What is an inclusive work culture?
In a inclusive work culture A team consists of employees with different cultural or ethnic backgrounds. This can include native Dutch people, but also employees with a migration background whose family members were raised outside the Netherlands with a different mother tongue. There can also be differences among employees in socioeconomic background, age and level of education. An inclusive work culture makes room for all differences. In this way, there is less chance of discrimination in the workplace within an inclusive organization, because it is an environment where employees feel at home, belong and can be themselves.
Why are inclusion and diversity important?
Multiple to investigate show that organizations deliver better financial and societal performance when they employ staff with a mixed cultural or ethnic background. Leading tech companies such as Apple, IBM, Netflix en Google reap the benefits of an inclusive work culture. An inclusive work culture provides the following long-term benefits:
More innovation and creativity
When a team consists of employees with different (ethnic) backgrounds, experiences and knowledge, the number of innovative and creative ideas will increase. This naturally has consequences for the company. Employees feel free to share their ideas with others. In this way, an organization can distinguish itself in the market with a better (cultural) image compared to competitors that do not have a diverse workforce.
Happy employees
People who work in an environment that embraces diversity and inclusion will feel happier at their workplace, which in turn affects their work. When employees thrive within an inclusive culture, the company will flourish.
A higher turnover
With a diverse and inclusive workforce, you ultimately create higher revenue. Employees who are happy in their role are more likely to come up with good ideas, which will also increase productivity. This in turn leads to success both inside and outside the company. The organization is then able to distinguish itself from competitors in the market.
What can you do to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace?
An inclusive work culture brings only benefits for both the employee and the employer. Using the following three focus areas, you can get started creating an inclusive work culture within your organization.
Ask the right questions
It is important to take a close look at your workplace culture. Are there unconscious biases within the organization that you need to address? Make employees aware of differences between one another. Where can the HR department start to implement diversity and inclusion?
Investigate the personnel file
Does your organization have diverse teams or do you need to pay extra attention to this? What about the recruitment process? Take a close look at the language of your job vacancies and the website. Does the text speak to a broad audience? Who works within the HR department? Keep in mind: not every team faces the same challenges. Adopt a curious and open approach to employees' experiences to develop better initiatives for a diverse and inclusive workplace. Consider adjusting the code of conduct, the integrity policy, and the complaints procedure.
Check whether the employee fits within the organizational culture
Diversity in hiring is important, but carefully consider whether the new employee can contribute to the culture. Ask yourself: what does he or she bring to my team that I don't yet have? What skills, background and perspectives do we need? Then train and encourage managers in leading a diverse team so they can deal with differences.
