Combating Internal Resistance

Believe it or not, but even companies that win diversity awards sometimes face problems with resistance and disengagement, which limit their efforts to create workplace diversity. It’s impossible to please everyone, and leaders must be aware of that. Still, it’s their responsibility to build organizations where all employees, irrespective of their background, feel safe and welcome. 

There will always be situations where some people will feel excluded or discriminated against. For example, when white men complain about being unable to progress in their careers due to favoring individuals who are part of underrepresented groups. All employees should have access to equal opportunities, and be promoted based on their achievements and skillset, not on their background. So if a group of employees feels like they are there simply to fill a quota, the promise of inclusion becomes an illusion. 

Managing Workplace Diversity

The important question remains – how to achieve workplace diversity? I will tackle this issue now.

Foster Open Communication

Without teaching your team how to communicate respectfully, your diversity & inclusion values will be just that – words on a screen or company pinboard. 

Some resources forget to mention this, so I’ll say it – ‘effective communication’ isn’t just about being a clear speaker. It’s also about being an active, open-minded listener. 

So, for starters, instruct your staff to use jargon-free words and keep their communication concise. Let’s say someone on your tech team wants to explain to a customer support agent why their client is experiencing a technical issue. They should do so without using terms or abbreviations clear to subject matter experts only. 

It’s also about respecting others’ body language and considering how it can be affected by their world view, personality, and culture. Creating an environment where people don’t feel judged – particularly if they belong to a minority – is key.

Maintain Set Standards

We all hate double standards, don’t we? So, make sure that your entire organization follows the very same ones, across all departments. There should be no special treatment, for example, turning a blind eye to someone’s misogynistic behavior just because they bring in a lot of money to the company. 

When you think of what your standards should be like, you can consider the approach by ISO, the world’s most renowned international organization for standardization. They are currently working on a sustainability program known as ISO Gender Action Plan (set to launch in 2025). While it’s still in the works, you can already take a peek into some of the standards that will be part of the program – for instance, ISO 30415, Human resource management – Diversity and inclusion.

Encourage Staff to Work in Diverse Groups

When I worked in the UK, what I liked the most about it was being surrounded by people from different countries and of various ethnicities. There was so much we could learn from each other! If you strive for diversity in the workplace, then try to set up your teams and projects in a way to bring together employees from various backgrounds. They’ll be able to exchange ideas and share perspectives, which will lead to more innovation and better business results. They will also be able to learn more about themselves and their experiences both professional and personal. Hopefully, this will result in more openness and tolerance for one another. 

Get Creative When Hiring

If you want a diverse workplace, then you need to put more effort into recruiting. Get creative, and don’t limit yourself to the same sources over and over again. If you’d like to have more females on board, then you can look into online and offline groups focused on women in technology.  You can also consider using:

• Blind resumes – you black out any personal information from CVs, including names, date of birth, education, etc. This will help you remove bias, and focus on candidates’ skills rather than their background.

• Blind interviews – similar to blind resumes. Instead of interviewing your candidates in person, you can send out text-based questions and ask them to answer anonymously without providing personal information.

The more creative you get in your hiring process, the higher your chances of finding diverse candidates. 

Getting Started

After giving this piece a read, I’m sure you can tell that workplace diversity is a way forward. As I’ve mentioned earlier, the key here is to ensure your diversity & inclusion principles are actually put into practice, and this means:

• Running an audit of your current hiring and team management processes and scanning them for bias (both conscious and unconscious)

• Including diversity workshops as part of your training

• Encouraging open, respectful communication

• Ensuring that your hiring process is as free from bias as possible. This can be done by finding new sources for recruiting candidates and introducing blind resumes and interviews.

To make sure that you’re building a diverse team, it’s worth looking into a platform like MVP Match, which brings some of the world’s top tech & design talent. Not only does our community feature talent of various skillsets, but also numerous backgrounds.

Take a look to see if we’re a good fit!