Promote More Diversity in Your Business
Actively promoting diversity in the workforce is essential for running a successful business, and quite frankly, it is just the right thing to do. It fosters mutual respect among workers, and encourages creativity and innovation.
With an increase in demand for social responsibility, some people believe that diversity in the workplace just serves as a way to make your business “look good” to the public; however, it goes way beyond that. Besides boosting a brand’s reputation, a diverse workforce provides a variety of perspectives, increased creativity, increased profit, higher innovation, and positive global impact. A diverse workforce also poses a serious competitive advantage; diverse workplaces outperform competitors and show higher gains.
Diversity can take several different forms: from gender and sexual orientation, to education, religion, ethnicity, and culture. Diversity in the workplace means that employees come from different backgrounds, experience different things, and have different skills to offer. Hence, companies should consider aspects of inclusivity, in order to create a more diverse workforce and benefit from a wide range of opinions.
Improving Inclusivity in your Business
Commit to Educating Yourself, and Your Workers, in Order to Create a Safe Space for Everyone
It is important to become familiar with different cultures, traditions, and approaches to work. The company should show support for National Days and Months, such as Black History Month and Hispanic Heritage Month, as well as other world events. By talking to colleagues and taking advantage of international trips, you can also try to immerse yourself in different cultures. In jewelry, it is also interesting to explore what people accessorize with, in different countries, and the different techniques that are used, as well as the use of local gems. Being open to new ideas and perspectives is essential for creating an inclusive environment.
Evaluate Your Team – Is It Diverse? Does it Represent your Customers?
When speaking about diversity, companies often claim that they make an effort to be inclusive, but fail to realize that the executive board speaks volumes about the company’s value. Does diversity reach to the top? Are women and men equally as present? Are people of different races, backgrounds, religions represented? According to the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), there are only 24 female CEOs among the Fortune 500 companies, which represents only 5% of all CEOs. The same research also showed that among the same 500 CEOs, only three are black and only four identify as LGBTQ+. We can do better.
To further company inclusivity, the recruiting managers should focus on hiring sales associates of diverse backgrounds, and should support minority-owned businesses as vendors. By supporting such businesses, not only do you boost the company’s morale, but you also help create job opportunities. There is a strong racial wealth gap in the United States. Although this can be traced back to the 19th century and Jim Crow laws, it is still a persistent struggle for many to this day, and supporting minority-owned businesses is a step towards changing that.
Practice Inclusivity Every Day
There has been an increased demand, especially from Millennials and Gen-Z, for companies to show diversity, and to speak up about social issues. Although social media activism has become a trend, some platforms allow you to make this “trend” into a lifestyle. Diversity isn’t supposed to be a performative act, therefore, it is important to cultivate inclusivity every day. Your store can create a display section for BIPOC and LatinX designers to show support for their work, for example. Partnering with minority-owned businesses and promoting them on social media is another great way to cultivate diversity. Furthermore, your company can showcase people of different ages, ethnicities, and religious backgrounds wearing your jewelry.
Elevate
On a final note, as a minority, if you find yourself in a position to elevate and bring others up, there is a moral obligation to do so. We are stronger if we support each other, and celebrate each other’s accomplishments.