Today marks the official start of LGBT Pride Month in Canada, a time when Career Edge would like to highlight the importance of diversity and inclusion in hiring practices, and its value to organizations. But what is diversity? What is inclusion?
Diversity: the range of differences among an organization’s people
Inclusion: the act or practice of supporting an organization’s diverse people
Companies valuing diversity respect and appreciate differences in ethnicity, national origin, disability, gender, age, sexual orientation, education, and religion. Inclusive companies equitably support a diverse workforce by ensuring corporate culture, work environment, and business practices enable individuals to reach their full potential.
Career Edge Director of Client Services Patricia Evans feels discrimination based on anything other than performance is unethical. She says a job applicant’s sexual orientation shouldn’t limit his or her employment opportunities.
“No one should ever have to choose between a career or living their life with authenticity and integrity.”
The inclusion of a diverse workforce is also beneficial to employers in several areas:
- Innovation and problem-solving – Diverse employees bring a broader spectrum of ideas and skills, leading to greater creativity for identifying new solutions and methods of operations.
- Customer service – Employees of a particular cultural group have greater insight into that group’s needs and expectations while building credibility and trust among a company’s client base.
- Employee retention – When employees feel a sense of belonging, they are more likely to stay with their company, preserving institutional knowledge and boosting employee morale.
- Community Engagement – Employees representing the diversity of an organization’s clientele provide greater insight into the needs of the community they serve.
“A well-managed diverse workforce will reduce costs and generate greater profit. Today, publicized discrimination causes customers to leave brands. By adopting inclusive policies, the negative public image discrimination brings would be avoided, attracting customers who are eager to do business with socially responsible companies,” says Sami Mandalawi, Director of Client Services at Career Edge.