Diversity in the workplace: yes, the concept is nothing new. The cultural, interpersonal, commercial and strategic benefits of a diverse working population are well documented.
What is lesser known, is the best means to educate team leaders, management and senior business executives about the ongoing necessity of diversity in the workplace. Diversity can’t be a ‘box ticking’ exercise. Rather, for diversity to be ingrained into the mindset of a business, education and systemic inclusion in the hiring, promoting and succession planning of the workforce, is critical.
Today, diversity in the workplace covers a broad continuum. These include:
- Workers from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds
- LGBTIQ+ workers
- Workers with disabilities
- Workers across all genders
- Workers with diverse religious beliefs
- Workers from a broad range of age groups
- Workers with families and children
Today, we have provided valuable resources for your business to enable better education around diversity in the workplace. And, if needed, to inspire ingrained workforce change tailored to diversity and inclusion of all peoples.
1 Provide HR with The Best Industry Training
There are multiple opportunities for diversity education of your HR team, through online learning. Here, we’ve source three that we believe are worth considering.
This program from Udemy, provides all the tools for HR to be diversity smart, in hiring and strategic workforce management.
This program from the University of Surrey, allows HR practitioners to better understand the nuances of communication, in a diverse workplace setting.
The Australian Institute of Management provides an Australian lens on the challenges and solutions for achieving diversity in the workplace. You can find this course, here.
2 Regularly Share Credible Information
Including regular diversity content in your communications with management, is key.
And it’s a simple, easy means for keeping diversity top of mind.
Below are some of the better online sources of diversity information for your consideration. Keep in mind, it’s worthwhile to include data from local and global information sources, so your leaders maintain a broad scope when it comes to diversity.
DELOITTE: As always, Deloitte offers superior, far-reaching analysis and guidance. With over 120 articles across every diversity spectrum, the Deloitte advantage can help you to establish best-practice diversity in your workplace.
To create sustainable change, diversity and inclusion must be integrated into business infrastructure, managerial capability and the employee experience.
DIVERSITY COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA: The DCA offers a helpful Australian focus on the profound importance of diversity in Australia’s workplace. This enormous resource will provide your managers with unique and esoteric perspectives.
DIVERSITY.SOCIAL: An incredible global resource, educating leaders across the Western world. Diversity.Social also offers comprehensive diversity solutions for your business, including training portals for management, with feedback from business leaders and academics.
3 Deeper Analysis: Diversity in the Workplace
From time to time, your business will need to focus on specific issues around diversity, to maintain the optimum diversity profile. Accessing ‘deep dive’ information in these situations is critical.
So, in addition to the resources listed above, we recommend the following eBooks and whitepapers, for deeper diversity analysis.
LORMAN: This whitepaper looks at the concept of tying executive bonuses to diversity initiatives.
HRD: From the Human Resources Director masthead, this whitepaper focuses on building the business case for better diversity in the workplace.
EY: Not a whitepaper, but another powerful diversity resource, this time from EY. You’ll find in-depth analysis from industry leaders, that could become your go-to diversity source.
DIVERSITY AUSTRALIA: Diversity Australia offers eBooks, whitepapers and training for your management team. Some are free. All are worth your time.
And finally…
We’ve been a culturally diverse population in Australia, for most of our history. And as our population continues to expand and ethnic minorities are less minority, more mainstream, it makes sense that our working populations continue to diversify. Gender identification is now more liberalised. And the important work in helping more disadvantaged or disabled peoples have access to work expands the opportunity for companies and the workers alike.
So, make sure your approach to diversity in the workplace is entrenched in your workforce planning, to get the most from your investment in talent. If you’d like to see examples of Australian companies who are succeeding in their diversity efforts, take a look here.
And if you’d like to discuss the diversity of your own workforce, and how you can achieve a better diversity profile, please get in touch with me here.
