Building a diverse and inclusive workplace culture Fiona McKee
Diversity and Inclusion are not just buzzwords; they are the backbone of a thriving, high-performing organisation. While diversity brings a range of perspectives and ideas, inclusion ensures that these diverse voices are heard, valued, and able to contribute fully. Together, they create an environment where every employee feels they belong and can bring their authentic selves to work.
HR plays a pivotal role in influencing diversity and inclusion within an organisation. This involves everything from creating inclusive policies and practices, training leaders on unconscious bias, and continually listening to employee feedback. By embedding diversity and inclusion into the core of your workplace culture, you can help unlock the full potential of every employee.
Diversity and inclusion’s impact on performance
We fully support diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Evidence has shown diversity and inclusion has a huge impact on business performance. A recent Forbes study reports that diverse teams achieve 60% better results and make better decisions in 87% of cases. This is a statistic that should make all business leaders stop and think about how they could improve their business outcomes by having a diverse and inclusive workforce. When we talk about diversity people often assume we are talking about race, however it is so much more than race, it includes gender, values, beliefs, demographics as well as diversity of thought and by giving employees an opportunity to contribute to decision making its likely better decisions will be made.
How do you create a culture of diversity and inclusion
There are a number of ways to create a culture of diversity and inclusion such as creating robust policies and processes. However, the key to building a culture of diversity and inclusion is having leadership buy in. The leadership team must be proactive in their approach and be accountable for the attraction and retention of a diverse workforce at every level in the organisation.
This means leading by example, holding themselves accountable, and being transparent about the company’s progress in diversity and inclusion. When employees see that leadership are genuinely committed to these values, they are more likely to embrace and contribute to a diverse and inclusive culture.
Recruitment
Recruitment is one of the most critical touchpoints for embedding diversity and inclusion within an organisation. By adopting inclusive recruitment practices, HR can ensure that opportunities are accessible to a broader range of candidates, beyond traditional talent pools. This includes crafting job descriptions that use inclusive language, actively sourcing from underrepresented groups, and implementing blind recruitment processes to minimise bias. Structured interviews and diverse hiring panels can further support fair decision-making. By prioritising diversity at the recruitment stage, organisations lay the foundation for a workforce that reflects a variety of perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds – key elements for innovation and success.
Training and development
Next up is training and development. Once you have the buy in from the leadership team and the recruitment strategy is such that you are attracting a wide range of candidates you need to start rolling out training. HR can implement regular training programs on topics such as cultural competency and inclusive leadership. These sessions should be designed not just to raise awareness but to equip employees and leaders with practical tools to embrace diversity and inclusion. Continuous training ensures that diversity and inclusion remains a focus and evolves with the organisation.
Listening to employees
As always, we’d recommend listening to employees as this is key to creating a positive culture. There are lots of options when it comes to gathering feedback such as regular surveys, focus groups, and open forums can provide valuable insights into how employees perceive the diversity and inclusiveness of their workplace. HR should take this feedback seriously and make necessary adjustments to policies and practices. This demonstrates that the organisation values every voice, creating a stronger sense of belonging and commitment.
The HR Practice’s commitment to diversity and inclusion
At The HR Practice, we understand that diversity and inclusion are critical to building a successful and thriving workplace. Our founder, Fiona McKee, who serves as the Diversity and Inclusion Ambassador for the Institute of Directors, Glasgow and West of Scotland branch, consistently proves her commitment to these values in her work. We believe that building a diverse and inclusive culture is essential for driving innovation, collaboration, and business success.
This is a guest blog which contains the views of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of the IoD.
About the author
Fiona McKee is the founder of The HR Practice, a HR Consultancy business based in Glasgow. The HR Practice provides fully outsourced HR services to SME and entrepreneurial businesses as well as offering one off HR project support for clients.
Prior to founding The HR Practice, Fiona worked as a Global HR Director for a European Services and Technology business where she has led teams across multiple regions.
Fiona is a commercially focussed Director and Non-Executive Director and Chartered member of CIPD. Fiona is a Diversity & Inclusion Ambassador for the Institute of Directors Glasgow and the West and a member of the Scottish Chambers, Scottish Business Advisory Group. Fiona is Trustee of Kilbryde Hospice.
