A diverse, inclusive organization is a thriving organization. Time and again, research has shown that companies with diverse teams that strive to create an inclusive workplace outperform their competitors in key areas of business.
Thus, meeting with a diversity consultant to evaluate and improve your company’s HR department will yield invaluable benefits.
What Does a Diversity Consultant Do?
A diversity consultant is a professional who helps organizations and HR departments separate unconscious bias from both the recruiting and interviewing process, as well as offers leadership coaching services, employee engagement training, and more.
For HR departments, a diversity consultant will help improve a company’s sourcing of qualified, diverse talent for current and/or future employment openings.
Understanding the Difference Between Diversity & Inclusion
Companies benefit greatly from both diversity and inclusion. However, the two ideas are not mutually exclusive — and a company could be considered to have a diverse workplace without actually having an inclusive workplace. Both diversity and inclusion are a necessity for a company’s long-term growth because both work together to facilitate a place of belonging for team members.
In short, diversity is more closely related to representation in a work environment. While inclusion is about the value a company places on different perspectives, contributions, and ideas, and how well these perspectives are integrated into the work environment.
This means that a workplace where different genders, races, nationalities, and identities are represented may be diverse, but if the perspectives of only one group of people hold more authority or are valued more by a company, the company has not created an inclusive workplace.
Benefits of Diversity & Inclusion for Organizations
A company that makes the effort to prioritize diversity and inclusion throughout its entire work environment will set itself up for long-term scalability.
Greater Productivity = Higher Revenue
When it comes to revenue and growth, diversity and inclusion can benefit both. Employee engagement is crucial for employees to be at their best, do their best work, and remain with a company for longer periods of time.
Which makes sense when you think about it! Employees who feel welcome at their company, who feel that they can be themselves, that their ideas will be heard and valued, and have the support they need, are far more likely to be engaged in their roles.
Therefore, fostering a place of belonging for team members helps with intrinsic motivation, can reduce workplace absenteeism, and the company grows as a result. Specifically, a company with strong diversity and inclusion can see up to 25% above-average profitability than peers without, according to a study from McKinsey & Company.
Diverse Teams Are Leaders in Innovation
Companies that maintain long-term success understand one thing very well: what strategies worked in the past and are working in the present, may not be what works in the future. Companies need to be able to adapt over time as the world changes and the needs of people change as well.
So, valuing innovation has never been more important, and diverse teams can help foster this innovation. The more perspectives and ideas an organization can consider and try implementing, the more likely it is the organization can better adapt and innovate.
In fact, diverse teams have been found to make better decisions 87 percent of the time when compared to individual decision-makers.
Socius Strategies: Your Diversity Consultant Partner
Organizations and their teams benefit in numerous ways from a diverse and inclusive work environment. From employee engagement to innovation, an organization can set itself up for long-term growth and success by working with a diversity consultant.
In Latin, “socius” means "partner" or "ally" — so when you partner with us, you can expect a collaborative experience that prioritizes your organization’s needs, values, and people.
Get in touch today for a free 20-minute consultation.
