We hear more frequently about D&I, but what it means and how it works?
Let's go to the basics, and read together the definitions:
Diversity: the practice or quality of including or involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, etc.
Diversity in the work place looks like an artist's palette where different colours represent people inside your organisation and the range of possibilities increases to create a master piece.
Inclusion: the practice or policy of providing equal access to opportunities and resources for people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalised, such as those who have physical or mental disabilities and members of other minority groups.
Inclusion is about making those people feel like they belong. Do you have a recommendation to make a team more inclusive? Please share it in the comments section below. This is a process to learn from each other.
The inclusion is the biggest challenge, because everything starts from the moment you are recruiting new employees. Have you ever questioned if your hiring process is bias?
Since I studied at the university, I clearly understood the importance of hiring the right talent, it involves considering the culture of the organisation, its mission, vision and how they are aligned with the personal and professional goals of the candidate.
Expertise is important, but it's even more relevant to hire a person with similar values as the organisation, and invest time/sources to grow their potential if required in other areas.
Everyone can learn new skills, gain experience. But balancing a team to succeed is not an easy task. Is it a manager or a recruiter responsibility? I think that's the biggest question, we should invest more time, and financial sources in HR. And of course in training managers, gaining more responsibility doesn't equal increasing leadership, and the people leading the organisation should understand the importance of team work, coaching and inclusive leadership.
The ideal working environment, from how I see it. It's a place where all individuals participate in an engine that works independently and as a team. If you include "Diversity & Inclusion" as part of the philosophy of the organisation, you increase the productivity.
This article is part of my research and experience as a candidate, as a person, as a female expat, as someone who have worked in HR, as a founder. I may not have all the answers, but I'm curious to discover new ways to increase D&I in the work place and share knowledge to other HR teammates, founders (female and male). Because we need more people working in the right place, and we need to integrate more women (local and expats) at different levels, but most importantly we need to equal opportunities and salaries.
Today we learned the basics, but we will explore together best practices, and tools that will help you to hire the right candidate without bias.