Being an inclusive company simply means not discriminating against a customer, vendor, employee or potential hire based on their gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religion or nationality. More so, it means that you support all your employees in whichever way they live their lives, and make sure your entire team does as well. When companies aren’t inclusive, it shows, and can easily be weaponized against them.
Do you know the cost of intolerance? It’s a high price.
Take a look at Pride month. In June 2019, there were ads online, on T.V. and in print of large corporations celebrating the month. They featured rainbow colored products, used same-sex couples and LGBTQ families and indivduals as models and crafted messaging that supported the LGBTQ community. According to a study done by CMI Community Marketing and Insights, 85% of those surveyed said that “corporations that support LGBTQ equality are more important than ever.”
85% is a HUGE number and cannot be ignored. The shift towards inclusivity and acceptance is very real, and as a business, you can’t afford to ignore it, or worse, buck against it.
In today’s quickly-changing market, companies can end as quickly as they began. One wrong move, and it won’t be the economy that takes you down, but your online audience. PR is no longer just in the hands of the media; social media users can take down the reputation of a business faster and more viciously than even the most well-researched news article can.
If you openly discriminate against an employee or potential hire, you could easily be recorded by a smartphone and then be featured on social media for the world to see. This kind of behavior spreads quickly, and even taken out of context, could still be shared thousands of times. It’s a risk you can’t afford to take.
Discrimination is bad for business, and embracing inclusivity can only lead to an improved workplace culture and a brand that has a compassionate point of view. To stay relevant with a market that is younger and more tolerant than the generation before them, your business must share their values. This means being inclusive; and when your business promotes the values in their marketing, the market will respond positively.