The world is diverse, and our workplaces should be, too. A diverse workforce can help your organization develop fresh approaches and solutions to problems, and can open up new and untapped customer bases. Achieving diversity is about making a sincere commitment to recognizing that people of different backgrounds and experiences bring value because of those differences, not in spite of them.
Many organizations recognize the value of hiring from historically marginalized groups and already have diversity programs in place to broaden their talent pipelines. Yet many of these same companies may find their diversity programs are not working out the way they had hoped. Maybe it’s because the employees don’t seem to be staying as long with the company, or don’t seem to be advancing. This may be especially frustrating for organizations that have actively tried to recruit from a diverse background. When these organizations step back, they may realize that although they have a strong diversity program, particularly when it comes to recruitment, they have missed the mark on inclusion.