“Companies are really struggling with employee retention and attracting top talent these days,” says Niamh Cunningham, chief operating officer at Rival. The initial findings of a recent survey conducted by Rival determined that thirty-three percent of employees think their managers don’t listen to them, and 36 percent don’t feel like their managers genuinely care about them as people.”
In British Columbia, the vast majority of businesses are small – 98 per cent. In a province with 5.1 million people and 523,600 small businesses. Defined as businesses with fewer than 50 employees, small businesses have long played a critical role in B.C.’s growing economy.
Yet so much of what is written about, when it comes to reporting on diversity and inclusion, is related to large businesses only. In Canada, the largest companies are also almost twice as likely as small businesses to already have a diversity, equity, and inclusion policy (47% vs. 26%).
It is easy to just assume that diversity and inclusion is more for big businesses. However, with small business employing 68.8 percent of the total private labour force, having a diverse and inclusive workforce is equally important.
Increasing productivity and attracting millennial and Gen Z job seekers has now been proven as favorable outcomes of diversity and inclusion, and these outcomes are just as important to small businesses as they are to larger ones.
Helping small businesses to initiate diversity and inclusion in their workplace begins with an understanding of why it matters so much.This means demonstrating to the business leader how diversity can be a competitive advantage and not just because it’s the right thing to do.
Making a commitment to diversity and inclusion, and making sure that everyone in the company understands how much everyone benefits from different thoughts, backgrounds, and perspectives is an important next step. Without this commitment being taken seriously, any programs and policies related to diversity and inclusion, will just become the small print that doesn’t get read.
When initiating diversity and inclusion initiatives in a small business It is wise to begin by implementing just one or two initiatives that help to promote diversity and inclusion. This could begin with asking employees what is important to them when it comes to feeling included in the workplace, rather than businesses making assumptions as to what employees might need.
Small business has the advantage of learning as they go since they are not as restricted by what has already been established with the larger companies, otherwise known as entrenched ways of doing things.
At the end of the day, diversity and inclusion can only work if people from different cultural backgrounds and beliefs can work together collaboratively. This is where there needs to be an alignment between employee and company values, and this should ideally be determined during the hiring process.
Diversity and Inclusion needs to be a recognized value of the company and not just a program, or something that needs to be done as a business advantage. Without a clear intention to create inclusion, sourcing diverse candidates and bringing them into a workplace culture where there is an intolerance to differences will create problems. Gone are the days where new employees should be expected to “just fit in.” That represented a “group think” mentality, often referred to as “team-building.”
Today, it needs to be about creating a workplace where employees can bring their authentic selves to work, and where they can feel safe to speak up with their ideas and concerns. Without this, excessive employee turnover will continue to occur, and the ones who leave will be those who want to contribute more to a company than just what they are told to do. Whether a company is big or small, practicing diversity and inclusion needs to be given a priority.
