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Diversity and inclusion (D&I) is a hot topic in the HR space. Not only does a diverse and inclusive organisation boost productivity and morale, it can improve culture too. This will, naturally, have financial benefits for organisations which will contribute to overall business success.
An important consideration for truly driving the D&I agenda in the workplace is having buy-in from the senior leadership team and ensuring that the C-Suite has an implicit understanding of why D&I should be high up on the business agenda. As the dedicated people function, it is HR’s role to take the lead by driving the diversity and business strategy forwards.
For any HR practitioners wanting to achieve greater workforce diversity but not knowing how to go about it, this is luckily one of the key topics being discussed at HR Grapevine’s annual conference tomorrow. This will take place on March 12, 2020, at The Brewery in London.
On the day, HR leaders including Network Rail’s Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Loraine Martins (MBE) and Virgin Media’s Inclusion Lead, Victoria Whitehouse, will speak about the correlation between diversity and good leadership and how employers can drive business strategy through its people by getting HR in a central place to executive discussions.
Speaking on the subject, Martins previously told HR Grapevine that the shadow of a business leader can dictate workplace diversity and inclusion. “The shadow of a leader is important because, if you’re intent on being a more diverse and inclusive organisation, then if you see those behaviours around you, you’ll feel more confident behaving in a way that is similar. Having leaders who encourage employees to listen to different points of view from others is one way of driving diversity and inclusion," Martins told HR Grapevine.
“If you look at leaders as role models – whether they want to be or not – people look at the behaviours that they see, and they mimic them. What you want to do is mimic those great behaviours and create an inclusive environment.”
See both Martins and Whitehouse speak at this year’s HR Grapevine Live conference, which takes place at The Brewery in London on March 12, 2020. For ticket information and a full list of speakers from companies including Leon, Monzo, Just Eat, Molson Coors, HSBC and John Lewis, click here.
