The business world is a vast place that is filled with various sectors, industries and jobs. One very popular role people choose to follow in the corporate world is business administration. This essentially sees you looking after key administrative tasks in specific departments, such as finance or human resources, and can involve managing people as well. All this makes those working in business administration crucial to the successful operation of any modern company.
In addition to their day-to-day tasks, professionals in this field can play a key role in promoting a more inclusive, diverse workplace culture. Inclusivity is important because it ensures everyone who works at a company feels included, comfortable and valued.
Diverse workforces are also important because they ensure people from a range of backgrounds are employed and allow businesses to better represent society. In addition, employing people from a range of backgrounds can lead to greater insights and innovations.
Although we know why inclusivity and diversity are important, you may wonder how those working in business administration can impact them. How can people in these positions help create a more positive atmosphere at work?
Data analytics can prove useful
One very effective way that business administration professionals can promote diversity and inclusion in their workplace is through the use of data analytics. As the name implies, this involves taking sets of raw data and analyzing them for useful insights. By drawing out these insights, businesses are able to improve efficiency, customer service and employee productivity while reducing costs.
When it comes to diversity and inclusion in the workplace, data analysis can take information companies collect on their workforce and look to see how diverse or inclusive it is. Business administration professionals who are skilled in this work can dig deeper into data to help firms pinpoint cultures, genders or ethnicities that are not well represented. This enables them to find ways to rectify this moving ahead through actions such as inclusive recruitment strategies or efforts to engage workers to form under-represented communities.
If you are interested in working in this field, studying the affordable online MBA in data analytics from Walsh University is a good option. This course is 100% online and can see students graduating in as little as one year.
Set the example for others to follow
One of the best ways to create an inclusive, diverse workplace culture for those in business administration is to set the standard for others to follow. By becoming the change we want to see in the world, we can take concrete action to make it happen. This means that you can influence others to behave in a more diverse, inclusive manner at work by behaving this way yourself.
A positive example can be very powerful and can inspire colleagues to follow your lead. This should eventually see the whole culture at your workplace become more accepting of everyone, regardless of their particular circumstances. It should also see people start to value diversity in the workforce and take actions of their own to make it happen.
If you are a leader in business administration, for example, you could consider ways in which you could make your team more diverse and only speak about diversity in the workplace in a positive way to colleagues. In addition, you can always take care to make all aspects of working life as inclusive as possible for all team members, from ensuring there are ramps for disabled workers to use to being respectful of when people of certain religions may need a break to pray.
Challenge any toxic attitudes related to inclusion and diversity
In addition to setting a good example for those around you to follow, business administration professionals can help build a kinder workplace by challenging negative attitudes they come across. This may be from people you work with, staff you manage, or people from other departments you may hear talking in a toxic way about diversity.
It is important that negative attitudes in this area are challenged as this not only shows them to be false but also stops them from spreading. It should also see more positive attitudes emerge in their place and improve the overall culture in an organization.
This entails explaining why someone who might sneer at diversity or inclusion is wrong. By instead highlighting the benefits it can bring (from a kinder place to work to better collaboration or being able to source new product ideas from a diverse range of backgrounds), you are able to show not only the person in question but anyone else involved the truth. It can also help people from marginalized communities feel happier in their role and stay more productive at work.
Make sure to celebrate major holidays across all cultures
When it comes to promoting inclusivity in the workplace, another great tip for those in business administration is to celebrate the full range of major cultural holidays. This is important if you have colleagues from a certain culture who are enjoying a major holiday. By joining in with the celebrations, you can make them feel included and help make your office more diverse as a result. If you encourage other colleagues to join in, the effect is multiplied.
Even if you do not have people from that particular culture on your team or in your business, marking major holidays from various cultures is still worthwhile. This helps to create a more diverse atmosphere in general and sets the scene for when people from different cultures do join the business.
If you are a team leader or managing at an executive level in business administration, you could also think about giving people time off to enjoy their own major cultural holidays. This is an inclusive approach to take and helps make up for the time people get off for Christmas.
Seek out feedback to drive change
A really good approach that helps those in business administration roles foster a more inclusive, diverse environment is simply asking for feedback. While it is essential to include everyone across the whole workforce, the insights you gain from colleagues from diverse backgrounds can often prove most useful.
This is because they can give you a direct overview of what challenges they face at work in terms of inclusivity or how the business/team could help achieve greater diversity. They may also be able to pass on barriers to people from certain backgrounds joining a business or provide details on how the organizations efforts around diversity are viewed by their community.
Once this type of feedback is gained through anonymous surveys, business administration professionals can use it to drive greater efforts around an inclusive workplace culture.
Consider how safe spaces can help
If you work in business administration and are eager to promote a more positive, inclusive culture at work, safe spaces are worth considering. Even if you do not have the power to set them up yourself, it is something you can take to more senior levels and advocate for.
There is no doubt that the hallmark of any inclusive, diverse workspace is focusing on the comfort of staff from all backgrounds. This not only makes people feel included but also removes any barriers around people from certain communities joining the organization. This may entail setting up a prayer room for people of certain faiths or safe spaces where employees with mental issues can relax when needed. Spaces like these can also include areas that cater to marginalized groups in society who might be present in a workforce, such as transgender staff.
Diversity and inclusivity are huge in business
As society itself is gradually waking up to how important being inclusive is and what benefits diversity can offer, so has the corporate sector. This has seen many businesses in recent years focus their attention in these areas and make positive changes to their working culture. This is also something we have seen in entire sectors; STEM, for example, has been on a much-needed mission in recent years to become more inclusive overall.
Why have businesses finally started to push for real change in how they work and what they stand for? As noted above, much of it comes from shifting attitudes in society and what we demand from businesses now in terms of their culture.
In addition, a new generation of business leaders are emerging and are eager to find ways for their own firms to become more diverse or inclusive. It is also important to consider the immense work business administration professionals do in both areas and how vital they have been in changing attitudes in business from the inside.
Business administration professionals can be drivers of change
Working in business administration is not only an exciting and rewarding career choice but one that allows you to have a real impact on workplace culture. As a result, many people involved in this sector make great efforts to promote inclusivity and diversity where they work.
This not only is the right thing to do but also makes coming into work more enjoyable for everyone. If you have ever wondered just how those working in this field can foster the best workplace cultures, these steps are an excellent start.
