If an organization is a puzzle, how could the picture possibly be completed if all the employees were the same piece?

Deloitte’s article on diversity and inclusion says “Diverse and inclusive teams outperform their peers. Companies with inclusive talent practices in hiring, promotion, development, leadership, and team management generate up to 30% higher revenue per employee and greater profitability than their competitors.” A diverse and inclusive environment not only accepts and acknowledges but also supports and encourages differences, empowers authenticity, and opens up opportunities for individuals to use their natural abilities and authentic selves to contribute to the success of the company.

After a year wherein we challenged ourselves to answer the question of how we could remain RELEVANT and RESPONSIVE to our client’s Human Resources needs, we turned to our workforce and created an “Innovation Taskforce” with the goal to develop meaningful and significant businesses. This taskforce was comprised of diverse employees from different departments who occupied different positions, had unique backgrounds; in short, each member brought something different to the table.

But it was not enough that we simply created task forces of diverse individuals, we also strove to be INCLUSIVE, which for us, means that we listened and valued each of their individual contributions.

In Q2 HR Solutions, we firmly believe that a diverse and inclusive organization also understands how to use each individual for the collective advantage. We do this by acknowledging, respecting, and valuing the skills and differences that each team member brings. We support each individual and take pro-active steps to put the Right Person in the Right Seat– or “RPRS”. By doing this, we also provide safe spaces for all members of the workforce to be their best selves, regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, and so on.

In Q2 HR Solutions, diversity and inclusion does not stop at lip service; we hire for it, develop it, and lead it – and it all came back to the Company. Because each person felt safe and heard, everyone showed up when we needed them the most. This is one of our strong points for survival. To summarize the benefits of diversity and inclusion:

FOSTERS INNOVATION.

Because you have talent that come from various backgrounds and have different perspectives, you have an opportunity to get the best ideas on the table. Just like the innovation taskforce that we created out of hope, organizations who use diversity to their advantage can enjoy the benefits of always staying relevant and ahead of competitors.

BEST SOLUTIONS.

They say two heads are better than one; well, at Q2, we have hundreds of heads contributing to find solutions – and this is certainly better than one or two vacuums of knowledge and ideas. With more people bringing in different perspectives and views, the organization comes up with more and more realistic bottom-up solutions that have proven to be effective even during times of crisis. There is simply a greater chance for success!

INCREASES PRODUCTIVITY.

The diversity of talent equates to a wider range of skills that can be utilized. If used properly, this becomes a benefit especially if employees’ strengths and abilities are maximized. People who share and apply their strengths almost always results to getting more work done with less headcount. That is good for business and at the same time, employees are engaged because of the work challenges.