How do you promote and manage cultural diversity in the workplace?

The professional environment unites employees of different nationalities, backgrounds, or cultures. This diverse workforce is a strength for companies, feeding into their CSR approach and generating productivity and innovation. Employment discrimination is detrimental to a company’s growth: Research shows that the most inclusive companies are found to be the most efficient. An effective diversity policy allows all employees to feel included, valued, and listened to. Interested in learning how to manage cultural diversity in your company? Here we provide you with an overview of the current context encouraging cultural diversity in the workplace, its benefits, as well as the key factors in a successful diversity policy.

 

What is cultural diversity in the workplace?

In the 2005 Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, UNESCO defines cultural diversity as “the manifold ways in which the cultures of groups and societies find expression”. According to this definition, cultural diversity in the workplace, therefore, translates into different ways of expressing beliefs and values in the professional field. A policy of cultural diversity in the workplace bases the company’s overall performance on the singularity of the profiles from which it is composed.

An inclusive company sees cultural diversity as an opportunity. It is not only a question of recruiting varied profiles, but also of ensuring that every employee has an equal experience, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, religion, or race. Inclusive businesses do their utmost to make sure that everybody is well-integrated. This means setting up positive interpersonal communications without language or cultural barriers.

European charters to encourage diversity in the workplace

Cultural diversity in the workplace is encouraged by multiple initiatives around the world. Following the adoption of the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity in 2001, the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development was created by the UN. This day honours cultures in their many forms, including in the professional environment.

Under the impetus of France, a pioneer in this field, 26 European countries have now established diversity charters. These support companies in implementing their diversity and inclusion policy. Today, 12,800 businesses have signed a diversity charter in Europe, which applies to 16 million workers.

For example, the French Charter contains 6 articles, whose content underlines the importance of the following measures:

• Educating directors and managers to spread knowledge about the subject;
• Encouraging people to apply the principle of non-discrimination;
• Support the representation of diversity in the company;
• Informing everyone about the company’s actions;
• Introducing the subject of the diversity policy into the social dialogue;
• Implementing measurement tools to assess progress in the field.

Why is cultural diversity in the workplace important?

Cultural diversity in the workplace is the core of the CSR approach (Corporate Social Responsibility). A policy of employee inclusion, whatever their culture, promotes everybody’s well-being. By responding to environmental and social issues, the CSR approach is a source of growth and wealth creation.

Beyond CSR, the benefits of cultural diversity in the workplace are plentiful for companies:

• The diversity of views, personal experiences, skills, and personalities can stimulate innovation;
• A team with a variety of profiles is more likely to see new perspectives and find creative solutions to problems;
• A confident employee who feels integrated and who finds their tasks meaningful is more productive;
• A company known for valuing cultural diversity attracts new talent;
• By opening up to different cultures, employees gain creativity;
• A business whose employees are open to multiculturalism can more easily grow on a global scale.

Actions to foster cultural diversity in the workplace

A policy promoting cultural diversity in the workplace requires both internal and external action. A communication campaign using the corporate website as a dissemination channel is an excellent way to educate the general public about the approach. Naturally, your cultural diversity promotion policy also affects job offers, encouraging the maximum number of profiles to apply.

Internally, it is important to foster team cohesion, which helps employees feel like they belong. You can develop relationships within work teams, whether they are in the same workplace or working remotely, by creating “rituals”. It’s also a good idea to arrange some team-building events to bring colleagues together and increase team spirit.

Lastly, you can encourage cultural diversity in the workplace by uniting over common values. While the company’s various professions and projects may hold meaning for employees, values are just as important. These ethical principles are part of the company’s identity and apply to all aspects of its activity. Companies must do everything possible to ensure that employees adhere to these values while fostering their own culture.

Involving the whole company in the cultural diversity policy

The cultural diversity of companies should be implemented as soon as employees are hired. The human resources department is therefore the first one to be involved in the cultural diversity in the workplace approach. Their hiring policy can favour unique profiles and build multicultural teams. HR must also support employees throughout their time in the company to ensure everybody gets equal access to training and internal development.

Lean on management to create an inclusive work environment and help avoid tensions that may arise from cultural differences. A manager can first act by adapting their methods to suit different profiles. Secondly, they should be able to analyse the relational dynamics of their team. This enables them to identify and defuse conflicts that might occur due to misunderstandings related to cultural differences. The inclusion process should extend to the company’s entire senior management. Management positions should therefore also be open to candidates with a diversity background.

Finally, the employees themselves are key players in the company’s cultural diversity policy. They must be informed of their company’s commitments so that they can adhere to them. Employees can

also be educated about cultural diversity to ensure they understand the concept. This helps them accept different practices and points of view better.

Take your company’s commitment to CSR one step further. We suggest you download our “Corporate Social Responsibility” white paper so you can discover the key stages in building your approach.