{"id":27770,"date":"2020-10-21T16:23:27","date_gmt":"2020-10-21T21:23:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salesv4.aligntoday.com\/blog\/fostering-diversity-and-inclusion-on-your-remote-team\/"},"modified":"2020-10-21T16:23:27","modified_gmt":"2020-10-21T21:23:27","slug":"fostering-diversity-and-inclusion-on-your-remote-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aligntoday.com\/blog\/fostering-diversity-and-inclusion-on-your-remote-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Fostering Diversity and Inclusion On Your Remote Team"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Diversity and Inclusion: A Critical Strategic Priority<\/h2>\n

In 2020, employers discovered that meeting employees’ wellness needs was not merely \u201cnice to have\u201d for recruiting purposes, but was a critical factor in employee performance and retention.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As health and safety concerns swept the globe, new conversations about the role of discrimination and systemic oppression entered the mainstream. Business leaders faced the crucial task of not just forming a diverse team, but ensuring every voice was heard.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The importance of diversity and inclusion for high-performing organizations is not recent news. In 2015, McKinsey found<\/a> that the public companies in the top quartile for ethnic and racial diversity in management were 35% more likely to outperform their competitors. Furthermore, companies in the top quartile for gender diversity were 15% more likely to have returns above their industry average.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In an age of seismic transformation, diverse teams offer creativity and productivity advantages critical to seizing opportunities and surviving disruption.<\/span><\/p>\n

To this end, Harvard Business Review<\/span><\/a> found more diverse teams solve problems faster than those with similar abilities. Similarly, Deloitte Australia<\/a> found teams that foster diversity and inclusion are more inclusive and outperform peers by 80% on team-based assessments. Research from <\/span>John Bersin<\/span><\/a> found diverse teams are 1.7X more likely to be leaders in their industry.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With the transition to remote work, the challenge of creating an inclusive workplace took on new dimensions. Leaders needed new strategies for replicating conversations about inclusion that may have organically happened in the office. In this virtual age, only an intentional approach to diversity, inclusion, and mental health will effectively create productive and positive team cultures.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s explore a few key strategies for making diversity and inclusion a priority for your remote team.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Tiger Team<\/h2>\n

If your team\u2019s diversity efforts require substantial action, creating a cross-functional team focused on recruiting and fostering diverse talent may catalyze your efforts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the model of other stand-up teams, this group should establish a long-term vision, plan quarterly goals and annual initiatives, meet regularly, and communicate their work to the company at large.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Creating a similar team may be helpful for addressing employee engagement overall. While diversity initiatives may roll up into larger engagement goals, leaders will want to keep these teams separate to ensure focus on the right outcomes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Possible long-term goals for this team may include equal gender representation or fair racial representation amongst the leadership team, supplier diversity, or investments in D&I initiatives and priorities. Specifically, quarterly or annual goals might include expanding diversity in recruitment by sourcing new hiring channels or establishing Employee Resource Groups for underrepresented groups.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Diversity, like engagement and other business critical functions, requires management by measurement. To build a culture that fosters diversity, leaders must clearly define success, build a comprehensive plan around <\/span>SMART quarterly priorities<\/span><\/a>, and measure results to ensure outcomes match intent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Read Our Full Guide to Remote Team Management!<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
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Employee Resource Groups<\/h2>\n

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) serve as voluntary, employee-led networks providing a safe environment for the discussion of identity and inclusion. ERGs offer programming, mentorship, and opportunity for important conversations regarding the intersection of workplace and societal issues.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With any number of intersecting challenges facing workers on remote teams, ERGs ensure that employees have a community that supports their unique needs and personal growth. ERGs maintain communication with leadership for inclusive decision making. Furthermore, they may also provide resources for the rest of the company to better understand their community and its needs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While typically self-started, company leadership can encourage and incentivize ERG creation to get these groups off the ground. Sarah Cordivano has a comprehensive guide on <\/span>Starting Your Employee Resource Group<\/span><\/a> that lays out specific guidance for starting an ERG.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s break down two types of ERGs essential for virtual team inclusivity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Identity-Based ERGs<\/h3>\n

Identity-based ERGs are open to anyone who identifies as part of a respective group. These identities may include:<\/span><\/p>\n