK has played a key role in this progress, but there is a long way to go before all boardrooms have equal gender representation. What’s more, progress outside of the FTSE 350 is glacially slow and women from ethnic minority backgrounds are still woefully represented. Yet, the evidence is clear that boardroom diversity is not just about fairness but delivers better business results.

Women on Boards UK exists to encourage, inspire and actively support women – from all sectors – to find their own pathway to the boardroom. Its network of 35,000 women (and some men) gain access to training, insights and connections to help them take on a board role as a non-executive director, trustee or governor, or to get to the top within their own company.

Supported by a team of high-profile ambassadors, members receive practical, personal and expert advice on everything from preparing their board CV to super-charging interview techniques. This personalised approach and emphasis on one-to-one support has helped, on average, members of the network secure seven new board roles each week.

The leading team includes Fiona Hathorn, who is currently the CEO of Women on Boards UK and Fiona Driscoll, Chair:

Fiona Hathorn, CEO, Women on Boards UK

Fiona is the CEO of Women on Boards UK, an Advisory Board Member to Spktral (a technology company that helps organisations simplify the gender pay gap reporting process), advisor to Peel Hunt (mid-cap stockbroker) and Chair of Hanx‘s Nominations Committee (FMCG start-up). She is an expert in the areas of Governance, Regulation and Talent Management who has sat on both marketing and audit & finance committees. Fiona is also a Patron of Fight for Sight (a medical research charity) and was formerly a director for Hill Samuel Asset Management. She has advised the board of the Thai Euro Fund and is a Judge for the Non Executive Director Awards, sponsored by The Sunday Times. In 2020 Fiona joined King’s College London’s ‘Global Institute for Women’s Leadership‘ Advisory Board.

Fiona Driscoll, Chair, Women on Boards UK

Fiona is an experienced NED and business leader. Her roles currently include UKRI, the bringing together of the UK’s Research Councils with a £7bn budget, Chair of the Wessex Academic Health Science Network for the NHS and Trustee of King Edward VII hospital. She is a Member of HM Treasury’s Major Projects Review Group, and has carried out over 100 reviews for HMG. She has a particular focus on innovation, transformation and commercialisation. After joining Women on Boards as an NED in 2019, Fiona took over as Chair in October 2020.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Introducing Women on Boards: Accelerating Board Diversity appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

The lack of diversity across the UK’s private sector is no new surprise. Disconcerting statistics surrounding the lack of diversity found within the UK’s workforce have highlighted that only 2% of directors are from an ethnic minority background, despite 59% of the ethnic minority workforce aspiring to reach management positions.

In order to ensure businesses cannot state that diversity is too big of a challenge, Equality Group, a consultancy that helps companies retain and develop diverse talent, unveils their top ten diversity commandments for businesses who wish to improve a fair representation of British culture within their business.

10 diversity commandments

1. Education, Education, Education

• Create a safe space for bold and confident discussions around race issues
• Be clear on intent; open and honest in conversation
• Examine and assess the language you are currently using and whether it works
• Get the right people around the table (i.e. senior leaders, junior team members, as wide a range of ethnic diversity as possible)
• Start with the key decision makers at the firm
• Get the senior leadership to spearhead the education process across the firm
• Educate everyone in the company about the value of diversity and the particular importance of BAME talent

2. Radical Recruitment

• Have clear targets for the percentage of BAME candidates, i.e. 10% of a shortlist
• Expand into a broader search pool – partner with networks and firms who can help
• Identify different ways to evaluate diverse talent and train the interviewers and managers (do not expect them to know how to do this)
• Contextualised recruiting: understanding the local demographic and how to assess their performance

3. Know Your Data

• Ensure you know where you stand currently
• Put in place an appropriate system for collecting and measuring the data
• Set clear and achievable targets
• Share the targets and the anonymised data with the firm to create greater levels of transparency
• Ensure that you are accountable with your data

4. Unconscious Bias

• Ensure training on an unconscious bias with ongoing refreshers
• Apply the methodologies of dealing with unconscious bias
• Remind individuals at any key-decision making junctures about the importance of unconscious bias and the impact it has on all of us

5. Relationships & Role Models

• Raise the profile of key BAME professionals in your firm
• Encourage role models to tell their stories within the organisation via different mediums (e.g. videos, lunch and learns, podcasts etc)
• Join networks, panels, events and power lists that will promote your key BAME talent
• Build structured and coordinated mentorship programmes
• Consider reverse mentoring across the organisation
• BAME on BAME mentoring + BAME on Non-BAME mentoring

6. Appreciate Intersectionality

• Breaking down BAME into which minorities it covers, e.g. Black, South East Asian
• Ensure intersectionality within the ethnic groups
• Ensure that understanding of the minority backgrounds and differences are included in the reporting
• Understand and appreciate cultural differences
• Consider social mobility factors that overlap with BAME

7. Collaborative Events & Celebrations

• Organise and attend networking events with diverse candidates and board level management
• Organising events for the full range of diverse talent
• Celebrate as a firm at key points in the year, i.e. Black History Month, International Women’s Day, Pride etc.

8. Early Outreach

• Programmes in schools
• Encouraging and supporting young talent
• Soft skills programmes
• Look at targeting communities and areas with strong BAME representation to help build an early talent pipeline and affinity with an organisation

9. Sponsorship & Coaching

• Build upon successful mentoring programmes with sponsorship training
• Ensure emerging talent have trained sponsors
• Make coaching available at key points in the career and look at who your coaches are (do they reflect the talent you want to develop)

10. BAME & Your Brand

• Examine the representation of BAME in your brand
• Create marketing/social media campaigns associated with BAME agenda

As a society of business leaders, decision-makers, professionals and commentators, we have an obligation to ensure that intention is met with action to ensure the UK’s workforce – in its entirety – has access to a democratised career ladder that promotes inclusion for all at every level.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Top 10 Commandments for UK Businesses to Ensure Diversity at Every Level appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.