From Tech to Teaching: Benefits of a More Gender-Diverse Workplace

Despite the status quo in some industries where one gender dominates the makeup of the workforce, researchers find that gender diversity can increase productivity and effectiveness, says Taffi Dollar, gender strategist and co-pastor at World Changers International. Men and women bring different perspectives, experiences and tendencies to the workplace, and they can be utilized in complement to each other to improve a company’s general capacity. Diverse teams balance each other out to more effectively and consistently create quality products and sustain important relationships. One myth, she says, that can be debunked is that diversity lowers income. The opposite is true, with studies finding that men’s income actually rises when there’s greater inclusion of women in the workforce. Companies should lead with credentials, not fears, and treat everyone in the room equally. Recognize each individual contributor for the work they do and prioritize outcomes above all. Diversity also needs to be prioritized in recruitment efforts, investing in it from the leadership level down. Dollar explains that leaders need to actively work to promote internal collaboration across teams; hold team-building activities during which folks who perhaps naturally congregate in cliques get the chance to know other folks on the team, and educate employees regularly on the importance of diversity and why it’s so important to you as a leader.

Read the full article on thriveglobal.com.