Why diversity is more than just an inclusion metric and will help seed creativity.

Samuel Bailey, from the Harvey Nash Group, explores the link between diversity and creative.

We are all aware that no company is likely to succeed in 2022 without an encouraging and active attitude towards diversity and inclusion.

Not only does it create a positive environment for your current employees, a diverse workforce makes for an attractive workplace leading to sustainable employee retention.

Workhuman Director of Talent Acquisition David Burke was recently on our podcast Tech Talks discussing what it takes to acquire and retain good talent. Unsurprisingly happy employees tend to enjoy where they work, and stay. There are many factors that lead to employee retention and they are drastically changing as a new generation of workers emerge.

DEI (Diversity, Equality and Inclusion)

Job seekers in their early career are prioritising a positive attitude towards DEI (Diversity, Equality and Inclusion), open communication across all levels within the organisation, transparent progression opportunities and a compassionate work culture.

Whilst adopting these values is important to acquiring new and up-coming talent, it also opens up to new connections and collaborations.

This week’s podcast guest Hetti Barkworth-Nanton, CEO of Ploughshare, explained how they’d shifted to being open and transparent as an organisation and prioritised diversity.

She has worked hard to increase the proportion of her teams from a minority background from 33% to 77%. Propositioned with a shortlist of candidates lacking diversity, Hetti will go back to the drawing board.

We all know the benefits of being visibly diverse as a workplace, but a big one is diversity of thought, and ultimately production. V

oid of a diversified workforce a company is extremely unlikely to produce inclusive, accessible, and sought-after products for a worthwhile cohort of customers. Diversity leads to interchangeable and versatile products and services.

Diversity of thought

Hetti states one of their many products was the production of protective materials used for clothing that is now used in all of our mobile phones. This type of versatility and innovation only comes from a work place rife with diversity of thought.

At the start of 2020 Dr Christyl Johnson, Deputy Centre Director for Technology and Research Investments at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre, featured as a guest on the first series of ‘In Conversation With’. She talked about how important company culture is at NASA in order to progress and innovate in the world of space travel.

Dr Johnson explains how NASA are incorporating the technology we use and experience every day, but to the nth degree in order to tackle the challenges humans face, particularly in the bid to travel to Mars. The ‘Jaws of Life’ have saved many people trapped in car wreckage and are an innovation that literally was out of this world. Our interview with Hetti reinforced and echoed these principals.

A welcoming and inclusive company culture

As stated by David Burke, sustaining a welcoming and inclusive company culture is as important, if not more important than building one. Dr Johnson states “it really is about focusing on the people instead of focusing on your company. And when you support your people your people will support you.”

A diverse approach will not only benefit your workforce, but build an inclusive and prosperous one.

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