Creating an inclusive work environment is necessary to eliminate discrimination and create a positive company reputation. Before implementing specific diversity management measures, it is necessary to ensure, at a minimum, that each employee is treated with respect, regardless of the differences between employees (Prayson & Rowe, 2019). Speaking of respect and understanding, it is worth noting the unequal position of women in the workplace. One of the options for overcoming this problem should be the growing awareness of women’s health. In particular, it is worth considering the alternation of rest and activity according to natural periods of weakness and productivity (Narang, 2022). In addition, support for maternity issues is necessary since most women are forced to balance work and the role of a mother (Coltman, Jones, & Rosen, 2019). These measures are designed to ensure equal treatment of women and the introduction of fair bonuses.
People subconsciously categorize others by gender, sexual orientation, age, or race. Based on such beliefs, prejudices arise in the workplace (Kirupa Priyadarsini & Kumar, 2023). One way to create an inclusive environment is to create a safe work environment and extracurricular activities in which everyone can participate (Giddings, 2020). These and other norms should be recorded in the relevant anti-discrimination policies of the company to ensure compliance with the rules (Sirdar, 2020). Thus, the company’s management must ensure inclusiveness not only at the level of understanding but also at the level of concrete actions. In addition to managing diversity in the workplace, companies should make inclusion a primary focus as early as the recruitment stage (Ohemeng & McGrandle, 2021). Diversity management should act not only to benefit the company’s image but also to be the main principle of its policy.
There is a clear relationship between health and productivity. Workplace discrimination can negatively affect employees’ mental health (Xu & Chopik, 2020). Therefore, to ensure the company’s productivity, the management should pay enough attention to the psychological well-being of its employees (Chen, Jiang, Zhang, & Chu, 2019). One of the ways to achieve this state should be measures of spiritual motivation, such as meetings with a psychologist and mindful team activities. In addition, companies can formulate their special activities to suit their goals.
Diversity management in companies is related to equal opportunities. In order to ensure access to career development for all employees, companies should create or expand existing training programs and apprenticeships (Kalkanci, Rahmani, & Toktay, 2019). Such measures should encourage people of different races, genders, and people with disabilities to engage in long-term cooperation (Kuehn, Marotta, Arabandi & Katz, 2021). Finally, different types of apprenticeships allow for combining inclusiveness and learning new technologies and approaches (Smith, 2019). Team training can be planned so that each employee feels comfortable and understands the company’s position on the issue of diversity.
Finally, it is worth realizing that building an inclusive environment is a challenging task and requires effort and strategic planning. In particular, various obstacles may arise in creating a culture of inclusiveness (Will, 2020). For example, not all employees may be psychologically ready to introduce drastic changes. In addition, workload and stress make it impossible for an employee to be open to change (Ahmed, Zhao, & Faraz, 2020). Therefore, before introducing positive changes in the policy and process of the work environment, it is necessary to ensure the readiness and attitude of the staff (Chang & Andreoni, 2020). There are many ways to create an inclusive, culturally diverse, safe work environment. The company’s management must first create favorable conditions for the necessary changes and ensure the comfort and readiness of employees.
References
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