The workforce is changing at a fever pitch these days. In fact, it sometimes seems that borders no longer exist and the globe is shrinking right before our very eyes. A recent study put out by the Harvard Business School found that companies that prioritised a solid diversity and inclusion plan had a more challenged, satisfied and productive workforce. The study showed that if done properly, a strong diversity and inclusion policy would have a positive impact on employee retention. Let’s drill down on the definitions of terms:
What is diversity?
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) describes diversity as a mixture of differences and similarities that include characteristics, values, beliefs, experiences, backgrounds, preferences and behaviours.
What is inclusion?
Inclusion, on the other hand, is the act of creating and cultivating a work environment in which all individuals feel they’re being treated fairly and respectfully. Inclusion means that each employee has the same access to opportunities and an equal chance to contribute to the success of the company.
When managing a diverse workforce is essential to getting ahead in today’s fast-paced, technology can be the tool that helps you implement a diversity and inclusion strategy that supports your business’s ultimate success.
Three Ways Technology Can Help You Succeed At Your Diversity and Inclusion Strategy:
1. Standardising performance review and management.
An important element that technology, such as an HR software program, offers is that it standardises your measurement tool. Performance review and management is no longer left up to subjective practices that may not sync up (or roll-up) across organisational areas. No room for bias or poor management skills will be allowed as the technology drives the style, the timing and the objectives, creating a level playing field for all.
2. Ensuring employee communication is uniform and distributed (even to remote or non-desk employees).
In today’s spread-out workforce, ensuring complete communication to remote employees and non-desk oriented employees is harder than ever. Your HR software will help you communicate with your workforce where they are: via mobile phone, tablet or, of course, desktop. No piece of important company business will get lost in the shuffle, and employees will feel engaged, even if they do not enter an office each day.
3. Providing analytics to measure successes and weaknesses.
Technology helps you tap into real metrics that identify where you are succeeding with your HR efforts and where you are falling short. By using a powerful analytics tool, you’ll keep your finger on the pulse of your company’s internal efforts.
In the past 20 years, an HR strategy that includes diversity and inclusion has gone beyond a trend and turned into an imperative. A strong focus on the area of diversity has been on hiring and promoting women. Understandably, this has become a top focus as women make up 50% of the global population. Diversity and inclusion should be expected to top the list of priorities in boardrooms and HR departments worldwide. The benefits of building a workforce of diverse people who are empowered equally to contribute to a company’s success are profound but only actualised if a sound strategy is in place to support. Technology tools such as the one offered by StaffCircle can provide the edge organisations need, providing benefits such as:
- Visual dashboards for performance management that can be accessed from anywhere.
- Consistency in internal communication that includes even the most spread-out employees.
- Powerful analytics and reporting tools to reward positive behaviour and identify weaknesses.
- So much more!
