Modern society is a diverse, multicultural mix of people from different backgrounds and belief systems. There has been a lot of focus on anti-discrimination in the workplace in recent years, but in addition to providing equal employment opportunity, it’s crucial that your company values and supports cultural diversity. Read on to find out some pointers towards ensuring your workplace is providing an inclusive, culturally sensitive working environment.
Workplace Diversity – Phil Whitehouse
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Encourage Teamwork
When teams truly work together harmoniously and productively towards a common goal, the lines of communication are more open between one another and potential issues get discussed, not argued over. Team building exercises can be formal (e.g. planned, structured sessions with a facilitator) and informal (casual social style events like a lunch or BBQ) or a combination of both, but should be part of your long term, ongoing organisational development plans.
Educate Employees
Education can go a long way in ensuring a harmonious, inclusive working environment. It’s essential to make sure that you have a robust induction program in place that adequately equips new staff members to integrate into the workplace before they start. Regular refresher training with existing staff or conducting some workshops into working with people from different backgrounds and cultures across the business can also be beneficial to having a harmonious workplace. .
Set An Example
Management need to conduct themselves in the same way they expect employees to behave, especially when under duress. Regardless of the company’s expressed values, often the actual organisational culture is a reflection on management’s language, beliefs and behaviours. Ensure you and your team leaders/managers are leading by example.
Remember Everyone Is An Individual
Just as with religion where someone may identify as belonging to a particular faith but not agree with or practice all of the traditions associated with it, there are often variations on how individuals embrace their cultural heritage. While managers should be communicating one on one with their team regularly anyway, make sure you ask them what their personal preferences are before making any assumptions about their needs and beliefs.
Often it is a lack of awareness and understanding, not intolerance, that can cause issues relating to cultural sensitivity in the workplace. Including values that embrace and celebrate diversity and individuals in the company’s operating ethos is one part of the process. Ensuring that the way you actually go about the business lives up to those ideals is also an essential part of creating an inclusive, culturally sensitive and above all else, well performing workplace.
How would you rate your workplace’s cultural sensitivity?
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