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In recent years, many organizations have become more aware of how purpose marketing and social responsibility can support achieving monetary goals and business vision.
Let’s begin with some basic concepts related to corporate social responsibility:
Diversity
Diversity means that a business or organization’s employment policy advocates recruiting people from a wide range of sectors, ages, disabilities, genders, levels of education, social backgrounds, sexual orientations, and more.
Beyond employment, diversity also includes the promise of an equal and supportive work environment for all.
Inclusion
Creating a work environment where everyone is treated equally, respectfully, and fairly provides the entire workforce with equal access to professional opportunities and resources. In a well-structured organization, everyone can fully contribute to the organization’s success. This is the concept of inclusion.
An organization that advocates diversity is incomplete without inclusion. Having an inclusive policy in place enables the full realization of an equal and accepting work environment.
Belonging
The basic human need to belong to a group is especially important in workplaces, since that is where we spend much of our day. A sense of belonging leads to confidence, stability, and support. It produces people who are involved, who care, and who contribute to the organization.
In a diverse and heterogeneous organization, the challenge of creating a sense of belonging may seem greater, but it is actually made easier and proves to be cost-effective.
What does it mean to achieve these goals?
Diversity and inclusion. Inspiration, empowerment, innovation.
Diversity and inclusion are the values that underlie society. In these values lies not only the spirit of humanity and acceptance of difference, but also significant business benefits. Implementing Diversity and inclusion as core values in an organization, promotes innovation, creativity, and learning.
A Glassdoor survey found that 57% of employees and 67% of job seekers attach great importance to diversity and inclusion in a working environment as an element that affects recruitment and employee retention.
Companies implementing diversity and inclusivity have 70% better odds in reaching new audiences.
A survey by the American Sociological Review found that in companies where the percentage of diversity based on race or gender is highest, the number of customers and sales percentages are also higher than average.
A contemporary survey by Munich University of Technology found a direct and positive link between diversity and innovation in an organization.
This is not just an employment issue that concerns only the Human Resources department, but a complete strategy that involves creating an environment of fair and respectful behavior, anti-discrimination policies for all situations, adapting working conditions to different employees and their needs, adapting adequate supply chain management practices and more. A complete strategy requires full transparency among members all of the organization, its eco system and the community.
This strategy must be implemented by everyone, from the topmost managers to the entry-level employees.
Belonging. Commitment and involvement.
A sense of belonging leads to well-being, which leads to motivation, involvement, and productivity. This sense of belonging is extremely significant in the realm of employee retention.
The “new normal” invloves uncertainty, hybrid work models, and online communication, and thus making the sense of belonging among employees an even more vital issue.
How do you create such an environment?
- Assimilation of the values of diversity, inclusion, and belonging in an organization requires the construction of a strategic plan that addresses all departments of the organization. It begins implementation among the management team. Only by getting the managers of the company, including all administrative levels, on board with the plan will an organization create a culture that truly embraces these concepts.
- Only by getting the managers of the company, including all administrative levels, on board with the plan will an organization create a culture that truly embraces these concepts.
- Diversification and inclusion strategies should be integrated into all aspects of the organization. This includes the managerial vision for the company, the recruitment processes, the selection of services and providers, the development of best professional practices, the organization’s training program, and more. The organization will also need to measure and report on the ways in which these concepts are assimilated into the company’s overall structure.
- Xtra Mile has extensive experience creating these processes, allowing us to analyze an organization, its characteristics, and its needs in the relevant areas. After a thorough analysis, we can build a dedicated and focused strategy for the specific goals of the organization. Xtra Mile works hand in hand with the organization's managers to implement a tailor-made program through the establishment of diverse and heterogeneous employee communities in which all participants are committed to a central issue.
- We provide relevant content to the community, promoting employee-led initiatives both inside and outside the organization as well as providing tools to community members and employees to implement the values of diversity and inclusion in intra-company communication.
- To assess the assimilation of these values within an organization, we use measures of productivity, employee retention, and employee satisfaction. All of these measures are affected by, among other elements, the true existence of diversity and inclusion within the organization.
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Implementing diversity and inclusivity strategies for an equitable and respectful work environment gives all workers a sense of belonging.
