Without Inclusion, Diversity Is Just Another Buzzword  

This article originally appeared on hubinternational.com 

Because workplace diversity has become a stated goal for organizations across North America, it’s often presumed that inclusion will follow. But that’s not the case — even highly diverse workforces aren’t necessarily inclusive. 

In fact, there’s a lot of confusion over where one starts and the other ends. And that confusion has consequences. 

There are workforces that are diverse on the surface, but the organization may not reflect the perspectives these diverse workers might have. A diverse workforce doesn’t automatically mean workers from all backgrounds are included in business decisions, that they’re on equal career paths or their viewpoints are fully considered. 

Workers will look elsewhere for inclusivity 

Lacking inclusivity, organizations may see workers look elsewhere for their voices to be heard. Conversely, increased inclusion can result in boost workplace effort and performance, signaling greater intent to stay with their employers.¹ 

Any number of studies show how diversity and inclusion foster business success. That doesn’t mean employees feel empowered: Only one-third say they can help improve inclusion and only 27% feel as if they’re informed enough to make the effort.² 

Beyond lip service on inclusivity 

Paying lip service to the concept of inclusion isn’t enough. An inclusive workplace will take a hard look at where the organization sits in terms of diversity and inclusion. 

Here are a few key areas to consider: 

• Pay disparity. Women working full time earn only 84% of men’s earnings.³ This gap is even greater for women of color, and greater still for older women, especially those who are Black and Hispanic. Trying to eliminate pay disparity is important to address inclusion issues in the workforce. In doing so, it shows every person’s contribution is truly valued. 

• Hiring and management practices. Implicit bias can be about any social group or characteristic, including race, gender, age, nationality or sexual orientation. Managers and HR leaders should be trained to combat this type of bias, which diminishes inclusion. Such bias is often difficult to discern — for instance, consider the “halo” or “horn” effect in which employers may judge someone based on a first impression. 
   
  Developing the right training for managers is essential to reducing bias. It may not be easy, as such training makes people aware of their biases and assumptions, and the real-life impact of those biases on employees. 

• Non-traditional development programs. Routine, 9-to-5 training may not be effective (or even applicable) for employees who feel marginalized. Employee resource groups and mentoring initiatives are creative options to reach employees who may feel ignored. 

It’s clear that diversity and inclusion foster business success: Three-quarters of organizations with diverse and inclusive decision-making teams will exceed their financial targets.⁴ But you can’t have diversity if you don’t have inclusion — and today, both are table stakes for success at any organization. 

HUB’s People & Technology HR experts can help you along the path to improving diversity and inclusion at your organization. 

ONPHA has partnered with HUB International to offer our members a customized Employee Benefits Program that helps you protect your most important asset – your staff.
Learn more and get a quote today. 

¹ Hiring Solutions, “3 Steps to Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion Strategies,” March 13, 2023. 
² Gartner, “3 Steps to Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion Strategies,” October 30, 2019. 
³ U.S. Department of Labor, “5 Fast Facts: The Gender Wage Gap,” March 14, 2023. 
⁴ Gartner, “Diversity and Inclusion Build High-Performance Teams,” September 20, 2019.