Embracing Diversity: How Far Ahead Are We?

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Zalando - Image shared for Diversity and Inclusion

A Growing Trend?

While the efforts and results of diversity and inclusivity policies are growing, many believe it's not entirely correct to only talk about a trend, but rather a cultural evolution. Companies, organizations, and entities are starting to understand society's need for change, as well as the numerous benefits diversity can bring into the workplace, which leads them to push their efforts further than meeting a legislative quote or securing the diversity hire.  For aspiring business owners, this should be the foundation of the company's people-oriented goals.

Companies

As societies become more interconnected, understanding and celebrating our differences can lead to innovation, creativity, and improved problem-solving. Creating an environment where all the employees feel valued and heard, should be one of the top priorities of every company, old or emerging. A safe space can increase employee happiness and satisfaction as well as their benevolence towards the company, and thus the effort they put into their work and the team's performance. To ensure solid and consistent progress in this field, many companies created a position called DE&I Officer (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), whose role is to plan, strategize, and implement measures for an inclusive work environment.

NEWS: read about the strategies that PUMA employs through an interview with Michelle Marshall, the head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at PUMA North America

PRO TIP: Wim Lefebure, Sr Comms Manager D&I, Transformation and Culture, at Zalando, recommends to never oversell your DE&I efforts, always be humble and build credibility.

The Media

The media is the first place people see themselves represented, a true catalyst in this evolving landscape. As a company owner, it can be your best friend: topics like inclusivity are trending, and it's the perfect time to promote your company's efforts. However, the media can quickly turn into your worst enemy: the backlash of lies or overselling can be a huge risk for companies, not only in terms of reputation but also finances.

In Our Daily Life

Confining diversity in a workplace, newspapers, data and analysis, or even in a classroom would mean we didn't understand anything about the topic. Diversity is an integral part of our daily lives, and that means that so should be inclusivity. Embracing all the different cultures, genders, ages, socioeconomic statuses, and disabilities will help us live in a happier world.

Challenges and Opportunities

So what should be the next steps?

The long-term ongoing unconscious bias, microaggressions, leader and stakeholder accountability, and dismissiveness towards intersectionality are all challenges that still need to be faced.

However, there are also many opportunities along the road: companies are relying more and more on DE&I officers, and each of them has measurable action plans and set goals for the near future. There are also many suggestions, analytical strategies, and how-to guides. We do not lack the means to achieve inclusion, but the mentality.

But all in all, the speed of this cultural evolution really depends on each one of us and the effort we are willing to put into spreading awareness, engaging with the topic, taking action ad becoming changemakers. I believe each one of us has an important role to play when creating a social change, we should feel accountable and engaged to make our work environment a better place.