The Impact of Diversity and Inclusion on Team Dynamics

Diversity and inclusion aren’t just buzzwords in the corporate sphere. It’s not about ticking boxes; adding and focusing on diversity and inclusion to your company’s priorities and metrics builds a healthier, stronger, more creative workplace that helps to make everyone feel welcome and supported. 

Here are just a few of the ways in which diversity and inclusion build a better team. 

1. It helps your company meet and exceed financial targets. By some estimates, focusing on and promoting diversity and inclusion will help 75% of companies with those same values exceed their financial goals; those same companies will outperform 50% of those competitors who do not diversify their hiring practices. 
2. It provides a boost to your productivity. When people from different backgrounds are embraced by a company and added to teams that reflect the diversity of their community, productivity goes up, according to some research, by at least 12% but possibly more. People who don’t feel isolated because they aren’t the same as everyone else on the team are more confident in sharing ideas, problem-solving, speaking up with innovative ideas, and suggesting new approaches to old systems that could make your company even more efficient. 
3. Diversity and inclusion can help improve employee morale and trust. Companies that create policies and then stand by their words, implementing changes to help create a more diverse team, are companies that support their employees. Improved morale and trust can also drive up employee engagement by a whopping 76%. Employees who believe their managers are going to do what they say and come through on their promises are going to feel confident and secure in their positions and in the instructions provided by their leadership, making them less likely to feel overlooked, distrustful, or generally unhappy. It also makes them less likely to want to change jobs. 
4. Diverse companies expand their talent pool when hiring new employees. By making a concerted effort to broaden your horizons when a new position opens up, you’re giving your company a greater opportunity to find skilled, talented employees from brand-new places that weren’t considered before. If your company has remote working opportunities, you are no longer restricted by geographic area to find the best talent! People who live in different cities offer different views on the world and on work; that can only help to make your team stronger. 

But how do you make your team more diverse and inclusive? 

A. Improve your company culture. If your office is rather homogenized, it will not appear welcoming or friendly to anyone who doesn’t fit that particular look. This will take time, but begin to incorporate hiring practices to boost diversity in your team. Take steps to make your company more inclusive and welcoming, from changing the photos on your website and social media to getting more involved in your community to honoring and commemorating a wider array of holidays and cultural observances. Making people feel welcome and recognized helps them feel more comfortable and can boost company culture at the same time. 

B. Remember: Everyone’s working toward the same goals. Teams need to feel like a cohesive unit. From the leadership down to the newest employee, everyone needs to know they’re contributing to those shared goals and objectives and that everyone’s job plays a part in the company’s success. If people feel left out or overlooked, they won’t be as dedicated to the same efforts as someone who feels ownership of a project. Take the time to build your team up and offer opportunities for people on different teams to talk and work together to help bring their commonalities to light. 

C. Provide training to underscore the importance of diversity efforts. Sometimes people just don’t know what they don’t know. Training and workshops that demonstrate the power and purpose of diversity and inclusivity can help underscore and enlighten your team on why all of this matters. 

D. Encourage open, honest communication, even if it’s a little awkward at first. When things like “diversity” are brought up, it can make people feel a little uneasy. Everyone has to start somewhere! By taking a steady, comprehensive approach to building a diversity and inclusion mindset and adopting practices to make this the default setting for your company going forward, you’ll help everyone learn and grow — together. No one gets everything right the first time, and this won’t be any different, but the progress toward a better, stronger team will make it worthwhile. 

It might seem a little overwhelming or like a lesser priority, but boosting and supporting diversity and inclusion in your company will bring more dividends and growth than you might realize. The best time to start making those changes is now! 

SmartTalent is ready to help you on your way. Our staffing experts can help show you how to expand your candidate search to bring in more candidates from a variety of experiences and backgrounds, introducing you to outstanding candidates who meet the needs of your open positions. Ready to learn more? Call SmartTalent today!