With technology's continuous advancement, the demand for top engineers also rises. Considering the number of companies looking for the best talents, it would be best to expand your lead pool through international hiring.
However, of course, know that if you want to form a diverse team, you also have to be inclusive. And this blog will help you with it. We'll discuss how you can foster an inclusive environment for your engineering team. Let's get started!
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Inclusivity: Definition and Importance
Inclusivity means creating an environment where people from various backgrounds feel accepted, respected, and valued. It promotes excellent collaboration and fosters a sense of belonging and mutual respect. This encourages team members to express their unique perspectives on a particular topic more comfortably. As a result, you improve your team's decisions and bring them to great possibilities.
All these aspects are crucial in an engineering team. Since they're exposed to many problems in software development, they will need different viewpoints to come up with better solutions. And only by being inclusive can you be able to know everyone's thoughts and ideas.
Let's take a look at some strategies to build an inclusive environment for your engineering team.
Ways to Foster Inclusive Environment:
Diversify
The first thing you want to do is diversify. Hire someone from a different age group, race, or maybe a different gender. Right now, there are barely 25% of women workers in the technology sector. And that's because misogyny is still present in the 20th century, especially in jobs that require technical skills. But if you start hiring women, you'll be surprised by how women's leadership can transform your business.
More than women, you may also consider hiring LGBTQIA+ people and even persons with disabilities. They can offer significant contributions to your engineering team the society often overlooks.
Incorporate Inclusivity in Your Company Guidelines
Having a section specifically for inclusivity in your company policy is a great place to start, especially if your business has had trouble with it in the past. This will be your guide to reaching your goals for inclusivity. And, of course, you have to track the key diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) metrics to know your progress in achieving genuine inclusion.
But what should your inclusivity policy look like? You may ask.
Well, it should include a commitment to creating an environment free of discrimination, treating all people with respect and dignity. Additionally, it should outline how you can provide everyone an equal opportunity in hiring, promotion, and professional development. Moreover, it should address any issues of harassment and discrimination.
Educate The Team
The next step would be educating the team. Ensure your engineering team is aware of cultural diversity and how bias may affect all aspects of the workplace. Develop a strategic diversity training program for them.
The subjects covered in diversity training will include self-identity, addressing conflicts, communication styles, etc. It is also best to concentrate on issues that are pertinent to your company and its employees. For instance, the unconscious bias that women software programmers are less technically adept.
Leaders must, of course, describe its purpose, the problems they aim to solve, and the steps the team will follow. That way, your staff will remain interested even if the training is optional.
Encourage Open-Communication
Creating an inclusive workplace isn't a walk in the park. It requires a lot of effort. You need to make sure that all your teammates are comfortable and safe in the environment you create for them.
Thus, you want to encourage open communication and seek feedback from them. That way, you'll have a clear overview of their thoughts and feelings about your inclusivity efforts. Moreover, you'll be able to address all their concerns properly. This will create a strong bond of trust and respect between you and your employees, which will ultimately benefit their work performance.
Recognize Good Work
Another way to make everyone feel included is by celebrating their small wins. For instance, when a team has finished developing an app, you can give the people part of it a quick shoutout. By recognizing good work, even by members with less-visible roles on the team, you're taking a big leap toward fostering an inclusive environment.
You want to have a dedicated channel where they can give an appreciation message to their teammates. Since you can't see their work from a bird's eye view, allow everyone on the team to share the people they appreciate at work.
Celebrate Cultural Differences
Finally, celebrating differences is the best way to foster an inclusive environment on diverse teams. You can take note of the events and holidays of a certain religion, race, and gender and celebrate them with everyone on the team. Besides that, you can also host a dedicated event where everyone can wear clothes and bring potlucks that best showcase their culture.
The Bottom Line
Now more than ever, inclusivity is critical in every organization. It can help improve quality, productivity, and job satisfaction, which all make the success of any business. Start prioritizing inclusivity now and follow our tips to make a great workplace for your engineering team.
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