All are welcome – the importance of diversity, equality and inclusivity
I’ll never forget the feedback my father once received from an interview over 60 years ago: “You would have got the job as the best candidate, but you were born into the wrong class…” Times have thankfully moved on, and today we pay no heed to where or the circumstances into which, someone was born. We, rightfully so, place emphasis on the individual and not on their class. However, unconscious biases are hard to eradicate, and unfortunately in business people are still discriminated against when the individual is considered different to society’s idea of the ‘norm’.
The wider picture
Diversity, equality and inclusivity should always be at the forefront of the interviewer’s mind when looking for candidates. In a nutshell, these refer to;
- Diversity – involving people from all backgrounds
- Equality – ensuring all people should have equal opportunities and rights
- Inclusivity – making all people feel valued.
Ensuring that this is incorporated across the business is a passion for many of my clients in Human Resources (HR – responsible for the hiring of employees and ensuring a positive work environment), Organisational Development (OD – responsible for managing employee wellbeing and performance management) and Learning & Development (L&D – responsible for encouraging the professional development of employees).
When I speak to these clients, I always want them to be aware of diversity, equality and inclusivity as a larger umbrella than they may have been exposed to, but should be aware of. This goes beyond someone’s race, gender or religion, to how someone thinks or identifies themselves.
Great minds
There has been a change of thinking in the way we think of the way people think. People have been speaking more and more about neurodiversity and how this can be a positive for a business. This can refer to people who have autism, ADHD and dyslexia, and sees these as a different way of thinking, rather than seeing these as a disorder and a challenge to be avoided or overcome. People who are ‘neurodivergent’ are often highly perceptive and show great skills with technical operations or are particularly creative, which can be a real boon to any company.
Embracing the community
We tend to think of diversity these days as more about embracing the LGBTQIA+ community. This is abbreviated to encompass lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, asexual and any other gender identities and sexual orientations that are not specifically covered by the other five initials.
The more we and the workforce understand and embrace people’s differences, the more we can shift our thinking and celebrate diversity, to make a more inclusive space for everyone to thrive.
Setting the precedent
We as individuals have so much to offer in our own unique ways, and this brings new ideas to drive a business forward. Mahatma Ghandi is attributed to saying; ‘Be the change you want to see’, but what he actually said is far more poetic and resonant: “We but mirror the world. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. We need not wait to see what others do.”
Someone being right for the job should be based on their ability to do the role to the best of their abilities, otherwise if you hire someone who only ‘looks the part’, you’re just going to be disappointed when they can’t deliver.
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