Diversity is widely seen as beneficial, yet there can be different opinions regarding its achievement. To make DEI work successfully, leaders need to provide clear direction as to what DEI involves and its benefits.
Companies that prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion see an ROI on their investments; such as reduced turnover rates, improved performance and a more engaged workforce.
Definitions
Diversity refers to the presence of different social identity groups within an organization. It can include presence of different races, ethnicities, genders, ages, socioeconomic classes, physical abilities veteran status sexual orientation among many other characteristics. Diversity acknowledges the unique experiences and perspectives all individuals bring into the workplace.
Inclusion refers to the process of making people feel valued within a group or community, with the ultimate aim being equal treatment and equal opportunities to thrive for all members. Importantly, inclusion is more than simply making sure people from marginalized identities have access to resources; inclusion should mean reaping their full benefits too.
Diversity, equity and inclusion can be defined in many different ways; experts often refer to it in this analogy: Diversity is about inviting all attendees to an event; equity refers to who gets to dance at said event; inclusion is being welcomed as one guest by another guest at that party; regardless of its exact definitions it remains important that without inclusivity even organizations with high levels of diversity will fail.
At its core, a business’s level of diversity depends on how it treats its employees after hiring. Even if an organization hires equal numbers of men and women employees, for instance, diversity will still not be achieved if these workers do not feel valued within their roles; similarly with people of color, LGBT+ individuals, and others often overlooked by employers.
An inclusive company values and honors its employees’ differences while treating them with dignity and providing them with tools they need to be successful. This may mean providing training and support to address unconscious bias, creating safe spaces for discussions of difficult topics, and making sure employees know about their rights.
Utilizing a common vocabulary is an excellent way to get discussions around DEI underway. Ask your team members what each term means to them before developing working definitions for it all. For added effect, create a glossary of terms so as to keep the discussion going!
Meaning
Diversity, equity and inclusion are complex concepts with many facets. Due to a lack of common language for discussing them, various definitions have developed for these terms resulting in confusion which has hindered meaningful dialogue and progress within workplace environments. By understanding diversity and inclusion initiatives better, businesses can move forward more efficiently with their initiatives.
Diversity refers to any variation among demographic groups or individuals that distinguishes one group or person from another, such as race, sex, religion, education, work experience, socioeconomic status, culture, language lifestyle gender identity sexual orientation age etc.
Inclusion is the practice of creating environments in which individuals feel welcome and accepted by all, through measures like providing accommodations for people with disabilities, addressing unconscious biases, and creating an inclusive workplace culture where employees of all backgrounds feel they belong and their contributions are appreciated. Inclusion should be seen as part of an ongoing and intentional process which facilitates a truly diverse and inclusive work environment that values all perspectives equally.
Diversity and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace offers many advantages, from reduced employee turnover to improved profitability, productivity gains, and innovation fostering. Companies that prioritize DEI tend to produce higher-quality products and services that attract and retain customers while creating cutting edge solutions that separate themselves from competitors.
To meet their objectives, businesses need to understand the barriers preventing workers of various backgrounds from competing fairly in markets and industries, such as discrimination, oppression or other forms of exclusion. In order to address such issues, companies must establish policies promoting diversity and inclusion that help promote workers of diverse backgrounds competing fairly in these arenas.
Diversity and inclusion initiatives may require significant time and resources for their successful implementation, yet their efforts are worth their cost: Employees who feel appreciated by their employer are more likely to stay with them for an extended period, which reduces employee turnover rates while improving retention rates; furthermore, employees who feel included at work tend to be more productive and engaged at their jobs.
Examples
Diversity and Inclusion Statements (D&I Statements) are policies or practices designed to make all people from diverse backgrounds feel welcome at an organization, whether their differences span age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status and physical ability. When businesses commit to inclusion it acknowledges everyone has something important to offer while also acknowledging that each person possesses unique experiences that may prove invaluable when problem-solving and innovation.
Businesses must be inclusive to attract and retain employees. Employees prefer working for an organisation which values their input while respecting differences; those without diversity and inclusion policies risk creating hostile work environments where people feel unsafe expressing their views or being themselves, leading to high employee turnover rates and lower productivity levels. It is crucial that organisations establish and communicate an inclusion policy to all their staff.
As there are numerous examples of diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace, it’s often hard to spot examples of diversity, equity and inclusion in action. Some instances may be obvious such as hiring an inclusive workforce or being accessible for people with disabilities; other instances might include companies employing women or people of color to fill executive-level roles; further examples could include providing family-friendly benefits or offering flexible working arrangements for parents of young children.
Implementing inclusivity begins with creating a DEI statement on their website, detailing their organization’s position on various identity issues and how this relates to their mission. Furthermore, such statements can include data about diversity and inclusion initiatives implemented within their organization, such as Workday’s VIBE Index which serves as a great assessment of diversity and inclusion initiatives.
As part of an overall company DEI strategy, testimonials can also help build trust with employees or candidates and demonstrate the company’s dedication to its DEI goals. A short and succinct DEI statement like Adobe’s ‘Adobe for All’ slogan can serve as an excellent example.
Applications
Companies that support diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace will hire employees from different races, genders, ages, religions, sexual orientations and disabilities – along with having various educational backgrounds, skill sets and beliefs – which helps create a more innovative and productive work environment while giving customers an enhanced perspective. DEI companies benefit greatly from having this diversity within their employee base as it fosters innovation while better serving customers by giving them more rounded services.
Just having a diverse workforce is not enough to ensure everyone feels included and valued, however. In order to be truly inclusive, companies must take the time to understand any hurdles specific groups encounter and implement changes accordingly so as to provide equal opportunities for all. By doing this, they can remove any potential roadblocks to success or contributions in the workplace and maximize individual contributors.
For instance, if a group of employees are having difficulty getting along in the workplace, it could be because their differences are being overlooked or ignored by management. To address this problem, management should listen and respond by making appropriate changes; such as permitting informal social activities at work or altering how meetings are run.
Companies focused on DEI will find it much simpler to attract and retain employees as it demonstrates they care for their workers while giving people who were previously excluded from labor markets the chance to demonstrate their abilities – qualities all employees desire in an ideal workplace environment.
When it comes to DEI promotion, all leaders need to play an active role. Learning and Development (L&D) leaders play a particularly pivotal role, especially learning and development (L&D) leaders who can drive an inclusive culture by offering trainings aimed at empowering employees from underrepresented groups while creating clear career paths leading them into leadership positions. L&D leaders may also help remove any unconscious bias in their teams by encouraging employees to report any offensive comments or actions by encouraging employees.