The topic of race, diversity, and inclusion has been an ongoing conversation for several decades now. Despite having several reforms and initiatives to build a diverse work environment in companies, there is still a glaring gap in this regard in the recruiting, hiring, and retention process.
Building a diverse workforce is one of the critical attributes of a successful leader. You have the power to start making changes within the company. You can help to make the workplace productive, creative, safe, and inclusive.
Below are seven strategies to build a diverse and inclusive (D&I) work environment.
1. Respect and Understand Cultural Differences
In this day and age, when the workforce consists of people from different races, religions, cultures, and countries, it is essential to be aware of the cultural differences when collaborating. This applies to both verbal and written communication.
With verbal communication, people from different cultures use different words to describe the same thing. For example, when we use a phrase like “This is the cash cow of the company,” a person who comes from a different cultural background may not understand its meaning. It could be open to different interpretations.
Similarly, when working with remote teams and setting deadlines on tasks, people from certain regions may agree to them, although they know the deadline is unrealistic.
This is again due to the cultural difference where people in some regions are afraid to ask questions or push back on deadlines. During these situations, it helps reiterate your point, request the other person to summarize their understanding of the conversation, and ask them if there are any questions. Doing this small extra step goes a long way in mitigating problems in advance.
As for written communication, it is a big part of team communication as well. Email is on the top of that list.
Research shows that globally a staggering 269 billion emails are sent each day. It’s estimated that by the end of 2021, over 319 billion emails will be sent each day, and there will be 4.1 billion email users — that’s over half the entire world’s population.
Often, this being the case, people from different regions use different words and phrases when typing documents and emails, increasing the chances of misinterpretation of the message conveyed.
For example, a person from a different country may use a sentence such as “I have intimated to the team to add the requirement in the story” instead of saying “I have informed the team to add the requirement to the story.”
Similarly, not mentioning time zones is a huge cause of confusion when trying to schedule meetings or set deadlines for tasks. When we mention a time, say 9 pm, it is crucial to mention whether it is 9 pm CST, PST, or EST, and it becomes all the more important when working with distributed teams in different countries.
Be aware of the cultural differences when working in a diverse work environment. Whenever you see or hear something weird to you, instead of making assumptions or judgments, ask clarifying questions to understand what they meant. Give people time to adapt to your culture.
2. Have Mindful Text Conversations
We live in an age where teams use collaboration tools such as Slack, Facebook Messenger, email tools, etc.
Text conversations are the chosen form of communication as they are quick and a much easier mode of communication for distributed teams. When typing messages, we have to be mindful of what we type, the emojis used, the quotes and images we share, and finally, the phrases we use in individual and group text conversations.
For example, there are often certain emojis that could be offensive to people from a different culture. This could be perceived as stereotyping people and could affect their sentiments and belief system.
3. Recruit with Diversity in Mind
Research shows that diverse teams are more creative and increase profits. People from different cultures tend to have different experiences and viewpoints, and collaborate to bring creative solutions to complex problems.
This does not mean that you should focus the recruiting efforts based on just one aspect: ethnicity, minority group, gender, race, or religion. It means you should be mindful of the current team composition, and recruit accordingly.
4. Have Regular D&I Trainings
D&I training should be part of your onboarding process and also delivered periodically. It enables the education of employees on what to say, what not to say, how to act and interact with people from different cultures.
These training pieces teach even the simplest things that are crucial for effective team collaboration — such as respecting personal space. In some cultures, people are in much closer proximity to each other during interactions, but this could make you feel uncomfortable.
Through this training, you will realize this is normal in some cultures, and you can take appropriate actions to handle these kinds of situations in the future. Remember, common sense is not common knowledge.
5. Encourage Open Conversations
One of the main reasons diverse teams do not work for the organization is that there is no channel for open conversations. Team members want to convey different things to different people. Still, they are afraid to do so due to fear of getting reprimanded for their actions, assuming that it may not be socially acceptable to have an open dialogue about different issues.
This is where you, as a leader, can help to bring in a positive change by establishing channels through which teams can have open conversations without any judgment. There are different ways to do this:
Have potlucks periodically with your team. If there is none, then start one. This is an event where people bring their home-cooked foods to share with other people. When organizing potlucks, encourage employees to prepare foods from their native country.
What this does is, it helps to not only get insights into other people’s food and culture but also encourages each other to ask questions about them. For example, one could say a particular food is the staple of their country for various reasons. This would encourage others to ask questions about them and can spur more cultural and open conversations. It creates an opportunity for team members to mingle.
Organize team-building events periodically, and spend time to get to know the team on a personal level. You could go further and have a fun session where each team member shares one interesting thing about their culture and why it is important. Get creative.
Have retrospective meetings with the team and encourage open communication. Provide a safe space for the team to vent out. This helps to build team morale.
6. Celebrate Holidays
When leading a diverse team, make a note of different cultural holidays that your team members celebrate on an individual basis. Celebrate all of them together as a team. This is how you bring cultural context, build team morale, and bring unity within the team. It helps to make the team members feel important and inclusive. It fosters building a safe and happy work environment.
7. Own Your Mistakes
As a leader, you are going to mess up. You may say something insensitive or do something that may affect some of your team members. During these situations, instead of defending your actions, own your mistakes, learn from it, and move on.
Team members recognize this and develop a greater sense of respect and appreciation for you. These situations also help them realize that you take these issues seriously and make them feel more inclusive.
Following these strategies will help you become the leader everyone wants to follow.
“When we listen and celebrate what is both common and different, we become a wiser, more inclusive, and better organization.” – Pat Wadors.