The importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace

With a renewed focus and passion, diversity and inclusion are justifiably front and center in workplace discussions once more. The most recent deaths of Black U.S. citizens at the hands of law enforcement officers using excessive force have combined with the empowered Black Lives Matter movement to healthfully force organizations across the United States to meet race-related problems and opportunities head on.

“Diversity and inclusion is a sensitive topic, but I don’t mind that,” said Chad Oakley, CEO of Charles Aris Executive Search. “If it’s sensitive, you need to talk about it. That’s what the world needs to do.”

Your organization might not currently be equipped to have these internal discussions. If that’s the case, consider empowering your team members by bringing in experts who can professionally facilitate discussions across your team. Here at Charles Aris, we continue to host an expert facilitator who leads such conversations via Zoom video during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, our executive search firm has formed an Inclusion Recruiting Task Force to help address this topic with hiring authorities.

In a July 2020 Washington Post-ABC News poll, 63 percent of a random national sample of 1,006 adults surveyed by phone support the Black Lives Matter movement – a remarkable jump of 15 percentage points since 2014. There is clearly an appetite for more knowledge revolving around race relations. Ignoring it in your organization may only harm your culture and perhaps the bottom line.

Successful organizations rarely miss an opportunity to improve, so what are you actively doing to make your workplace more diverse and inclusive?