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Elevate Magazine
February 26, 2024

Fostering Diversity and Inclusion in Remote Work

Fostering Diversity and Inclusion in Remote Work

61% of the workforce in New Zealand have a job that allows them to work from home, according to research conducted by InternetNZ. This seismic shift to remote work brings immense advantages to both the company and its people, such as decreased commuting costs, improved productivity, employee retention, enhanced mental health, and work-life balance. Maintaining diversity and inclusion, however, can be a serious challenge. 

The Value of Diversity in a Remote-First Organisation

Distributed teams, spanning across different geographic locations, bring together individuals with differences in nationalities and unique cultural norms, which can potentially lead to misunderstandings, communication barriers, and challenges in building rapport.

Acknowledging diversity within the team allows members to build stronger connections and develop a deeper understanding of each other. This not only promotes empathy and mutual respect but also helps in avoiding misunderstandings that may arise due to cultural boundaries. 

Embracing and celebrating diversity in remote teams also exposes members to varied approaches to thinking and encourages them to leverage their unique backgrounds and experiences to contribute positively towards shared goals.

Inclusion in a Remote Work Setup

Inclusion, on the other hand, refers to the creation of an environment where all individuals, regardless of their differences, feel valued, respected, and are given access to participate in the decision-making process, with their voices being heard and their opinions considered regardless of their position within the organisation. 

Additionally, an inclusive remote work environment encourages the promotion of opportunities for career growth and advancement. By providing employees with equal access to training programmes, networking tools, and professional development resources, companies can guarantee equitable opportunities for all team members to flourish.

Diversity and Inclusion in Remote Work

Promoting Workforce Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) for Remote Teams

Pay Attention to Your Employment Process.

When building a diverse talent pipeline, it is essential to pay attention to skills and competencies rather than solely relying on traditional qualifications. Focusing on capabilities and accomplishments during the recruitment process helps mitigate biases and brings opportunities for individuals from diverse backgrounds who may have acquired expertise through unconventional pathways.

Facilitating blind screening techniques to remove identifying information such as names, genders, disability, and age from resumes during the initial screening process, as well as conducting structured interviews with standardised questions and language to ensure consistency and fairness across all candidates, are also several key strategies to boost your company’s diversity and inclusion initiatives. 

Develop and Implement a Strict Workplace D&I System and Policy

Create a diversity and inclusion system and policy that can coexist with the company’s remote work policy. Below are key considerations to effectively create one: 

  • Evaluate whether your policies, such as flexible working hours or parental leave, cater to diverse backgrounds and individual needs effectively.
  • Ensure that your performance review systems and communication channels offer a fair and transparent framework. 
  • Make sure that your digital tools can be easily accessed by all individuals, regardless of their differences in abilities and knowledge of technology.
  • Establish practices that consider global time zone disparities and accommodate various communication styles within the team. 

Conduct Corporate Events.

Conducting online corporate events is another way to nurture harmony and a sense of community within the team. When planning for company events, it is important to take note of holidays or occasions, the availability of remote team members, event platforms to utilise, communication channels that will allow opportunities for feedback and questions, and the activities that would give employees the opportunity to virtually connect with each other during the event. 

Organising regular in-person meetings, if possible, is also a good approach. Face-to-face meetings allow team members to build stronger personal connections, foster trust, and develop rapport with one another. These also provide an opportunity to address conflicts or concerns more effectively, as they allow for open and honest discussions in a supportive environment.

Educate the Team About Diversity and Inclusion in the Virtual Workplace

Education is a powerful tool to introduce the significance and implications of diversity and inclusion at work. Some effective educational practices to promote D&I include the following: 

  • Arranging training sessions that tackle topics such as unconscious bias, cultural awareness, and effective communication. 
  • Promoting open dialogues on diversity and inclusion, which offers a platform for team members to exchange experiences and glean insights from one another.
  • Disseminating learning materials, such as articles, books, podcasts, or webinars on D&I.

Takeaway

Numerous ways are available to foster diversity and inclusion within a remote team. While these initiatives may require resources, time, and efforts from all team members, including those in leadership positions, the positive impact that D&I will have on team morale, productivity, employee engagement, and job satisfaction, makes them worthwhile endeavours.