New research by Accenture (NYSE: ACN) reveals the benefits of workplace diversity, inclusion, and belonging in efforts to bridge the widening talent gap. This Accenture People Experience 2022 Study finds that leaders can unlock up to 5x more human potential by better managing peoples’ everyday work experiences. It gives a local South African perspective on what it means to belong in the workplace and its enormous potential benefits.“Creating an inclusive organisation must be at the top of the CEO’s agenda. If not, the talent gap will only continue to grow,” states Khethiwe Nkuna, Responsible Business Executive at Accenture Africa. “More so, leaders need to go beyond simply creating a diverse workforce by making inclusion and belonging part of their workplace transformation efforts. Unfortunately, many leaders are not fully cognisant of belonging,” she adds.
Accenture’s research defines belonging as manifesting across four categories: having influence over decisions, being respected by your peers and managers, feeling comfortable speaking up and receiving sponsorship from a senior leader who can help you advance and grow. “Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging are interrelated – one does not happen without the other. When the right people are at the table (Diversity) and have access to equitable experiences (Inclusion), all people will experience a culture of Belonging,” states Nkuna.
Leaders are encouraged to support people not only during moments that matter but also day to day. It means being curious about their unique situations and the external forces (such as economic inequality, racism and environmental disasters) that shape their work lives. In this way, they can ensure their people are Net Better Off (NBO) and thus foster a sense of belonging.
“Unfortunately, 1/3 of employees feel they don’t belong. The good news is by getting the traditional moments that matter right, leaders can drive up NBO scores by up to 3.2x. And when you get the day-to-day experiences right, you can increase NBO by up to 5x,” she says.
The research further reveals that the SA customer cares about NBO. Promoters of brands believe that the companies they shop with should leave them Net Better Off (NBO). 62% of Black customers in South Africa feel diverse representation within the companies they support is important, versus 63% of white and 47% of multi-ethnicity customers. Additionally, 65% of South African Promoters feel that diverse representation within their support companies is essential.
“We have seen that people in need of skilling, LGBTQ+, previously disadvantaged communities and women have the longest runway to an equitable work experience,” states Nkuna. “We need to start by managing everyday experiences better to unlock higher levels of human potential. Women have the most to gain with the opportunity to maximise their potential by 4.7x.”
Accenture suggests ten everyday experience levers that leaders must get right: Empowerment, Communication, Diversity, and being Customer-centric as the most essential four, followed by Skilling, Dependence, Governance, Technology, Self-Efficacy, and a Growth Mindset.
Belonging results from focusing on the four essential experience levers. Nkuna summarises these: “Give your people power by recognising that today’s workers need autonomy and agency over their outcomes. People who feel empowered and confident in their skills can make meaningful contributions and enjoy better well-being.
“Secondly, own where you are in the diversity and inclusion journey and implement actions to create equitable advancement pathways for all talent. On communication, the goal is to break down barriers between workers to engender a sense of connection, trust and transparency – tech-enabled engagement platforms can help build community among all workers, including in-office, hybrid and remote workers.
“Finally, a workforce with a customer-centric mindset will sustain this mentality within the company culture. Help workers see the human needs of those they are working to serve and reward customer-centric behaviours.”