Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are an integral component of many organizations’ workplace cultures. When organizations prioritize DEI initiatives they often reap numerous advantages including improved recruitment efforts and an enhanced company brand image.
To fully reap the rewards of diversity and inclusion efforts, leaders need a deeper knowledge of its key terminology and definitions. Below are a few helpful definitions for some common phrases used in this field.
Diversity
Diversity refers to all the ways that individuals differ, such as age, ethnicity, gender, physical ability, religion, sexual orientation and neurodiversity. Diversity encompasses every facet that makes individuals unique; thus creating more inclusive work environments and providing innovative solutions to problems through diversity.
Studies have consistently demonstrated the superior performance of diverse teams over homogenous ones. This is likely due to their wide array of ideas and perspectives, which help them better understand how different customers or clients may view their products or services. Furthermore, diverse companies tend to be more flexible and adaptable – keeping the business competitive on the market.
Companies looking to foster more diverse workforces need the tools in place to track and measure their progress towards creating more diverse workplaces. This can include monitoring individual employee performance as well as entire departments or business units – for instance by monitoring percentage of women in leadership roles or proportion of male vs. female technical engineering jobs, for instance. When measuring performance it is also important to include various groups such as gender, race and disability status statuses when measuring progress.
Maintaining accurate records will enable managers to identify any issues requiring attention, while providing accurate reporting. Incorporating this data will also help to ensure everyone is treated equally regardless of background or ability; increasing employee retention and engagement, and creating a more positive work environment in turn.
When tracking Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) metrics, it’s essential to regularly gather employee feedback. This will give an indication of employee sentiment toward your efforts while also helping identify any unconscious biases that need addressing. Furthermore, prior to beginning data collection it is crucial that you review and update your privacy policies as this data represents individuals both internal and external to your company.
Equity
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) has become an area of increasing focus for many companies, yet its definitions and terminology continue to shift over time – particularly when words take on different meanings depending on an individual’s life experience. Employing clear, concise language helps prevent misinterpretations of key messages from the field.
DEI encompasses policies and practices designed to increase representation, opportunity, employment, and a sense of belonging for people from underrepresented groups in a company’s workforce. These groups may include those from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds, gender identities, religions, sexual orientations, physical abilities or any other aspect of an individual’s identity or life journey. It can also encompass cultural or social identities which make up one’s personal life story.
Diversity is often perceived as being positive. While that may be the case, it’s also essential to take into account its negative aspects – specifically discrimination and bias within companies – which may have an adverse impact on productivity as a whole. Such issues could arise either internally or externally and impact recruitment and retention efforts as well as decision-making capabilities and overall performance levels. A lack of diversity could potentially impede effective decision-making processes leading to poorer decision-making abilities or lessened performance overall.
No matter your motivations for creating an inclusive workplace, it’s essential that employees clearly understand its goals. Companies should communicate these goals to employees and celebrate any successes along the way so they feel engaged and invested in the DEI initiative.
Equity can often be confused with inclusion; however, it’s a distinct concept which refers to fair treatment of individuals in an often biased and imbalanced system. Equity seeks to break down any barriers to success due to differences between people, helping each person reach their fullest potential and achieve personal fulfillment.
An equitable work environment provides employees with a space in which they can bring all of themselves to their roles, where everyone feels welcome and accepted. A report by Gartner revealed that inclusive teams performed up to 30% better than non-inclusive ones. By prioritizing creating equitable workplace environments, organizations can ensure all their employees receive fair treatment while being provided with necessary resources for success in their roles.
Inclusion
Setting diversity and inclusion (DEI) goals in the workplace is vital to supporting employees from diverse identities while contributing to company performance. A 2015 McKinsey study revealed that companies with strong cultural diversity are 35% more likely to exceed revenue targets than those without such efforts in place; moreover, diversity leads to more productive and innovative workforces.
Inclusion refers to a process whereby all members of an organization feel valued, respected, and supported regardless of their differences or identities. It involves acknowledging differences as well as challenging systems of oppression within an organization. Contrast this with tokenism which refers to superficial invitations for marginalized groups to participate without providing them a platform to speak up and speak their mind freely.
An inclusive culture encourages employees to bring their authentic selves to work, such as expressing beliefs, religion, or sexual orientation freely and openly. This ensures a more engaged and productive workforce as employees feel part of an organization that values their contributions. Furthermore, inclusion may involve eliminating discriminatory language from job descriptions – for instance “woman-identified salesperson” might be more appealing than simply “salesperson.”
An environment of inclusivity can help mitigate the harmful effects of unconscious biases in the workplace. Unconscious biases are stereotypes held without awareness by an individual and lead to inappropriate actions toward certain groups based on factors like gender, race, ethnicity and education status.
Adopting an inclusive culture is key to attracting and retaining talent in today’s global marketplace. Furthermore, adopting this practice helps an organization build stronger brands while maintaining positive public images, as well as strengthening its license to operate by drawing in additional customers and government support.
Employees with a strong sense of belonging tend to be more committed and happy in the workplace, which increases productivity and morale. A culture of inclusion also reduces turnover rates by offering employees somewhere that shares their values and beliefs – keeping employees loyal for longer!
Belonging
Belonging is closely associated with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). It describes the sense of being welcomed and accepted into an environment by peers; an essential factor of an equitable and inclusive workplace that can increase performance, morale and job satisfaction.
Belonging is an emotional need that individuals strive to fulfill by joining groups – such as coworkers, family, friends or religion. Studies have revealed an uncanny correlation between belonging and feelings of well-being, employee engagement and organizational success.
Leaders looking to foster an inclusive workplace culture should implement policies that foster an open mindset. They could, for instance, encourage employees to use inclusive language and remove any sexist or discriminatory terms from job descriptions – taking this approach can attract diverse candidates while helping them reach their fullest potential within the office environment.
One way of creating a sense of belonging for all employees is through training and workshops that teach employees how to effectively interact with people from diverse backgrounds, as this makes everyone feel included and valued within the workforce – regardless of race, gender, age or viewpoints – creating a more welcoming and equitable work environment where all can perform at their peak performance levels.
Although many agree that belonging is key for high-performing and engaged workforces, research remains less clear as to how different theories of belonging interact and can be applied in practice. Furthermore, context can play an integral role in our sense of belonging.
Studies conducted by Yerkes-Murray indicate that individuals who work in diverse environments are more likely to report feeling included than their counterparts working in homogenous ones. Furthermore, those who experience belonging at work tend to be engaged and productive; their lack can result in employee disengagement and decreased workplace performance.