Diversity and Inclusion at Videoslots

From our experience at Videoslots we can safely make one conclusion – one cannot debate the positive impact of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. As such, it is company policy to ensure the working environment is one where all, be they employees or visitors, are treated with respect. After all, according to Gartner inclusive teams improve team performance by up to 30% in high-diversity environments, such as those found at Videoslots. Strong diversity and inclusion practices also help businesses recruit talented employees, as PwC research shows over 80% of millennial workers name a company’s diversity and inclusion policy as an important factor when considering a job offer.

What is Diversity and Inclusion?

First of all, we think we should define what diversity and inclusion actually are. Diversity refers to political beliefs, race, culture, sexual orientation, religion, class and/or gender identity differences. In the case of the workplace, diversity means employees consisting of different individuals, each bringing new perspectives and backgrounds to the table. On the other hand, inclusion means everyone in the diverse mix feels they are involved, valued, respected, treated fairly and, in the end of the day, contributing to company culture. As a result, an inclusive company should empower all employees and recognise their individual talents.

It is important to think of diversity and inclusion as two sides of one whole, and without effort towards both, the workforce might feel unsupported and out of place. A diverse and inclusive environment, on the other hand, brings a sense of belonging, leading to smarter employees producing higher quality work. This can be seen in a study by the Harvard Business Review, who found a statistically significant relationship between diversity and innovation outcomes. In addition, the more dimensions of diversity are represented, the stronger the relationship, while the most diverse enterprises tend to be the most innovative.

How Does Videoslots Encourage Diversity and Inclusion?

Now you might wonder – what are we here at Videoslots doing in order to encourage further diversity and inclusion? At the moment, Videoslots has employees from 33 nationalities hailing from four continents. Most come from Europe, with the majority being Maltese (24%), Swedish (17%) and Italian (13%). That said, we also have colleagues from places as far away as India, Japan, South Korea and Colombia, not to mention African countries such as Nigeria and all sorts of places in between. Having employees from all over the world means multiple languages, and to that end Videoslots is actively recruiting a multi-lingual workforce.

Continuing with positivity also have an equal opportunities policy in place designed to foster a culture where every voice is heard and respective. This policy ensures all decisions relating to all matters pertaining to employees are made fairly and consistently, with equality of opportunity provided for all. This is particularly relevant when it comes to our training and development policy, which is set to ensure all employees have the potential to grow, both in their work and personality. To support this we have an anti-discrimination policy, confirming Videoslots’ commitment to provide a safe environment for all employees that is free of discrimination on any ground.

Videoslots also provides a range of training and development opportunities to all staff, with programmes relating to the enhancement of skills for the employee’s current position, programmes leading to professional or academic qualification, programmes with a specific management or supervisory focus or health and safety training. Employees can request training and development at any time through their line manager to the Chief People Officer, and line managers are encouraged to provide coaching and mentoring support for staff undergoing training and development. In addition, managers have a responsibility to ensure staff members share their skills and knowledge with more junior employees, ensuring learning occurs in a planned way. All decisions relating to training and development are made fairly and consistently, and equal opportunity will be provided for all staff in this area.

How Videoslots Deals with Harassment and Bullying

Attracting a more diverse workforce requires a company to, as they say, talk the talk and walk the walk. Videoslots has a zero-tolerance policy for any form of harassment and/or bullying in the workplace. The policy states the company will treat all such incidents seriously and promptly investigate all allegations of any type of harassment and bullying. After all, the victims of any kind of harassment may experience both emotional and physical stress, together with possibly negative changes in job performance. Every head of department, manager, team leader and employee are responsible to ensure harassment and bullying does not occur.

Maltese legislation emphasises that harassment is an intolerable violation of the dignity of workers. This legislation also takes into account the negative effects of any kind of harassment on the work environment and the general well-being of employees, and upholds the importance of developing and instituting policy measures “designed to create a climate at work in which all employees respect each other.” Videoslots encourages employees who feel they have been harassed and/or bullied to take immediate action by raising the issue with the person directly in order to resolve the issue by discussion.

If the behaviour continues or the employee feels unable to speak to the person directly, they are encouraged to contact their direct manager or HR department. The line manager will be able to explain the employee’s rights and responsibility under the appropriate Videoslots policy or procedures, while the HR department will investigate the complaint. In case the respondent or complainant does not agree to participate in the informal process or the informal process fails to resolve the dispute formal procedures will take place.

Under certain circumstances harassment and/or bullying can constitute a criminal offence. In this case, allegations of such nature will be reported to the police, and Videoslots retains responsibility to deal with such allegation even when the police are involved in order to determine appropriate action in the context of the workplace.

Diversity and Inclusion: A Conclusion

One has to admit that work in diversity and inclusion is an ongoing process, and no company should rest on its laurels when it comes to the implementation of suitable policies in this regard. After all, ensuring equality and inclusion means employees will have access to all required resources within an environment of contribution and collaboration for all.

Here at Videoslots we will always strive to be aware of what is required to uphold a healthy work environment that is both inclusive and diverse, all while using our resources to spread further awareness and educate our employees. A diverse workplace will benefit all employees, old and new, as we are sure you will be aware of as you join Videoslots!