Workplace Diversity

For (super) small businesses and entrepreneurs

Diversity is a reality, inclusion is a choice*

We live in a diverse world - the evidence is all around - but how we choose to engage with that is up to us.

‘Diversity’ has become something of a business buzzword in the past few years but often without a clear definition of what this actually means. The word that is frequently associated with ‘diversity’ is ‘multicultural’ but again that lacks any real definition and tends to mean all things to all people. So let’s get specific - a diverse workplace means a company that hires a wide range of different people - gender, race, ethnicity, age, sexuality, education, social background and physical ability.

Put simply it is a place where everybody is a bit different.

It should go without saying that an inclusive workplace should also be a fair workplace but in many cases this isn’t true. Astonishingly, women taken as an entire employee group, are still paid 89p for every £1 their male counterparts are paid. That is 11p less per pound for exactly the same work. As you delve deeper into the stats you find that these pay-gap oddities only get more complicated - in 2018 Chinese ethnic groups earned 30.9% more than white British employees, whilst employees of Bangladeshi extraction earned 20.2% less than white British employees. The differential between what an ethnic Bangladeshi worker in the UK earns for doing the same role as their Chinese heritage counterparts literally boggles the mind and this is just one example.** Fortunately the pay gap is generally smaller for younger employees than older, which means we are heading in the right direction, but where is the value in a ‘diverse’ workplace if it remains chronically unfair?

Diversity and inclusion have to go hand in hand with fairness - which means equal pay, equal treatment and equal prospects for progression. Getting pregnant should not preclude you from getting a promotion.

Diversity - or lack thereof - is often a question of scale as it is far easier to spot a non-inclusive workforce when you have a high number of employees and conversely a larger workforce means more opportunities to diversify your talent pool.

How then, as small businesses and solo entrepreneurs, can we also make sure that we are flying the flag for a more inclusive workplace?

If you’re a small business with a small team, you may not be able to represent all sections of society, but you do have the opportunity to widen what your team looks like.

Take your recruitment in hand and make sure you aren’t selecting job applicants from the same pool you always do. If you find you aren’t getting a particularly diverse selection of candidates, think carefully about how you are attracting candidates in the first place. What does your community outreach look like and how are you speaking to people who don’t necessarily fit into your usual demographic of either employee or customer? How are you making your company more attractive to all comers? Do you offer flexible working hours, working from home or the option to celebrate the holidays of all faiths?

You may only have a handful of team members but as the owner of your business you are in a uniquely powerful position to craft who goes into that team.

Inclusive leadership is about having a progressive mindset accompanied by an action plan. Don’t wait for “diversity” to apply to your job openings - proactively reach out to encourage as many different people as possible to want to work for you.

If you’re a company of one person it does make it rather tricky to represent any sections of society other than you. You might represent a couple of different parts of the workforce but at the end of the day a single person business has limited means to put inclusive business practice into place.

I hear you.

But just because you don’t have employees, it doesn’t mean you don’t have a network that you could apply the same principles to. Look at who makes your business tick - your contacts, suppliers, contractors and helpers. Even your clients. You might not be able to be a diverse employer but you can always be a diverse thinking company. Get out of your echo chamber and speak to people with different opinions, backgrounds and views to your own and you will find a uniquely interesting web of ideas to inform your business strategy - even if it is still just you beavering away at your kitchen table.

Finally mentoring is a great way to make your working practices more inclusive. You may not have any openings on your team or you may be just-you, but if diversity and inclusion are meant to foster the opportunity for learning and development, then what could be more powerful than lending your time, experience and expertise to someone else?

Whether you have the opportunity to be an inclusive workforce or whether you are shaping your business to work with a more diverse group of partners - or both - there is no reason to wait for ‘the right opportunity’. Inclusion should be part of your company mindset as well as its day to day practices. Start talking about it, get your commitments up on your website and discuss them on your blog. Make it a cornerstone of what you do.

What are your thoughts on how we can encourage diversity within the small businesses and entrepreneurial community? I’d love to hear from you about your experiences and best practice suggestions.

Get in touch!

*Niamh O’Keeffe - Future Shaper: How Leaders Can Take Charge In An Uncertain World

**Office of National Statistics: Ethnicity Pay Gap report 2018, released July 2019