October is Global Diversity Awareness Month. So, this article revisits the topic of diversity in digital industries with a look at the huge benefits that can be gained by actively taking steps to make your business and hiring processes diverse, inclusive and equitable.

This month is a time to remember and celebrate the positive impact of diversity in culture on society as a whole. Diversity and inclusion are essential in business today as a healthy variety of people from different backgrounds and cultures provides us with the balance of voices and diversity of thought that we need.  

With a team of diverse employees, you will have access to more creativity and wider skill sets. Plus, more diverse ideas for solving business problems, which will help your company grow. Another incredible benefit of diversity in tech is simply having more talent to choose from.

Benefits of Diversity in Digital Businesses

The key skills and core functions of digital agencies are communication, creativity and making connections. This section will look at how all of these can be improved with greater diversity in the workplace. 

Innovation and Creativity

The greater the diversities represented in your workforce, the greater the scope for creative ideas and unique innovations. Having a working environment filled with employees of different backgrounds, experiences, knowledge and skills contributes to a bigger potential for new ideas. as. Plus, a diverse workforce can help all employees feel comfortable sharing ideas which should mean your business has a broad scope of ideas and reflections from society as a whole, giving you the benefit over those businesses operating with ‘one voice.’ 

Diversity in Digital Provides a Range of Skills

Any employee you hire has different skills that they can provide and help to enhance a business. By having an inclusive and diverse environment, you are allowing for a wider perspective and more ideas to be included in problem-solving and  development.

Better Understanding of Your Customers

Having a diverse and inclusive team will give you a better understanding of your audience and customers. the more diverse your employees, the more your business and promotions will reflect the diverse backgrounds of your intended target audience. As a business, this also presents a great opportunity for growth as the more you learn about different groups of people you might find a wider audience and be in a great position to target or tailor your marketing toward them. 

More Talent To Choose From

If the business encourages diversity and inclusion, then when it comes to finding new talent there is more to choose from. You can focus on the skills a person can bring and boost the growth of your business as you take on only the best talent. Remote working is another great assist here as accessibility and travel distance can be eliminated in a remote working environment. 

Increased Happiness Levels

A diverse and inclusive work environment will not only benefit your growth and your customers, but internally as well. Working in an environment that promotes diversity and inclusivity will make employees feel happier to be at work which will reflect on the work produced. 

How Can We Improve Diversity In Digital Businesses?

So, how can we continue improving diversity in digital industries? From a recruitment perspective there are lots of things you can do in your day-to day and hiring processes, try some of these to get you started:

• Embrace hiring people with an unconventional professional journey 
• Embrace hiring people after a career break
• Check your own biases – don’t pretend you don’t have them, we all do!
• Be flexible in your offering, i.e. flexible hours and remote offerings
• Leave the jargon and in-jokes out of job specs, write accessible, inclusive copy.

Diversity In Digital Has A Long Way To Go

Diversity in the workplace has been lauded as a huge benefit for businesses for decades. Aside from being a good business with equitable practices at its heart, there is no reason not to promote diversity. However, embracing these benefits requires more than just hiring processes and monthly meetings. There is a greater need to reshape structures and power dynamics. You can read more on this here.

For related content, you can check out these previous dotgap articles:

Is Digital Diverse Enough? Media Agencies Under Scrutiny

How To Improve Your Diversity For Clever Recruiting

Dotgap is an agency with a difference. We are a team made up of digital marketers and so we understand the roles and industry like no one else. Are you looking for your next challenge? Whether you are a candidate looking for work, or a client looking to fill your next vacancy, get in touch today.