Of course, society is made up of a diverse variety of individuals – all hailing from different cultural backgrounds, genders, and lifestyle preferences. As such, enabling accurate social representation and workplace inclusivity is essential. Most importantly, by being inclusive, businesses can draw from a larger, more mixed, and more versatile pool of candidates. In this way, a business can benefit greatly from the individual knowledge, skills, and range of personal qualities each different individual can bring to the table. 

But what are the main pillars of diversity, and how can businesses ensure they are celebrating these? To learn more about inclusivity in the workplace, stay with us as we explore further!

Promoting LGBTQI+ Awareness in the Workplace

In terms of workplace inclusivity, an inclusive business will take active steps to promote and encourage LGBTQI+ awareness and acceptance among its employees. An excellent way to do this is to celebrate Pride Month in June. Inclusive business owners can make Pride celebrations especially festive and fun by decorating the office with Pride colours. Consider installing brightly coloured banners and streamers, or even providing employees with rainbow-adorned Pride lanyards to wear around their necks! 

If you’re a business owner who is interested in taking this type of action, you may well be wondering which dedicated LGBTQI+ Pride colours you should be including in your office decor. Essentially, the colours of the iconic Pride Rainbow Flag, which was designed and created in 1978, each have their specific meaning. For instance, the flag displays pink to signify sexuality, red for healing, yellow and green to represent the sun and serenity with nature, turquoise, and indigo as a nod to art and creativity, and violet – which refers to the LGBTQI+ community’s fighting spirit. 

While we are discussing LGBTQI+ awareness, you may also be asking – what exactly is Pride Month, and what does it celebrate? As mentioned earlier, Pride Month is celebrated annually in June in many countries around the world. It celebrates the LGBTQI+ community and their achievements. It also honours a historic event in time – the Stonewall Uprising of 1969 – which saw a week of riots between LGBTQI+ protesters and the New York federal police force.

Celebrating Cultural Diversity in the Workplace

Cultural diversity in the workplace is another important element an inclusive business should celebrate. Indeed, many workplaces are culturally diverse. This is often a result of different immigrant populations all coming together in one place of work! Also, economic globalisation is one of the main driving forces which has created many culturally diverse workplaces today. As such, many workplaces today are made up of employees who hail from different ethnicities, cultural backgrounds, and nationalities.

For a business to be culturally inclusive, business owners and employees alike need to be accepting of one another’s cultural differences. This includes being tolerant of each others’ religious and cultural values, as well as other differences – such as food preferences, and manners of social interaction and communication. When it comes to fostering a culturally inclusive business, communication is key! Learning about the different cultures that make up your workplace is essential as both a business owner and an employee. Most importantly, learning how to communicate with others and celebrate our differences is what makes a culturally inclusive business work to its optimal capacity.

Ensuring Gender Equality in The Workplace

Gender equality has been a long-contended topic in many workplaces. Indeed, studies have shown that women are hugely under-represented in the workforce. Of course, this does depend on the industry and profession. Career paths of teaching, nursing, and caregiving, for instance, have often been relegated to women. Importantly, however, these professions have often been some of the lowest-paid in history! As such, the opportunities for women to aspire to high-flying, lucrative careers have been somewhat limited.

The good news is that career and education opportunities for women are improving. And with the emergence of more female employees, business owners must embrace gender equality. This includes supporting women in their career trajectories, based on their merit and value as employees. To do this, business owners can help by minimising the occurrence of the ‘glass ceiling’ phenomenon, which has historically prevented many women from moving forward in their careers, or finally attaining that much-deserved promotion! Thankfully, this concept is lessening over time, and inclusive business owners are part of the solution.

Admittedly, the concepts of diversity and inclusion are a work in progress for many businesses. However, with so much to gain from inclusivity, it is in every business owner’s best interest to promote it! By accepting, celebrating, and including individuals from all walks of life, genders, cultural backgrounds, and sexualities, businesses can experience a full, rich, and colourful company culture – which is key to any business’s success!