What makes a genuinely inclusive workplace? Our in-depth report explores the difference between diversity and inclusion. Here, we offer five tips for creating a diverse workforce as we celebrate National Inclusion Week, 2022.
How diverse is your workforce? Some 62% of employees report that their disability is hidden, according to Harvard Business Review. Encouraging employees to disclose makes for a happier workforce. ClearTalents enables employees to self-disclose the support they need in the workplace by creating an online diversity profile.
Diversity and inclusion aren’t the same. However, an inclusive workplace begins with ensuring that you make reasonable adjustments for diverse candidates and have an inclusive recruitment process.
Inclusive workplaces enable everyone to bring their best authentic selves to work. Meryl Evans CPACC, a leading voice in disability advocacy, describes the difference: “What makes a good inclusive workplace is that employees have all the tools to thrive in their careers. Diversity is bringing in people. But it doesn’t mean they have the tools and support to thrive. True inclusion does,” Meryl Evans.
Valuing the uniqueness of all employees demands a culture where individuals are “able to be authentic and “Feel like they can be themselves, regardless of whether they are different or share many similarities with their colleagues,” says CIPD in a report. Otherwise, “individuals could feel like they need to engage in ‘surface acting’ or cover their identities,” it added.
Employers are legally required to make Reasonable Adjustments for disabled people. A ‘reasonable adjustment’ is “a change that must be made to remove or reduce a disadvantage related to an employee’s disability when doing their job,” according to Acas. A reasonable adjustment may include changes to the workplace (in work or hybrid working), equipment or services. ClearTalents enables employees to create up to three diversity profiles and offers hints and tips on how employers can make reasonable adjustments based on their needs.
A report by Deloitte said, “Diverse teams are absolutely important, but inclusion unleashes the power of diversity, fostering an organisational culture where everyone feels comfortable speaking up and being themselves. Today’s workforce is looking for organisations to go beyond addressing how inclusion looks but also addressing how inclusion feels.”
