Much is written and discussed about the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in large corporate entities, but did you know that creating a sense of belonging, psychological safety and inclusion in a small business or startup can also lead to greater productivity, creativity, and success?
In today’s post-pandemic landscape we are seeing increased challenges around staff retention and attraction due to issues such as burnout amid the rise of the wellbeing economy. When workplaces are not inclusive and do not foster a sense of belonging, word gets around and it becomes more difficult to recruit and retain staff.
There is encouraging data showing that small business entities are increasingly prioritising diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I). Recent research reveals that business entities that demonstrate inclusion through diversity perform better.
This happens when small businesses and startups understand that success is associated with creating psychologically safe workplaces where people feel they belong.
Small businesses and startups can do this in myriad ways including recruiting and attracting talent to your organisation who are representative of a broad cross section of the community; these are people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalised due to factors such as age, race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, physical disability, or mental illness. The heart of this starts with inclusive design.
Here are some things small businesses and startups may want to consider:
- Review job descriptions so that roles can be shaped in ways to accommodate individual requirements including flexible working, and reasonable adjustments that might be required;
- Consider your own pre-existing biases and take time to listen and learn from diverse perspectives and voices;
- Blind screen CVs to pre-empt stereotypes and assumptions;
- Actively seek and work to create genuine and supported pathways for diverse hiring;
- Talk about your commitments to inclusion and what belonging looks like in line with the company values through the role description and on a new employee’s first day;
- Update your HR policies to strive for equitable outcomes for all;
- Reconsider the language we use in recruitment ads and in the workplace regarding gender and cultural inclusion to ensure all voices are valued and heard;
- Celebrate employees bringing their whole self to work.
In this way fostering belonging and inclusion is a strategy that can help attract and grow a diversity of talent and increase competitiveness to progress your business growth. By actively employing different types of people, you foster innovation and bring a wider pool of experience to your team. In short, it’s good for business.
Whatever stage of the growth journey your business is on, kindness to other people has never been more important. You might want to consider investing some time in quality, expert coaching and literary training, such as Bambuddha Group’s Coaching and Accelerator Programs – some of which are specifically targeted for startups and small business (sponsored by the HR Dept. Eastern Suburbs Sydney).
At the Centre for Inclusive Design we know diversity is good for small and large businesses. The Diversity Council of Australia’s Inclusion@Work Index 2019-2020 found that workers in inclusive business cultures are three times more likely to indicate their team provides excellent customer/client service and three times less likely to leave their current employer.
By Dr Manisha Amin, CEO of the Centre for Inclusive Design
To find out more about coaching and masterclasses on this topic and also whether you may be eligible for a scholarship if you are considered to be underrepresented, please visit: https://www.bambuddhagroup.com/accelerators/
