Tips to Foster Multiculturalism in the Workplace

In the last few years, there have been countless studies that research the impact of diversity and inclusion initiatives, and the resulting multicultural workforce, on a company’s goals. The results could not have been clearer: inclusive organisations outperform less-inclusive equals. They are 2x as likely to meet or exceed financial targets. 3x as likely to be high performing. And up to 8x more likely to achieve better business outcomes. However, research shows that while almost all companies recognise the benefits of multiculturalism in the workplace, it is these same companies that acknowledge that they are unprepared to shift from diversity as individual programmes to inclusion as a business strategy.

Though strategies that foster diversity and inclusion in the workplace continue gaining traction to this day, leading positions, coveted spots, and boards across the globe continue to show a lack of diversity. Because of this, their diversity and inclusion in the workplace initiatives often fall short when it comes to boosting multiculturalism and creating a diverse workforce that feels included, and is instead of simply filling the “diversity” mark on the checklist. 

The bottom line is that boosting your company’s diversity and inclusion strategies is the right thing to do and offers financial benefits for your organisation. Also, it gives access to a wider talent pool and a chance to better reflect (and thus, satisfy) a growingly heterogeneous customer base.

But getting started with tackling diversity and inclusion in the workplace may seem daunting at first. So how can you do it? First, let’s understand what the difference between diversity and inclusion is.

What Is the Difference Between Diversity and Inclusion?

While often pushed together, diversity and inclusion refer to two different things: 

• Diversity relates to establishing a workforce composed of diverse talent. Diverse can mean anything from gender, ethnicity, age, background, etc.
• Inclusion speaks of a company’s ability to create a collaborative, supportive environment. In it, employees are enabled to contribute and participate equally.

A diverse workforce that does not feel included will not be empowered to do great work. An inclusive workplace where everyone has the same background, ethnicity, religion, etc., will not be really including anyone new. Essentially, while both are equally important, one without the other will not work. 

Here are the top four ways you can embed diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

How to Foster Multiculturalism in the Workplace

1) Track Your Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives

To successfully boost diversity and inclusion in the workplace, you need first to understand where you stand. Start by establishing the most relevant KPIs to measure your company’s D&I health. Also, analyse where you are today and what goals you wish to achieve in the short, medium, and long term.

This can mean anything from usual diversity metrics like age and gender to the representation of different minorities by department and salary distribution among different groups. Multiculturalism within your workforce will not be achieved overnight. And these metrics will help you keep your focus as you move forward.

#OptimationalTip: Establish firm KPIs, set your goals, and let numbers guide you through your diversity and inclusion efforts! 

2) Showcase Your Company’s Diversity and Inclusion Efforts

To boost diversity and inclusion in your talent pools, you need to make your candidates feel comfortable. You can do so by showing them you care about these topics through your employee value proposition. Social media and hiring pages are great for these efforts. Potential candidates will likely look up information about your company before applying. Thus, it is up to you to show them what your business is made of. 

To show the importance your company places on multiculturalism, you can share your diversity and inclusion metrics. Also, what your goals are for future years, as well as quotes from your CEO or diversity officer that help drive the message home. In addition, look out for biased language when crafting this content and when writing job descriptions and email campaigns, to not counteract your efforts.

#OptimationalTip: Let potential candidates know about your diversity and inclusion efforts. This will allow them to understand where your company stands and to feel comfortable applying to work for you.

3) Acknowledge and Avoid Recruiting Bias

Recruiters and managers often think they are approaching candidates with an open mind. However, studies show that people are biologically hardwired to align with those who look like them. Because of this, we need to make an active effort to overcome biases. First, by admitting they are there. Second, by putting in place the necessary processes to disarm them. Combining a variety of methods often yields the best results. For example, diversity training for your teams, blind interviewing, and anonymous applications to restrict the visibility of data that could trigger biases. Only through these processes will multiculturalism truly be within your reach.

#OptimationalTip: Avoid recruiting bias by putting processes into place to prevent it, such as blind interviewing, anonymous applications, or diversity training.

4) Champion Mentorship Programmes to Foster Multiculturalism in the Workplace

Few programmes are as effective as formal mentorship programmes when it comes to boosting multiculturalism and inclusivity. Especially in the higher echelons of a company’s hierarchy. Mentoring opportunities mean enabling managers to become active agents in creating change within their company. This means that the mentee benefits from this initiative through learning, networking, support, working opportunities, etc. Also, the mentor becomes engaged, committed, and invested in the success of the person they are helping. In addition, the building of these relationships helps them disrupt bias against certain minorities they probably did not even know they were holding. In turn, this helps embed multiculturalism, diversity, and inclusion into the company structure.

#OptimationalTip: Leverage mentorship programmes to boost multiculturalism, diversity, and inclusion within all levels of your company’s hierarchy. 

5) Use Language Translation to Make Diversity and Inclusion Part of Your Company

Just like you adapt your communications to target a new market, make sure your communications are suited to all languages and locales you want to address. This will ensure no potential stakeholders are excluded. The investment you make in language translation will bring benefits in the long run.

#OptimationalTip: Language translation will help you show stakeholders that you value cultural differences and are willing to go the extra mile. Speak to them in their native language.

Final Thoughts: Fostering Multiculturalism in the Workplace

Ensuring employees become top performers means not forcing them into a culture that does not allow them to be themselves. To be truly effective, however, diversity and inclusion must not be an isolated programme or idea. Instead, it must be embedded in your processes.

If you need language translation support for your multilingual communications strategy, contact us today