Top Tips for Creating a more Diverse and Inclusive Culture within your Business

Here, I reflect on the IPG Conference where the Chair of the IPG Bridget Shine,  asked me to speak on a panel around what independent publishers can do to create a more diverse and inclusive culture in their businesses. I wrote this blog two years ago but still more needs to be done, so I thought I would re publish this on our own website to encourage more action!

I want to give you a really practical approach to Diversity & Inclusion for your businesses. So here are my top 10 tips!  

1. Collect all your diversity data so you have a starting point
2. Create a Inclusivity Policy & Strategy once you have identified areas of improvement
3. Take time to understand you bias and how they affect your behaviour ( click here to take a free test from Harvard University to uncover your own unconscious bias)  
4. When recruiting, make sure your interview panel is representative to challenge your bias (think about educational background, age, ethnicity) If you are a small business then perhaps ask a mentor to sit in
5. Internally create a safe space for your team and encourage a culture where we challenge non inclusive behaviour and all support inclusive behaviour
6. Trial blind recruitment – without spending any money you can do this by using Survey Monkey
7. Develop a mentoring scheme and consider reverse mentoring
8. Consider hiring an apprentice  or employing an intern
9. Create a Flexible Working Policy and provide flexible or agile working
10. Make sure Diversity and Inclusion is on your board’s agenda and in your company strategy so you revisit this every month, quarter, year

Follow these steps above and you will start to see a difference in your business for the better. Challenge everything you do to ensure it is inclusive.

The danger of doing nothing is that your business will start standing out for the wrong reasons. Publishing professionals moving jobs today are researching deeper into the mission and values of a business.

Diversity & Inclusion, sustainability, culture, flexibility and career development are all important to get right and for them to be genuine to be able to attract the BEST talent for your business.

This cannot be simply a box ticking exercise. So please do take this practical advice back to your business, perhaps appoint some D&I champions across the business who can help  ensure this is at the heart of your organisation.

I hope you have found this useful. For more advice or a confidential discussion about your D&I activities, please do get in touch with Suzy Astbury s.astbury@inspiredselection.com