Environment is incredibly important in any industry, but especially when it comes to personal health and caregiving. Focusing on things like inclusion can have incredibly positive outcomes, particularly when it comes to things like managing cultural differences and making tough medical decisions. Consider the following and then start a conversation in your workplace.  

Match Patient Diversity 

As Baby Boomers continue to age, more and more seniors will be seeking caregiving services at an alarming rate. During this time, it is important that patients see themselves reflected in the individuals who are providing them with care. By having a diverse workforce, you can help ensure that your staff will understand and be able to meet the unique needs of the seniors. This includes racial background, as well as religious, socioeconomic, political, etc. Having a wide range of staff represented will also reinforce inclusion and understanding across the facility. 

Better Decision Making 

Multiple studies have proven that teams that place an emphasis on inclusion and diversity tend to make better decisions. This means both coming to decisions as a group faster, and also that these decisions tend to see better results over time. Results were generally stronger the more inclusive the team was. This means that a group with gender, age, and geographic diversity was stronger than a group with just one diversity category, which was – in turn – stronger than a decision made by a single individual.  

Improved Company Culture 

It probably is not surprising that company culture and workplace morale are improved when management is more active and engaged. These are also factors that tend to be self-perpetuating. This means that, when employees see that the company prioritizes inclusion and respect of others’ opinions, they will start enforcing these same principles. If, on the other hand, employees see that these are not important tenants, they will not work to actively enforce these efforts. For this reason, it is critical that management teams invest in promoting inclusion and diversity in the workplace. 

One Thing to Be Aware Of

There are many benefits from having teams that are inclusive and representative of many different groups. Not only can this help represent your patients, but it also tends to result in better group decisions. However, keep in mind that inclusive groups may have more difficulty having their decisions implemented. This is something that needs to be considered from a procedural and management standpoint – doing so will help drive meaningful improvements realized by patients and staff alike.  

 

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash