“Because we don’t believe you can adequately think about what people worldwide actually need if you don’t have a diverse team providing insight from all perspectives, ensuring internal diversity is crucial for improving business performance, continued growth and success.”
I'm a Diversity and Inclusion champion - not only because it's a subject I teach but also from a personal perspective. As an openly gay man, I have had many experiences through my adult life where I have not felt able or comfortable to be myself, both in the workplace and in my life outside of work. I understand how that feels. I also understand that when you do apply that to the workplace it stifles productivity, creativity, collaboration and communication. Of course diversity and inclusion isn't only about sexual orientation - it applies to a very broad spectrum of characteristics and personality traits. It's ultimately about being feeling comfortable; people can only thrive at work if they are allowed to feel comfortable being themselves - that, of course, is an issue that falls to workplace culture and environment (and something that many organisations work hard to achieve).
It is therefore important to share the success stories, to talk more openly about the fact this is important (and also works in creating a more successful business). This article highlights how successful D&I has been for Fujitsu - I would encourage you to read it and share it with your teams. Spread the word - D&I really works!
