A question still asked…

For those working in organisational human recourses management, this will be a key daily consideration. But what about the rest of the organisation? What about our profession? What about our community? What about you?

Diversity and inclusion is so much more than policies, programs, or headcounts. It’s about a fundamental belief in the importance of respecting the unique needs, perspectives and potential of all.

These values deliver deeper trust and greater commitment from employees, customers and service receivers.

Diversity does not exist without inclusion. When we feel included at work, we feel such a strong sense of belonging that it drives our positive attitude, commitment and motivation. Higher performance results, and this creates collaborative, aligned and highly creative work-place cultures.

Employees that feel included are more likely to be positively engaged within the organisation and this is the fundamental factor that helps retain diversity in the workplace.

Diversity is the “what”;  inclusion is the “how”; justice and fairness are the “why”.

Diversity and Inclusion are essential in business today, as a healthy variety of people from different backgrounds and cultures provides us with the balance of voices and diversity of thought that we need. This is power and powerful!

The majority of successful businesses have realised the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion within the workplace. If leaders can harness this potential, it can have a huge positive impact on businesses in the short and long term. Modern businesses have quickly learnt how to utilise equality, diversity and inclusion in order to gain a lasting competitive advantage.

This guest blog is written by In Professional Development, with whom we are proud to partner! We are working together on some exciting initiatives to bolster our respective training offerings, including CMI Level 5 and 7 EDI training courses, and courses led by trainers with lived experience of equalities issues.

If you are interested in exploring training with the Diversity Trust and our partners click the link above or get in touch on info@diversitytrust.org.uk.