We all know that diversity matters. In the business world, such a workplace gains a deeper trust and more commitment from the employees, therefore bringing the employers higher financial returns. We've been hearing the term Diversity & Inclusion in our everyday life, but do we really understand what it means?
What is Diversity & Inclusion?
Diversity is any dimension that can be used to differentiate groups and people from one another.
Quoted from Global Diversity Practice. Diversity is about recognising the presence of differences in age, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, education, and national origin.
Inclusion is an organisational effort and practices in which different groups or individuals having different backgrounds are culturally and socially accepted and welcomed.
A diverse and inclusive working culture ensures that everyone feels equally involved, valued, and respected.
CARE Framework
Alpha FMC developed the CARE framework to address ethnic, racial and cultural discrimination in the workplace and to promote and enhance diversity at all levels.
According to Alpha, there are four stages on the journey to a more ethnically and culturally diverse workforce and company culture:
1. Communicate
Communicate openly, providing opportunities for employees to feel safe to speak up without fear of repercussions or backlash. Proactively reach out to employees of BIPOC backgrounds to ensure that they are getting the support they require.
2. Act
Ensure that actionable steps accompany ECD objectives to reach them. Employers must actively respond to challenges faced by ethnic minorities in the workplace and proactively collaborate with employees from culturally diverse and ethnic minority backgrounds to preempt difficulties that may arise as a result of race or religion.
3. Respect
Acknowledge and respect differences in race and ethnicity in the workplace, and take action to understand how these differences will affect employees. employ workplace policies that encourage employees to bring their whole selves to work, allowing them to share parts of their race and culture that make them different and contribute to a more effective and collaborative workplace.
4. Educate
Educate all employees on how race and ethnicity affect those from minority backgrounds, ensuring that forums are put in place to spark conversation and learning.
Which stage of the journey are you in?
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