Question:
Hi! I’m the owner of a small business in Abu Dhabi. I’m looking for ways to promote diversity and encourage diverse thoughts in my company as I truly believe that diversity fosters creativity and innovation. Can you please give me some tips on how to build and nurture a truly diverse workforce? Thank you! Ahmed A.
Answer:
Hi Ahmed! Diversity at work is a way of thinking and operating that encourages an entirely new and positive outlook in a company, promoting acceptance, respect and teamwork.
Diversity is an attribute of all great organizations, and companies that are able to overcome diversity issues often achieve greater productivity, profit and employee morale. It is the responsibility of every company to include impartiality, fairness and unbiased treatment in their day-to-day activities.
Here, the HR experts at Bayt.com suggest 5 tips to instill a culture of diversity in your company:
1. Encourage a free flow of ideas
According to a Bayt.com poll on
diversity of thought in the Middle East and North Africa workplace, released in October 2015, 88% of professionals in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are comfortable sharing their views at work even if it goes against the majority. It’s important for you to
let your employees learn from each other and communicate freely and openly and not restrict their thought process and ideas, within acceptable boundaries, of course. Perhaps you could try out a ‘Communication Day’ or ‘Town hall’ as a platform to encourage your employees to voice their opinions and give you feedback.
2. Make innovation a natural part of the culture
78% of professionals agree that their organization is
good at connecting multiple tasks and ideas in a novel way. If your company is diverse and encourages a variety of thoughts,
innovation will automatically make its way into your culture. People from different cultures often have different yet great ideas; promoting a culture with regular
brainstorming sessions and healthy debates can oftentimes increase innovation and productivity in your company in leaps and bounds.
3. Encourage teamwork
In a multicultural organization it can become difficult to manage people from different cultural backgrounds. This is why it’s extremely important to
encourage teamwork and provide
business ethics and diversity-related training to your employees. You must add clear guidelines and provide standardized ways to deal with issues related to managing and practicing diversity in your company. This way, multicultural teamwork can flourish without a hitch.
4. Give the same rights to all employees
All employees have the right to be treated equally. According to the Bayt.com “Diversity of Thought in the Middle East and North Africa Workplace” poll, 27% of professionals say that
diversity is the best aspect of any organization. When there is equality in terms of compensation, career growth prospects, and so forth, you are setting the foundation for a happy, loyal and productive workforce.
5. Inspire your staff to join online networking sites
The Bayt.com “Diversity of Thought in the Middle East and North Africa Workplace” poll shows that 31% of professionals
connect with specialists in their field to learn from diversity of thought and innovations above all else.
Bayt.com Specialties provides the perfect platform to do this. Specialists from all over the world can connect and talk about an abundance of topics freely and openly. This is a great way for your staff to keep an open eye and mind and widen their perspective in their fields of specialization and interest.
