Diversity and inclusion can be learned!

The Netherlands is changing. Due to continued internationalisation and the shift in the labor market, the workforce is more diverse than ever in culture, age structure and nationality. These differences and similarities between employees are not only becoming increasingly clear, but are also increasingly being embraced. The latter is what we call inclusion.

To quote Wikipedia, “inclusion is the inclusion in society of disadvantaged groups on the basis of equal rights and obligations. Inclusion is opposed to exclusion and discrimination. The concepts of inclusion and integration complement each other in today's society. '

This development is very nice. Yet there is still a lot of unease and embarrassment within society and many organisations when it comes to diversity and inclusion. That's not surprising, learning to take into account the differences and similarities between people takes time.

You have to let go of ingrained perceptions and replace those stereotypes with new, different thoughts.

We have good news: inclusion can be learned. This applies to society, but also to an organisation. These tips can help introduce and embed an inclusive organisation.

1. Inform and motivate management

Some executives are unaware of their own biases. Or they don't see the importance of diversity and inclusiveness yet. It may seem like a far from their bed show, or they don't know how to stimulate it. That's a shame, because a good diversity policy has several advantages:

• You get the best out of your employees by taking into account individual talents, knowledge and skills.
• The working atmosphere is improving because discrimination and harassment have no chance in the workplace.
• It promotes creativity because questions are looked at from various angles.
• The recruitment and selection process will be easier because you expand your target group of applicants.
• You employer branding amplified considerably.

Managers play an important role in this. They are the ones who can create a safe work environment, stimulate talent development among employees and take measures when things are not going well.

That is why it is a good idea to consciously focus on diversity and inclusion together with management. By discussing these topics, they are more likely to recognise it. How do they view this? Does every employee get the place he or she deserves, or is there deliberate or unconscious arbitrariness? Is there a good diversity policy in your organisation, or do they have ideas how this could be addressed?

2. Identify the needs of employees

Keep a finger on the pulse of your employees. Are their personal talents adequately valued and used? How do they experience the work atmosphere? Do they run into discrimination or other unwanted behavior and, if so, how do they resolve this? Do they have their own wishes and tips?

Of course, you can do this inventory by embedding the topics of inclusion and diversity in a general employee satisfaction survey. But it's even better to make it a separate theme so that it also becomes a topic of conversation at the coffee machine.

Keep in mind that these kinds of questions can also evoke emotions. Perhaps employees want to lose their eggs or report abuses. That is why it is good to properly name the way to a counselor, corporate social work or HR.

3. Create development opportunities for everyone

An inclusive organisation offers opportunities to every employee, regardless of age, nationality or level of knowledge. This definitely means something for your education and training offerings; it should be as broad as possible and accessible to all employees, no matter what background they have.

• Do you have several employees who do not speak Dutch (yet)? Then consider offering certain courses in another language as well. Of course, a Dutch course should not be missing.
• Don't buy complex systems. Not everyone is the same with digitisation. Systems with an intuitive design, without too many mouse clicks and technical bells and whistles, work best if you want to reach employees of different levels.
• Not everyone needs the same pace of teaching. Sometimes it takes a little longer to acquire new knowledge or skills because of your background, or, for example, there is too much hustle and bustle at home or at work. Someone else may already have so much baggage that a short update is sufficient. Give the opportunity to accelerate or slow down according to personal preference. That literally and figuratively keeps everyone focused.
• Create opportunities for mutual knowledge sharing, and a lecturer or buddy who is happy to answer questions individually.
• Every person has their own favorite way of absorbing knowledge. Some people like visual teaching, others prefer to sit at home with their nose in textbooks. Therefore, try to offer various training options: classroom, online and hybrid.

Need tips?

‍We can certainly help you make your organisation more inclusive. After all, Pluvo has various options for your onboarding, making training courses and internal communication flexible and accessible to everyone. Contact us and we'll be happy to think along with you!