This blog is part of a series that explores the results of a recent Hatch survey with a goal of gaining deeper insight into how people view the impact of employee inclusion on a business, its customers, and its employees. The full report, The Inclusive Change Index 2023, is available here.
The modern business landscape is ever-evolving, which is why innovation, collaboration, and continued productivity are essential for sustained success. As identified in The Inclusive Change Index 2023, a powerful driver that can unlock the full potential of all three is employee inclusion. The Inclusive Change Index 2023 is the output of a recently completed survey by Hatch to find out more about people’s view of the impact that an Inclusive Business Design approach can deliver.
Nearly all (98%) of the survey respondents agreed that businesses would benefit from involving employees in shaping their organisation’s future. Of them, 64% said that their business would see increased innovation and 61% believed there would be more collaboration, and half thought that their business would be more productive.
When employees are included, not only are more ideas brought into the mix, but the range of ideas is also increased. People with different perspectives will bring new and fresh thinking to the table, also bringing healthy disruption to the established way of doing things.
Inclusion means you get better solutions and outcomes because you are baking in powerful insights from right across your business early in the change lifecycle. Your employees know your customers and know your business. This means that their challenge is incorporated into the design of your change, rather than being discovered during the implementation. This greatly improves the ease and duration of the rollout, saving money through the lifecycle, reducing change fatigue, and greatly reducing the risk of failure.
Fostering a culture of innovation
Creating a collaborative environment which fuels engagement allows business knowledge from all levels to become a part of the solution. Accepting input and ideas from all levels within a business is beneficial because it fosters a culture of innovation and improves problem-solving, whilst driving up ownership.
Moreover, employees who feel included and valued are more likely to be motivated in the company’s success. Inclusive work environments promote a sense of belonging, where every employee feels respected and heard. This heightened engagement leads to increased productivity, as employees go the extra mile to contribute their best work.
One more thing: retention
Creating a workplace where employees have a voice not only attracts diverse talent, but also helps retain them. When employees feel included and see opportunities for growth and development, they are more likely to stay with the organisation.
By prioritising employee inclusion, businesses can tap into the full potential of their workforce, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration and productivity. As the report shows, this not only has benefits for the business, but also for its customers and employees.
If you’re interested in accessing the Inclusive Change Index 2023 to gain more insights, you can do so here.
