At Zalaris, we’re reaffirming our commitment to IWD’s year-long “Balance for Better” campaign, designed to raise awareness, challenge bias, influence behavior and celebrate diverse achievements throughout 2019.
While Norway (where we’re based) ranks second in the World Economic Forum’s 2018 Global Gender Gap Report, there is certainly still work to do. The global gender gap hovers at around 68 percent, and no country on Earth has achieved parity. It will take continuous awareness, empathy and commitment everywhere to drive change and bring equality into our organizations.
Lest we forget, this is about much more than lip service. Diversity will be an advantage. Whether reengineering change management to play an integral role, advancing business analytics to identify organizational gaps, automating more administrative functions to enable strategic HR, or digitizing and enhancing the employee experience, your actions can turn D&I into a profound competitive edge.
Don’t assume what works elsewhere will automatically work at your company. Successful diversity and inclusion initiatives call for continuous cultivation — and critically, listening to and responding to the people within your organization. Why is D&I important to them? What does it mean to future success? How can you continue to push toward it? Create a structure where your employees are comfortable speaking out.
I’d like to take a page from that book to close out this blog. In the past month, we’ve been asking Zalaris employees worldwide how they feel about a balanced workplace. Here they are, in their own words:
“Diversity is essential because it helps us come up with better ideas and solutions by taking into consideration all the different viewpoints, educational backgrounds and experiences available to us. That’s how innovation happens.”
“A balanced workplace is one where employees feel safe and encouraged to be themselves — where differences are not only tolerated but celebrated!”
“A diverse company is not only a positive reflection of the company externally. It’s a sign of the value and strength of the company internally, united as one unit and one organization.”
“Leaders have an integral role in inclusion pursuits. They must be empathetic and listen and create an environment where employees are truly comfortable speaking out about issues that matter to them.”
“Diversity is important because it shows that knowledge matters most, above all else. I’m proud to be part of an organization that’s walking the talk.”
The global initiative pushes onward. There is still work to be done. To learn more about the #BalanceforBetter campaign, visit this link.