HOW AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE ATTRACTS TOP TALENT

Shakespeare Martineau legal director Kerry Russell – who setup the firm’s internal diversity network, More in Common, in 2017, and is a member of IP Ability and a founding member of Midlands Ability – discusses the importance of building diverse teams and an inclusive culture.

Creating diverse teams and an inclusive culture enables employees to feel included, which means they are likely to be more engaged. This sense of belonging breeds an atmosphere of trust as well as loyalty, which fosters multiple benefits for the workplace.

People are multifaceted and unique beings; a combination of their identities and experiences builds a diverse team, which enables a business to gain access to fresh insights and new perspectives.

Becoming a diverse and inclusive workplace is not just the right thing to do – it is also the smart thing to do commercially. Improving the employee experience builds loyalty and engagement, and diversity of ideas ensures greater reflection of your customer base, as well as new ways of tackling issues or connecting with clients.

Consciously writing recruitment adverts with inclusion in mind and placing them in a variety of sources means you will be recruiting from a much larger talent pool, increasing your chances of finding the best hire and the right person for the role who is at the top of their game. Research also suggests that employers who go above and beyond to make adjustments after hiring someone with a disability are more likely to retain those employees as they appreciate these important adaptations.

You will notice the benefits to your bottom line too – engaged employees tend to go the extra mile for their organisation, which creates a ripple effect on profitability, morale and retention. Harvard Business Review research reported that diverse companies are 70% more likely to capture new markets, which, in turn, yields higher and stronger financial performance.

Finally, if you begin to work with people who are different to you – in terms of age, race, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and national origin – you will be creating a business that better reflects society. This gives rise to innovation: diverse teams are able to use their different backgrounds, life experiences and viewpoints to come up with more creative ideas and ways to solve problems.

At Shakespeare Martineau, our people and their individuality are what makes us who we are and enable our business to thrive. Our culture is built on recognising and celebrating our differences and individual strengths, learning about what makes us each unique and ensuring we can all be ourselves at work.

It is never too late to start being more inclusive and bring in positive change via a trusting culture. Perhaps some employers feel like they are too far behind and the fear of getting it wrong can stop them in their tracks. But as long as you are open to learning, willing to adapt and wanting to have those conversations, you’re in a good place to start reaping those commercial and wellbeing benefits.