“If we’re going to build products for everybody on the planet, we’ve got to represent everybody on the planet and we’ve got to include everybody on the planet.” – Kathleen Hogan, Exec Vice President for HR, Microsoft
At Incremental Group, we pride ourselves on building diverse teams that are welcoming to all, regardless of background. As Glasgow celebrates Pride this weekend, Incremental’s Chief Executive Officer Neil Logan had some thoughts on diversity in the workplace.
For a long time, companies thought that it was enough to say nothing and not actively discriminate against candidates based on orientation, race, gender identity or disability status, however I understand that implicit acceptance is simply not enough. At Incremental, we work to ensure that we are overt in our desire to say to people “We would like you to be part of our team”. Our core values are carefully constructed to ensure that we build this attitude into our hiring, teams and business practices, however this does not mean that we cannot be challenged. We are very clear on the type of business we want to be, but we are always looking for new Incrementalists to join us with new perspectives who will help change us for the better.
It is easy to only hire people who look, think and act like you, but this does not build diverse teams, nor does it push the business to be better. By hiring a wide range of people from all backgrounds, we grow stronger. Diversity of thought means that if we are trying to solve problems, then we want as many different perspectives as possible, and diverse teams is the way to achieve this. By mirroring society, we are better able to deliver solutions to society.
I feel strongly that if more businesses made diversity a key priority, they would be in a better position in the market. Diversity is something that needs constant attention and focus but it is something that here at Incremental we understand is critical for success.
Incremental’s philosophy on diversity and inclusion runs deeper than just good business sense though – whilst we do achieve better results for our customers by building the best possible teams, it is also important to us, and to me personally, that we support our employees and hope that we have created an environment where they feel they can be open to be themselves. When welcoming a new Incrementalist to the team, we are looking for someone who delivers quality work, and we seek to provide a working environment where they can do this, free from discrimination or other barriers.
I hope that Incremental is a welcoming place to work for prospective employees. If you are interested in joining a flexible workplace that will support you, please view our Careers page for more information on our benefits and current vacancies.