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Imagine a workplace environment where individuals feel a sense of belonging and their uniqueness is valued, respected, and supported through opportunities and the interactions they have within the workplace. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) can flourish in a Welcoming Workplace where everyone feels engaged. Conversely, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are unlikely in an organization without a welcoming environment, and that’s why SDHR Consulting is a huge proponent of Welcoming Workplaces. Individuals are diverse for countless reasons which is why creating a Welcome Workplace that incorporates everyone and ensures no one is singled out is crucial.
Highly inclusive organizations are more likely to hit their financial goals by up to 120% 1
Engaged employees say they would need a 20% pay increase to consider leaving an organization with an environment that is welcoming 4
Inclusion refers to ensuring a welcoming environment where all people feel respected, accepted, supported, and valued. Employees feel a sense of belonging and are able to be their best, authentic selves at work. Inclusion allows organizations to unlock the power of diversity.
Employers who have a welcoming environment for employees, applicants and customers are more successful in meeting their strategic goals. Employees who feel valued and included are more comfortable having open conversations about their concerns and are more likely to share ideas that can lead to improvements and innovation. Approaching problems differently can bring more creativity to problem-solving. In addition, having a welcoming and inclusive environment attracts and retains talent and customers. Employers who do not have a good reputation in this area may struggle with maintaining a high-functioning workforce and increasing their customer base.
A Welcoming Workplace is crucial to ensuring all employees feel they are supported and can contribute to the success of the company whether they are in a company office on a full-time basis or spend part or all of their workweek traveling or working remotely. With the changed work environment, many employees continue to work remotely or regularly travel to interact with customers or for other business purposes. It is important to be aware of how the work environment affects each of these employees’ situations and adjust company processes accordingly to ensure all feel welcomed and included whether in a physical office space or at home.
Some believe that a quick fix, such as DEI training classes, can fix the problems they or their employees are encountering. Mandatory training by itself is not a great use of an organization’s resources as the positive effects of diversity training rarely last and can potentially backfire. These activities, without further due diligence and commitment, risk being seen as phony and misguided by employees when they are made to feel unwelcome and disconnected from other employees and the company culture. To be successful in creating a Welcoming Workplace, commitment must be exhibited at all levels of the organization and embraced by organization leaders.
At SDHR Consulting, we believe that creating a Welcoming Workplace is more than just conducting a training class or developing a Diversity and Inclusion Policy. There are many things that contribute to a welcoming environment, including but not limited to, recruiting and hiring activities, opportunities for employee growth and development, quality of management employees, expectations of professional behavior, and more. Our approach starts with using various methods and tools to assess the current status of the company’s environment and its policies and processes. Using this information, we develop a thorough Welcoming Workplace Review/Gap Analysis Report on where the company stands in its quest to become a Welcoming Workplace. From there, a formalized approach is developed to implement Welcoming Workplace standards in all areas of the company and ensure the Welcoming Workplace is ingrained as part of company culture.
