Why is cultural diversity important in the workplace?
Andrew Penker Chartered FCIPD, MSc and the Founder of XSectorMentor and an independent HR Consultant asks Dr Viviana Premazzi & Victoria Healey of Global Mindset Development, a training and consultancy company that helps individuals and organisations to develop an open and curious mindset to work effectively across cultures and promote diverse and inclusive workplaces and societies. Dr Premazzi is a Guest mentor with XSectorMentor.
A workplace that is culturally diverse is one where employees from different cultural backgrounds, races, gender, sexual orientations etc. are represented and work together and where equity and inclusion are followed throughout all stages of an employee’s career in an organisation. Through the fresh perspectives of diverse employees, organisations can expect to see some benefits such as from improvements in the recruitment process, talent retention, boosts in innovation and creativity and increased employee engagement.
How can people inspire and maintain retention in culturally diverse teams?
Diversity and inclusion shouldn’t only be a responsibility of HR professionals, but HR has a big role to play in building strategies and developing policies that improve cultural competency, tackle unconscious and implicit biases, and encourage different viewpoints.
The use of mentorship for teams and individuals is another proven way to manage and promote diversity and inclusion across an organisation.
How could mentoring be part of a company’s post-pandemic Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategies?
Coaching and mentoring has proven to be worthwhile investments to help organisations focus on employees’ career development. With record numbers of workers shifting their career plans as a result of the pandemic, organisations need to make environments as attractive and supportive as possible. Mentoring can empower employees to take control of their own careers and guide them in order to find the right opportunities to develop their skills. Engaging in career management will help avoid skills stagnation and mismatching – which could lead to employees leaving companies. Fostering a culture of valorisation, where every single employee is valued for their own individuality and diversity leads to increased engagement.
A mentorship programme to support cultural diversity.
Cultural Diversity is now a reality for the greater majority of companies, either if they are working remotely or in-person. Unfortunately, most of the HR training programmes do not cover this aspect and do not prepare managers to deal with intercultural challenges.
Mentoring can be a powerful tool to support HR managers in upskilling and developing a global mindset. One to one support with the right mentor can provide a safe space for those uncomfortable conversations that need to happen to be able to acknowledge and embrace diversity for promoting an inclusive workplace.
3-for-3 promotion
If this is an area where you think your team could benefit from connecting with other professionals from across companies, professions, and sectors, to share knowledge and ideas, and develop professionally please visit XSectorMentor.
We are offering SMEs, third and public sector employers in particular, the opportunity to experience our programme with 3 licenses for 3 months for free.
About Dr Viviana Premazzi & Victoria Healey
Dr Viviana Premazzi is the founder of Global Mindset Development. She has provided training and mentoring to Fortune 500, local and international companies, government agencies, business associations and international NGOs. She has worked as a consultant for the United Nations and the World Bank in Albania, Kosovo, Italy, Mozambique, Egypt, USA and Brazil on topics related to intercultural communication, diversity and inclusion, migration, cooperation and development and financial education.
Victoria Healey, Global Mindset Development intern. Victoria is completing her Masters in Psychology at the University of New York in Prague. Her thesis research is on the psychological effects of post migration stressors on refugees. She currently lives in Berlin.
