Workplace culture is one of the key aspects of employer branding, as people want to work with companies with a positive outlook. It makes the current employees stick in the organization and attracts the best talent in the future.
Not surprisingly, small businesses are as culture-conscious as large enterprises these days. When it comes to defining a positive work culture, equity is one of the crucial elements companies shouldn’t miss out on.
But small business owners often go slack with this factor. Let us share some valuable insights to help you prioritize equity in your small business culture.
Highlight The Importance Of Equity
Creating an equitable workforce starts with highlighting the importance of equity to your management team. Small business owners and stakeholders often find it a new concept.
So you must go the extra mile to highlight its history and background. Collect data to present the need for the initiative so that you can secure buy-in and resources. Once you have the management on your side, the road ahead becomes smooth.
Differentiate Equity From Equality
This is where small business owners often go wrong because the two terms sound confusingly similar. You must have a clear view of equality vs equity, although both should be a part of your culture.
Equality means treating all employees in the organization the same by avoiding discrimination. Conversely, equity is about providing fair opportunities to employees according to their needs and aspirations.
You may have to provide additional support and resources to keep them on par with the others.
Evaluate And Enhance Your Practices
Once you know the basics, you must evaluate existing practices across your organization. Forming a representative committee of employees is a good start.
They can assess the current systems to determine where the company stands in terms of equity and identify areas for improvement. With this initiative, you know your gaps, so it is easy to rework areas like recruitment, training, engagement, promotion, and attrition to achieve your goals.
Focus On Wage Equity
Perhaps, the most crucial component to establishing equity is to cover wage gaps in your organization. You can level the playing field for employees by ensuring they get the same wages for the same jobs. Encourage transparent salary conversations to make employees comfortable about asking for hikes.
You can provide practical reasons for differences where they exist due to employee performance, development, and seniority. Being honest fosters trust between employers and employees.
Support Equitable Representation
Encouraging equity in your small business culture is also about supporting diversity in senior leadership for equitable representation.
All employees should have equal opportunities to reach senior leadership positions, regardless of their background, gender, and ethnicity. Simply speaking, you must support diverse employees for promotions on merit and performance instead of personal factors.
Driving equity in your small business culture is easier than you imagine. You can implement these simple measures to make them a part of your core work environment. Most importantly, cultivate the right mindset to build a sustainable initiative.
