Reflecting On The True Value Of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion At XANARA
Diversity, inclusivity, gender equality, equal opportunity, safety in the workplace, non-discrimination.
These words have seen a regressive growth pattern as they have disintegrated from being words of purpose and promise to attention-seeking buzzwords. Here we try to uncover the fog and restore its importance.
In their report Diversity Wins, McKinsey found that globally, gender and ethnic diversity and inclusivity in the workforce, whether in executive positions or board membership, is still behind the expected numbers by a significant margin. In fact, as per their statistics, only about 33% of the companies surveyed improved team diversity over a five-year period, while most have made either no progress or have gone backward.
The statistics on inclusivity are even worse. It is obviously not enough to just hire a diverse workforce or appoint a diverse executive team – the members so hired must also be able to make a real contribution to the growth of the organisation and be valued and appreciated for it. Making a diverse team just to check some boxes is equally unfulfilling for the employee and the employer. The Diversity Wins report finds, “For the three indicators of inclusion – equality, openness, and belonging – we found particularly high levels of negative sentiment about equality and fairness of opportunity. Negative sentiment about equality ranged from 63 to 80 percent across the industries analyzed. The work environment’s openness, which encompasses bias and discrimination, was also a significant concern—negative sentiment across industries ranged from 38 to 56 percent.”
What this effectively conveys is that even when the companies are pursuing the building of a diverse team in terms of gender, ethnicity, and culture, they are actually failing to provide equal opportunities and the feeling of belonging to their diverse workforce.
The reasons why diversity and inclusivity are still not embraced by global corporates may be many, and we may not be able to solve all, or any, of them. What we as an organisation have done, instead, is adopt a solution-based approach to the issues.
At Xanara, these “keywords” are converted into ground reality. We incorporate the spirit of each of these concepts right into the fabric of our work ethic. The most important one, of course, is to treat all members of our team equally. Irrespective of gender, colour, race, religion, ethnicity, or nationality. Each of our employees is not just told but made to feel like that they are valued and appreciated because of their contribution to the organisation and not because of a statistic. We value, and are proud of, our open work environment. Here every voice is heard and every opportunity fair.
Currently, the Xanara workforce is the dream team in terms of diversity. Men and women from different nationalities, ethnicities, religions work in a fascinating synergy that has become key to our global growth.
It requires round-the-clock dedication and determination on our part to develop a workforce that truly embraces the concepts of diversity and inclusivity, whether gender, ethnic, cultural, or religious. We, at Xanara, have consciously cultivated a work environment where each of our employees feels welcome and empowered. We continue to put our best efforts into being at our inclusive best by hiring, training, and retaining talent not just locally, but globally. As an organisation, Xanara ensures equal pay, a safe work environment, and a strict non-discriminatory policy in the workplace. We have created a truly inclusive work environment where each of our employees has the opportunity to contribute towards business growth. When they talk, we listen.
That is how we at Xanara have been able to consistently deliver a workplace experience that is open, safe, fulfilling, and productive – because, when our employees are not worried about facing unnecessary hurdles at work, they become even more efficient.
Our resolve to maintain a truly diverse and inclusive workforce has, no doubt, not been easy and at times required us to prioritise humanity over profits. But that is what we continue to aspire for, every single day. For us, it is always a good business decision to invest in the best resource an organisation can have – a strong workforce. And, we believe it has been a very smart investment indeed, as Xanara’s extensive portfolio of clients is spread out across the globe. To truly cater to the needs of our global clients, it is necessary to maintain diversity and inclusivity within our team.
It has been proved, time and again, that a global and diverse team can help a business grow to a whole new level, really fast. This is because they understand the nuances of doing business in the corner of the world to which they belong, much better than a person who is an outsider to that particular region. We, at Xanara, have benefited from it immensely. These practices have led to a better working environment and improved productivity.
Xanara takes pride in its diverse workforce and is confident that as an organisation it will continue to grow together, exponentially and proportionately, in the times to come!
About Xanara
Xanara is a private banking and wealth advisory focused on developing and implementing transparent and client-centric, financial solutions that are backed by expertise. We understand the weight of our solutions and act with the utmost care, resilience, and most importantly, integrity.