The power of data and software for staff diversity
There’s a heavy emphasis on diversity and inclusion in modern business – and with good reasons. People from a range of groups have been systematically discriminated against in the business world for a number of decades, and the tide is finally turning. But did you know that it’s possible to use technology to ensure that people from ethnically diverse backgrounds, the LGBT community and more are adequately represented? Enhancing diversity within your organisation may not be the most obvious way to use data and software tools, but it’s certainly possible to do it. Here’s how.
Working out blind spots
It’s unlikely that many business leaders out there deliberately set out to discriminate against one group or another. But sadly, it can sometimes happen even if you’re not planning for it to. Take the gender pay gap: very few modern bosses have a deliberate and malicious plan in place to underpay women, but the figures show that 40% of the private companies that reported their gap in 2019 are seeing increases in the level of the disparity. This happens because of blind spots such as a failure to acknowledge the unconscious biases of hiring managers. With a data-powered software package in place, it’ll be simple to see exactly where these sorts of discrepancies are arising – and it’ll also be easier to make a decision about how to tackle them when they do arise.
Making HR’s life easier
Perhaps the most important department when it comes to business diversity is HR. This department is often responsible for both the policies around hiring and the actual hiring process itself – both of which are key moments at which discrimination can occur. Currently, HR departments often find themselves overworked – meaning that monitoring for discrimination and using data-fuelled tools to identify when it is occurring can often fall way down the priority list.
However, with a HR software solution in place, this doesn’t have to be the case. These packages can automate a lot of the time-sapping functions that HR staff find themselves responsible for, such as annual leave request processing. With so much new-found free time, HR teams can then invest the time needed into developing sensible, proportionate and fair employment policies that prevent discrimination from occurring.
Accessibility for all
Another way in which a good data and software solution can ensure that your business is diverse and inclusive is due to its accessibility benefits. For some team members, using fiddly software can be difficult, perhaps due to sight impairments or additional fine motor skill needs. By opting for a modern, crisp and user experience-friendly software package for financial management, for example, more people will be able to harness its benefits.
Data-based software packages might not be the first options that spring to mind when it comes to increasing diversity in the workplace. But as this article has shown, they’re actually highly effective weapons against discrimination.
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