Diversity is integral to a company’s success, helping attract more talent and customers from diverse backgrounds and ultimately improving business results.
However, in order to truly reap the benefits of DEI, companies must commit themselves and take necessary actions. If your initiatives don’t yield desired results, consider reviewing them or revamping them accordingly.
Definitions
Lack of clarity surrounding diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) terms is often an obstacle to progress. This problem is compounded by changing meanings of these concepts among groups with slightly varying interpretations; yet while DEI itself continues to evolve over time, it remains important for companies to understand how each element contributes towards creating more inclusive workplace environments.
DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) is the process of increasing representation of underrepresented groups within an organization in all aspects, from management and decision-making roles to administrative duties. The overall aim is to foster an environment that allows everyone to be themselves; understanding diversity requires understanding what it means as well as the capacity to address an array of issues affecting individuals’ identities.
Diversity is an integral component of DEI, but alone won’t ensure everyone feels included. If someone can’t express their authentic selves at work, they may feel alienated and may consider leaving your organization altogether. True inclusion requires acknowledging differences among individuals while making sure that all are respected, valued, and supported equally.
Inclusion in the workplace includes making sure employees can participate in extra-office activities without fear of reprisal, which may be challenging but is key for creating an inclusive culture and employee retention, thus increasing profits and improving morale.
To be inclusive, a company must ensure it addresses all aspects of its business from recruitment to training programs, from workforce representation and employee empowerment to employee retention and career success.
One way to foster an inclusive workplace culture is encouraging employees to share their personal experiences. Doing this will allow them to form a more holistic view of the world while becoming more empathetic towards other people’s experiences and understand the way their actions can impact others.
Meaning
Diversity, equity and inclusion are frequently mentioned in the workplace as part of a larger discussion on creating more inclusive organizations. But this conversation can become complex quickly if one lacks an understanding of its context; similarly it is also important to distinguish these terms as related but have different goals.
Diversity refers to all of the ways people differ, from race and ethnicity to gender, sexual orientation, religion and socioeconomic status. Within a company setting, diversity refers to having people from various backgrounds represented in its workforce – an approach which fosters innovation by giving multiple points of view a voice.
Inclusion refers to the practice of making people feel welcome and wanted, regardless of their background or status. This may involve providing opportunities for everyone to participate in discussions and decision making processes or creating an environment which fosters safety and support. Inclusivity is critical to business success because it leads to higher productivity rates and retention rates.
Equity refers to ensuring everyone is treated fairly and has equal opportunities to succeed. This can be accomplished by addressing root causes of disparities and eliminating barriers that prevent individuals from reaching their full potential; for instance, someone having trouble reading small print or nearby objects should receive reading glasses in order to perform their job as effectively as someone without these difficulties.
As different definitions have different implications and impacts on organizations, it is critical that we make distinctions between them all. For example, prioritizing diversity over inclusion may lead to recruiting employees from all races and perspectives but is viewed by some as being “quick fix”. Focusing on inclusion may produce better long-term results.
Origins
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) has multiple meanings in its discussions; its language constantly changing can make discussing it challenging. People can have differing ideas and perspectives when discussing DEI topics; words often hold different connotations depending on your lived experiences; it’s crucial that everyone involved uses common terms so everyone involved understands what each other are discussing.
Beginning in the mid-1960s, DEI policies in the workplace began emerging due to social movements and legal changes. Early diversity training programs typically focused on race relations issues through workshops or questionnaires designed to help employees understand their own biases.
DEI goes beyond simply addressing race issues; rather, its goal is to equip underrepresented groups with the tools needed to participate fully in every aspect of society, including creating equitable distribution systems based on needs and circumstances; this means taking into account factors like gender identity and sexual orientation when allocating resources equitably – for instance when providing education or services.
Many companies are shifting from diversity to inclusion as an approach to business strategy, taking an all-inclusive approach that encompasses hiring, training and appreciating employees as well as their day-to-day experiences and level of satisfaction with their workplace environment. This may involve measuring microaggressions they experience as well as how closely their work environment reflects their culture.
There have been various debates regarding what terminology should be used when discussing diversity and inclusion efforts: is “Inclusion” best before “Diversity,” or should they switch places? Another option could be “Equity” before “Inclusion.” Ultimately, you need to determine what term best describes your organization’s efforts.
Focusing on diversity is certainly important, but creating an inclusive workplace culture that embraces all is equally essential to its success and employee engagement. A diverse workforce will ultimately prove more successful and engaged employees more productive; but for that to occur effectively the workplace culture must truly embrace all talent if not talented employees will find an outlet elsewhere to explore their passions.
Applications
Diversity can be beneficial to all parties involved in the workplace. It can help companies attract more qualified applicants while building stronger relationships with them; improve financial results; organizational and team performance; foster more innovative solutions and deliver increased customer insight; as well as foster better financial results and organizational performance. In an age when COVID-19 fears and the economy can cause worry, creating a workplace culture of inclusion has never been more crucial.
However, simply hiring more employees from different backgrounds won’t automatically lead to a more inclusive culture. Diversity isn’t an endpoint in itself – it requires active engagement from everyone in an organization, including leadership. When implementing a diversity equity and inclusion strategy, leaders must encourage employees to voice their thoughts freely in order to address any instances of oppression within the company.
Equity is often linked with diversity and inclusion, since its practices seek equal treatment and opportunity for all people, which means addressing inequalities and providing equal access to resources for everyone. Equity differs from equality by taking each person’s starting point into account.
An incomplete understanding of these terms can cause considerable confusion and misinterpretation, making meaningful change even harder to achieve. One effective way of understanding them is by looking around us in real life: discrimination and exclusion are everywhere – from physical barriers for disabled individuals to segregated neighborhoods – problems which affect us globally as well as locally.
As you design a DEI strategy, think carefully about which order best explains its words – does inclusion come first or after “exclusion?” Are we speaking about DEI, EDI or DIE? Once you understand these definitions and can create your own terminology.