What Are the Benefits of Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace?
Lexi Gibson
Creating a diverse and inclusive workplace ranks among the top priorities for organizations across the GCC region, but many don’t know where to start. The best leaders understand that while taking the first step might not be an easy task, the benefits of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace are critical to business success.
While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to this important topic, there are fundamental best practices that will help you jumpstart your DEI efforts.
Exploring the definition of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace
To design and implement DEI-centered strategies that cultivate great workplaces For All™, it’s critical to understand the underlying concepts. While they’re all interconnected, they’re far from interchangeable.
How diversity, equity, and inclusion work together
Diversity refers to the presence of differences within a given setting. These differences can relate to gender, age, educational background, ethnicity, language, nationality, and disability status.
Equity is the commitment to ensuring the programs, policies, and practices you offer are fair, impartial, and provide equal possible outcomes for every individual.
Inclusion relates to the sense of belonging your people feel despite their differences. Inclusive workplaces allow people to bring their whole, authentic selves to work in an environment that respects them and supports their ability to thrive.
All three elements are equally essential to consider when constructing your DEI strategy.
Why inclusion matters in the workplace
Workplaces that embrace DEI attract and retain top talent. When people feel valued for who they are, they’re more committed to business success.
They share their best ideas, take intelligent risks, find joy in their work, and most importantly – don’t take their talents to another workplace.
The impact of diversity in the workplace
Our global research shows that when employees feel that they get fair treatment from their employers, they are:
- 9.8 times more likely to look forward to going to work
- 6.3 times more likely to have pride in their work
- 5.4 times more likely to want to stay a long time at their company
The Great Resignation – or the Great Reshuffle, depending on who you ask – has created an even more competitive environment for the best and brightest employees. A recent report revealed that an astounding 56% of professionals in the UAE are looking to switch jobs in the next 12 months. The number of Saudi citizens quitting their jobs in Q3 of 2021 was up 95% from the year before. Embracing DEI will help keep your people from leaving your organization for other opportunities.
The business case for diversity and inclusion
Multiple studies from around the world show that organizations that integrate DEI principles into their workplace culture enjoy increased revenue. Companies that focus on creating great environments for all their people achieve higher net income and stock prices. They also outperform the market across a host of key performance indicators.
Our research reveals even more benefits of DEI in the workplace linked to growth and innovation. Our findings underscore that DEI propels organizations to innovate faster than their competitors and ultimately attain more sustainable growth that helps them thrive even during economic downturns, like the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The data is clear: there are quantifiable benefits of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace that translate to a healthy, crisis-proof bottom line.
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How to support diversity in the workplace
There are a few key aspects to keep in mind as you turn your DEI plans into reality. One is identifying the challenges and friction points you might face. The other is learning from organizations who have been down this path already and have developed best practices for making DEI part of their organizational DNA.
Challenges of diversity in the workplace
There is no shortage of challenges regarding diversity in the workplace. Organizations must contend with longstanding and deeply entrenched gender, ethnicity, and nationality discrimination. The most successful leaders acknowledge and confront these challenges head-on. From advancing gender equality in the GCC to Nationalization programs, leaders across the region have turned erstwhile areas of opposition into areas of opportunity.
Knowing where you currently stand will help you get where you’re going more quickly. Understanding your employees’ experience is critical to identifying gaps and leveraging strengths. Tools like our Trust Index© survey allow you to measure the level of all dimensions of workplace experience, including trust and fairness, with demographic breakdowns. This data provides you with actionable insights you can use to prepare and implement your DEI plans.
Best practices for diversity and inclusion in the workplace
Great workplaces ensure that DEI permeates every aspect of the employee experience. From the hiring process to opportunities for advancement to inclusive leave policies and recognition practices, DEI is always at the center, not on the sidelines. While the nuances of your organization will determine the details of your DEI programs, there are universal behaviors that support the best outcomes.
Asking your people what they need is among the most important things leaders can do. Listening to their answers is key to creating a culture where marginalized groups feel seen, heard, and included. Including them in how you shape your programs will help ensure that you take a DEI lens every step of the way.
Incorporating your employees’ feedback and proactively involving them in the decision-making conversation is another effective way to act inclusively. Establish employee advocacy groups and provide forums to collaborate directly with leaders to shape programs.
Being transparent around what policies, programs, and practices you develop based on their feedback and sharing information about what is and isn’t possible is another way leaders can walk the talk of DEI.
How Emiratisation and Saudization support cultural diversity in the workplace
In the GCC, Nationalization efforts, such as Emiratisation and Saudization, are top of mind for leaders in the public, private, and semi-government sectors. These programs are cornerstones of DEI efforts in the region and are essential to the long-term economic health of the GCC.
Chalhoub Group, one of the 2021 Best Workplaces for Saudi Nationals™, has a Saudization plan that provides opportunities for Nationals fresh out of college through its University Graduate program. It also aims to reach a more diverse talent pool with its part-time student working initiative and its work to provide job opportunities for people with disabilities in KSA.
Another Best Workplace™, Center for Legal Studies and Research, provides training and development opportunities for Nationals to become the future leaders of the legal sector in the Kingdom.
Beacon Red provides tailored training programs for Emiratis, including foreign language classes and cybersecurity training, and gives Nationals the opportunity to support a wide variety of projects across the business to help them develop their technical skills and leadership abilities.
Creating a culture that prioritizes DEI might seem like a daunting task. But, by understanding the key concepts of DEI, listening to your people, and taking action on what you hear, you’ll be able to maximize the benefits of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.
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