HOW INDUSTRY LEADERS CAN CELEBRATE CULTURAL DIVERSITY WITHIN THEIR BUSINESS
POLICIES AND COMPANY-WIDE CONSIDERATION AROUND DIVERSITY , EQUITY AND INCLUSION ( DEI ) PROGRAMMES ARE FAST BECOMING THE NORM IN BUSINESSES ACROSS THE WORLD . WHILE IT ’ S AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT TO CONSIDER IN TERMS OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE GENDER , SEXUAL , RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL DIVERSITIES IN THE WORKPLACE , DEI POLICY AND PRACTICE IN COMPANIES HAS ALSO PROVED TO DRIVE CONNECTION AND GREATER GENDER REPRESENTATION IN BUSINESSES .
IT ’ S INCREASINGLY RECOGNISED THAT PEOPLE SEEK A SENSE OF CONNECTION AND BELONGING IN THE WORKPLACE . FOR INDUSTRY LEADERS , THIS CALLS FOR EMPATHETIC AND VALUE-DRIVEN LEADERSHIP THAT ENCOURAGES DIVERSITY , PRIORITISES PURPOSE AND OFFERS REWARDING EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCES .
“ COMMUNICATION IS THE CORNERSTONE OF CONNECTION , AND JUST AS THE WORKPLACE HAS EVOLVED POST-PANDEMIC SO HAS BOTH THE FORM AND PURPOSE OF COMMUNICATION . THANKS TO TECHNOLOGY , THE TOOLS ARE THERE TO MEET US WHEREVER WE ARE , WHILE CONNECTION , THOUGH HARDER TO ATTAIN , IS WHAT ULTIMATELY HELPS TO DRIVE BETTER OUTCOMES , FOR BOTH INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANISATIONS ,” COMMENTS LINDA SAUNDERS , DIRECTOR SOLUTION ENGINEERING , SALESFORCE SOUTH AFRICA .
DIVERSITY POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
DIVERSITY , EQUITY AND INCLUSION ( DEI ) POLICY IN COMPANIES CAN AND SHOULD BE THE STARTING POINT FOR WOMEN REPRESENTATION IN COMPANIES . IN FACT , ACCORDING TO A REPORT BY MCKINSEY , FEMALE LEADERS ARE 1.5 TIMES AS LIKELY AS MEN AT THEIR LEVEL TO HAVE LEFT A PREVIOUS JOB BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO WORK FOR A COMPANY THAT WAS MORE COMMITTED TO DEI .
AS ZOHO FOR STARTUPS ’ GLOBAL HEAD , KUPPULAKSHMI KRISHNAMOORTHY COMMENTS , “ IS IT NOT A QUESTION OF THE CULTURAL INTEGRITY OF AN ORGANISATION IF WOMEN EMPLOYEES DON ' T FEEL INCLUDED , FEEL TO BE DESERVING OF OPPORTUNITIES AND GROWTH , AND FEEL TO BE LISTENED TO ?”
“ TEAMS REALISING THAT WOMEN NEED TO BE HEARD IS A NECESSARY FIRST STEP . THERE SHOULD BE ENOUGH OPPORTUNITIES CREATED FOR PEER-TO-PEER GROUPS TO BE FORMED THAT CAN LEAD TO FORGING OF LIFE-LONG FRIENDSHIPS OR ALLIES AT THE WORKPLACE ,” ADDS KRISHNAMOORTHY .
COMPANIES WANTING TO HIRE AND RETAIN SKILLED WOMEN MUST CONSIDER IMPLEMENTING POLICIES FOCUSED ON DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION . THESE POLICIES COULD INCLUDE POLICIES THAT SUPPORT AND NURTURE THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF STAFF FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS , INCLUDING LGBTQI + AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES .