Building Your Team: Why You Need a Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

As a business owner, you want your business to reach the maximum number of people. To make this happen, you need a solid business plan and a good online presence. Another key aspect to reach people is to incorporate people from all walks of life into your workforce.

A team with various backgrounds allows your business to gain input from people who may be able to relate to audiences unique to them. A diversity and inclusion strategy can help ensure you have a business that can relate to all kinds of people. Here are some strategies that can help your business.

Inclusive Language is a Fundamental Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

To bring in a wide variety of people into your workforce, adopt inclusive language in your job descriptions. Gendered language and specific pronouns can discourage women and LGBT people from applying to your business.

Be sure to adopt this practice in internal business communications as well. To make everyone feel comfortable and appreciated, use language that makes them feel seen and valued. For further help, a consult with Risha Grant can help formulate a D and I strategy to make everyone feel welcome.

Challenge Your Unconscious Biases

An effective diversity and hiring strategy to hire a diverse workforce and retain it are to challenge unconscious biases. Eric Kandel’s work in neuroscience led him to the conclusion that most of our free will takes place subconsciously. This leads to unconscious bias, which gives rise to preconceived notions.

A classic example is gender role association. Many people associate men with work and women with home.

Many of us have unconscious biases, which isn’t bad per se. It’s when we don’t work to improve them once we discover them that’s a problem. There are tests available that can help people identify where they have biases.

An excellent way to begin removing unconscious bias is by removing information from job applications that dictate race, gender, and age.

Educate Leadership

The leadership in your business should attend diversity and inclusion training. Management is often the least diverse area in a business, dominated by white men. Since leadership plays a big role in shaping the company’s values and direction, this training is crucial.

When leadership sets diversity and inclusion strategies, it makes it easier for the rest of the company to follow suit.

Lead Your Industry With A D&I Strategies

An effort at including a diversity and inclusion strategy can help incorporate new talent into your workforce. You stand to benefit from the influx of new ideas and perspectives. When you foster a space for inclusion, it creates a place where people will enjoy working.

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