It should be the goal of every company to create a diverse and inclusive environment where every employee can be heard and appreciated. There are many ways you can build and cultivate a diverse environment. We have highlighted the top steps you can use to make your company a diverse entity where everyone is always welcome. 

1. Analyze Your Current DEIB Efforts and Eliminate Any Bias

Before you can begin to build a diverse team, the first thing should be to determine where you stand as a company in terms of diversity. Take a hard look at your current team; what are some of the areas that you have been falling short of? Does unconscious bias hinder your team from hitting inclusivity targets? 

Is there a team that is made up of only one specific gender? Are certain duties only reserved for individuals coming from a particular racial background? Carrying out this type of analysis will help you understand the company’s mindset while eliminating biases and stereotypes.

2. Train Your Employees and Leaders 

Creating awareness through education and training is the surest way to empower your team to excel as a diverse team. Through education, your team and leaders can understand the importance of professional development and the impact of diversity on the company and the community. Get in touch with the HR department and develop helpful training programs to make your workplace more inclusive. 

You can also hire a diversity consultant to regularly train, mentor, coach, and assess your organization’s DEIB failures and successes. A competent DEIB consultant will have some of the best training programs to assist your employees and leaders in working together, irrespective of their different cultures and backgrounds. 

3. Redefine Your Hiring Strategy 

To attract a diverse team, you need to rethink your hiring strategy by eliminating any biases. How do you draft your job descriptions? This could be a great place to start. Avoid gendered descriptors and instead use gender-neutral terms. 

Another way is by using job descriptions to spell out your company’s commitment to diversity. Make it clear that anyone, irrespective of their gender, race, ethnicity, color, sexual orientation, or disability, has an equal chance of landing the opportunity. 

During the hiring process, you can make use of personality assessment tools. They are a great tool that will measure the applicants’ skills, motivation, and traits, among other parameters. Also, make sure that your company has inclusive workplace policies to ensure you attract a more diverse workforce. 

Finally, be sure to cast an even wider net. Stop relying on traditional recruiting methods – start making use of job boards and third-party sites to expand your talent search. 

4. Create More Flexible Working Conditions 

To diversify your workforce, you can also come up with flexible working conditions for those at a disadvantage. For instance, single parents constantly juggle work and child care, especially if they have to travel long distances to get to work. Remote working and flex-time can come in handy to address these kinds of issues. After all, if there’s one thing that COVID-19 taught us,  it’s that working from home is possible! 

5. Diversify Your Company Culture and Vision

Another step you can take to diversify your workforce is coming up with tangible diversity steps and goals. Companies that perform well in diversity matters usually dedicate resources and a specific team to keep an eye on DEIB policies, objectives, and targets. 

Here are ways you can diversify your company culture: 

• Diversify your team projects – when selecting individuals to work on a particular project, ensure that every group is well represented
• Diversify the leadership – set promotion targets to ensure that everyone feels represented at the leadership level
• Implement policies – Ensure your company has zero tolerance for racism, discrimination, harassment, hostility, and other prejudices 
• Make room for the disabled – make room for the physically challenged by making the workplace even more wheelchair friendly 

6. Celebrate Cultural Differences

To promote diversity, you can always make it a company policy to celebrate the different cultures that your organization represents. First, you can create awareness through cultural events and training. Secondly, you can organize regular workshops and meetings to discuss diversity and its importance in the workplace. 

Also, give your employees some time off to celebrate their holydays and holidays. Honoring their culture and beliefs creates an accommodating environment where everyone feels treasured. 

7. Practice Empathetic Leadership 

Empathy in the workplace will nurture inclusion and a sense of belonging. Make it clear that your organization doesn’t tolerate hostility and that every employee should speak up when they feel shamed, interrupted, or excluded. 

Make everyone feel loved and valued – it enhances creativity and creates even stronger social bonds. Listen to your employees for ideas, feedback, and suggestions. You will lose your team if you don’t listen; it makes them feel unwanted, dismissed, and undermined. Give them a safe space to share their feelings, emotions, and views.