How businesses can change society
The business case for diversity, equity and inclusion
A business of any size can break the mould of the traditional business model and be more inclusive, and it doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated.
- By extending parental leave to all parents (not just the birthing parent), both in eligibility and in timeframe, you can promote shared responsibility for care. That reduces inequality.
- By removing limits to sick leave, you acknowledge that working parents typically use up their leave quota on their kids, leaving them none for themselves. Removing limits to sick leave doesn’t mean that everyone will take advantage of this. The statistics on this, show time and again that people value trust and make good decisions based on it.That one’s also promoting good health and wellbeing in the workplace, as people aren’t penalised for being unwell, so they can afford to stay home to rest and not spread their illness around the workplace.
- Having policies that cover culture and gender equity go a long way to reducing inequalities. These are things that seem unnecessary to many, but, again, the statistical evidence shows that when gender and culture are laid out as important factors in decision making, representation is fairer on everything from hiring, to governance to pay.
- Flexible working hours, and options to work from home, is something more businesses should consider. Especially if that business operates online/by phone. Being able to do school/day-care pick-up/drop-off during the working window is a value that cannot be underestimated until you’ve not been able to align a job with your parental responsibilities.
But what if I don’t employ people?
There are so many alternative pathways to creating an inclusive business.
If you want to create positive impact, you can and should still have workplace policies that cover inclusion and how you value diversity and equity in the workplace. At the end of the day, every business is human-centred. If you don’t have employees you still have customers (and suppliers). Your policies cover how you deal with people on any level.
If you want to go a step further, then as a business owner you could create a program that smashes the inequality barriers for others.
- Perhaps you’ve got a coaching business, you could set a priority focus on the causes that align to your values and every quarter you set aside five-percent of hours to gift to those causes. That could be via pro-bono coaching, or it could be volunteering in organisations that align to those causes.
- Perhaps you’ve got a retail business that you finally feel confident in. You’ve learned some really tough lessons along your journey and you could write a book about what you should and shouldn’t do. Maybe you choose to write that book, or maybe you choose to mentor some business students in the practical side of retail. It takes a brave person to uplift others that could potentially wind-up as a competitor, but time and again we see those kinds of businesses succeed because this very attitude creates community mindedness, and that inspires others to support rather than compete against.
- Maybe you’re a business owner that has finally met profit goals and would like to help others out financially. You could donate a random sum to a charity you align with, or you could create a giving program that directly relates to your business. That could be anything from volunteering your time and expertise, to specifying a percentage of revenue / profit to specific charities on a regular basis.
What if I’m still struggling at the start of my own business journey?
Oh look, I hear you. It’s hard enough working out what you need to do without thinking of supporting others. But the way you shape your business can also reduce inequality for other people.
- Talk about the difficulties you face, share how you overcome these. That shows others that they’re not alone and gives them courage to address their own.
- Plan for your success. Define your own version of what success looks like with big picture thinking (vision board it if you’re that kind of person, or just write down your dream goals). Then break that down into smaller chunks for goals over the next month, quarter, year, three-five years. Once you have those, work backwards to create an action plan and budget for making those actions happen.
- Outsource things. This one requires a bit of a reality check. If you’re at the start of your own business journey you might not have funds to invest in outsourcing work (and, actually, you should have a plan to get a return on the investment you spend on outsourcing work to others), but you could free up time to spend on your business by paying for housekeeping, meal prep, or even your laundry to others, at a lower cost than of business support.
- Shun “hustle culture” and talk loudly about that. Work “real hours” that fit with caring for your kids. Tell people you do this. Put boundaries in place around work and “real life”. Sure you might have to work after hours in the beginning, but as your journey progresses, this will happen less often.
- Get good business habits in place, create policies for your business that talk about how you do business (including with other people) and uphold those values.
- Learn what inclusive business is, and shape yours as one (I teach this and I’m bloody good at it *wink*)
Inclusive business requires doing more than “Inspiring Inclusion” or any other range of naff hashtags that a business can share underneath a staged photo.
It’s about daring to break the mould of “traditional” business and taking brave actions that will prioritise the human factor.Because, whether you employ staff or have volunteers, whether you’re online or bricks and mortar, every business is human-centred: Without people to supply to, you don’t have a business.
Why wouldn’t you care enough about that to take action?
Ready to take action?
Want to get more inclusive? Ready to be strategic about how your business can make things more equitable for your people?
Diversity, equity and inclusion doesn’t need to be complicated, but it does need to be strategically embedded within the business.
If you’re ready to take action, I can show you how to do this simply.