A more diverse business. Great, but how?
Many employees regard a more diverse working environment as a positive thing. But it does not seem that easy to achieve. We asked Hassan Al Hilou for some concrete tips. The writer and keynote speaker also acts as a consultant for businesses that are working towards diversity & inclusive change.
Innovative and profitable
Although staff at first tend to feel more comfortable working with colleagues who have a similar cultural background, diverse teams have proven to be far more innovative and creative. American research suggests that such teams are also more focused on facts, and less likely to base their decisions on assumptions or judgements.
The World Economic Forum also stresses the advantages of diversity within companies. The greater the diversity, the more innovative and profitable businesses are. The melting pot of all these different experiences, backgrounds and cultures leads to a refreshing, more realistic view of reality.
A reflection of society
Our society may be diverse, but the business sector is anything but a reflection of society. The polarising politics that are on the rise across the world and the accompanying focus on negative reporting in the media do not help. And yet it is abundantly clear that a diverse staff body has a favourable impact on profits and efficiency.
“Did you know that Belgium is becoming 1% more diverse every year? In crèches, the proportion of children from a migrant background currently stands at 70%,” Hassan Al Hilou reports. “Employers who see this as an opportunity and think ahead will realise that these are their future staff and customers. Those employers will be the ones to win the war on talent.”
Sign a charter and breathe a sigh of relief?
It continues to be difficult for businesses to recruit people who don’t immediately ‘look like them’. And it is a fact that this is hard to do, because it is wired into the human psyche to behave in this way. But when companies recognise this pattern and adjust their employee experience, it is possible.
“Some companies sign a diversity charter and afterwards ask themselves why nothing has changed,” Al Hilou says. “I’m not a fan of those kinds of charters. They are empty words if a company doesn’t do anything concrete with them. Businesses need to take a critical look at the way they operate and make inclusivity an inherent part of their culture.”
Hassan Al Hilou cites the start-up scene as an example: it is chiefly comprised of middle-class entrepreneurs, young people who often have a starting budget or some kind of support at their disposal. Al Hilou: “Every entrepreneur knows that starters need friends, family & fools. But what if those friends and family don’t have a penny to rub together? What if they don’t have that middle-class network? As a company, you can choose to offer opportunities to people with the drive to do something and achieve something – and not just because of their background. Look around you, see the young people in your city, notice their potential and become the ‘fools & friends’ that they lack.”
Politically correct versus inclusive
Signing a diversity charter does not automatically mean that a company is on the right track. What’s more, initiatives like ‘diversity week’ do little more than create superficial awareness. At best, they signal a company is politically correct. What does have a genuine impact, are the actions a company undertakes.
“A diversity week is well intentioned, but is mostly window dressing for the benefit of the outside world,” Al Hilou argues. “Diversity doesn’t simply mean adding something to the existing system. It means creating a whole new system: an innovative, inclusive way of working. Look inwards as an organisation: what are you doing as an employer and how could this be further improved ? From the way in which you recruit new staff, to the decisions that are made, to the drinks you serve at your Friday drinks reception.”
Diversity pressure
Is it a good idea to ask existing staff with a diverse profile what their needs are? Hassan Al Hilou would not recommend it. “There is that whole phenomenon of diversity pressure,” he explains. “It refers to certain people from a minority background having absolutely no desire to become a spokesperson for that minority. They want to be seen as an individual and valued for themselves. They want to talk about their job content and their skills, not about their background, sexual orientation or gender.”
Clearly, the solution is not to have yet another chat-with-the minority-employee. So how does a managing director or manager set about creating an inclusive working environment? “Allow an outsider to look at your organisation with fresh eyes and identify what the needs are,” Al Hilou suggests. “I have personally experienced that suggestions are more readily accepted when they come from an objective outsider. Use this to map out what would make your business more inclusive. And afterwards, together with the external coach and your own employees, develop a roadmap that will bring about innovation.”
Job interviews and Friday drinks receptions: Hassan’s tips
Every day, Hassan Al Hilou coaches businesses that want to work towards being future-proof, inclusive organisations. He wrote the Dutch book ‘Stop met huilen, de kracht van diversiteit’ (Stop crying, the power of diversity) for them. It is a book he exclusively reserves for organisations he works with. Nevertheless, he is keen to share a few concrete tips that will break down barriers for employees of all stripes.
- Look for new talent in places where those talented people actually are. For example, proactively approach youth organisations, or connect with people through technology they use on a day-to-day basis. Why not accept applications via WhatsApp, for example?
- When conducting job interviews, always ensure that you have a diverse interview panel. A different view of a candidate can be enriching. What’s more, candidates will feel better understood and more relaxed if there is someone sitting in front of them with whom they can identify.
- Check your job adverts – and by extension all your business communication – and get rid of terminology that excludes certain groups. One simple example is: mother tongue: Dutch. Rephrase that to get rid of the word ‘mother’ and you’ll stop excluding people from a minority background at a stroke.
- After-work drinks or staff parties are great opportunities for cementing bonds or encouraging new ideas … at least they are for those who drink alcohol. Offer something more exciting than the standard fruit juice as your non-alcoholic option. Many staff would be only too pleased to sip on an alcohol-free cava or a delicious mocktail.
- Put people from a variety of backgrounds in key roles. Younger generations will look up to role models and identify with them.
Further reading
- Hassan recommends reading Erin Meyer’s interesting book ‘The Culture Map’.
- He penned his own personal story in ‘Ik ben Hassan, ondernemer van mijn eigen leven’ (I am Hassan, entrepreneur of my own life).
- Check out the non-profit organisation Capital, which Hassan set up to empower young Brussels based people.
