Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is often discussed within business. But what exactly are its meanings?
DEI aims to encourage employees to be their authentic selves at work by fostering an atmosphere of equality that respects differences, as well as creating systems to equitably distribute resources among marginalized groups.
Diversity
Diversity refers to an awareness of all the various human characteristics that distinguish us. This includes recognizing differences such as race, sex, age, gender identity, socioeconomic status, religion, physical ability and sexual orientation among others. Diversity efforts should also include drawing attention to other defining elements about each individual such as their culture, education and experiences.
Diversity encompasses not only race and ethnic differences, but all aspects that distinguish people from one another – including cultural background. Diversity includes the various ways people may differ such as (but not limited to):
Inclusion is the realization that, regardless of our differences, all contributions to the workplace are valued equally and significant. Its goal is to enable individuals from diverse backgrounds to fully participate in all processes and functions within an organization, including decision-making. Furthermore, inclusion refers to creating spaces which foster an inclusive culture.
Companies need a clear understanding of diversity and inclusion (DEI) within their context in order to be effective and productive. Businesses that uphold an authentic ideal of DEI in the workplace and actively support its implementation can create environments which foster stronger psychosocial cohesion and productivity.
Companies that fail to prioritize DEI goals are likely to experience difficulty creating an environment in which all employees feel valued, safe and supported; consequently this could have an adverse impact on talent acquisition and retention and thus impacting their bottom line.
Although it’s essential to recognize the differences among diversity, equity and inclusion concepts, it’s also crucial that businesses recognize how these ideas come together to drive business success. A company could have an increasingly diverse workforce with employees from varying abilities if those employees weren’t included in business strategy and initiatives – this phenomenon is known as “tokenism” – something all companies should strive to avoid.
Equity
Diversity and inclusion are integral parts of a company culture, serving to ensure all employees feel as though they belong. While diversity refers to the number of people within any given group (such as gender, race/ethnicity/sexual orientation/religion/age/national origin/socioeconomic status etc), equity looks at providing them with resources necessary for them to flourish.
Although having a diverse workforce is beneficial, its value diminishes if employees feel excluded and unsupported in their jobs. If women retain lower retention rates than men it indicates a company isn’t providing equal levels of support to female employees – something which could be addressed through more training programs for female employees as well as creating an atmosphere in which both genders feel safe expressing themselves at work.
Tracking the progress of an organization’s DEI initiatives is essential. This can be accomplished using objective measurements such as how many women hold leadership roles or the degree to which the workforce is diverse, or more subjective measures like employee engagement scores or satisfaction surveys. Technology such as Findem can make creating diversity dashboards simple allowing organizations to easily track how diverse their talent pool is real time so that if recruitment strategies aren’t yielding desired results they can adjust accordingly.
Indifference to diversity and inclusion initiatives often manifests itself when specific people are negatively impacted by discriminatory practices. These can take the form of hiring or promotion discrimination, inadequate policies that do not provide resources equally among employees, and unequal access to resources. It may also occur when one employee must take on more work than their colleagues as a result of being assigned more difficult projects or marginalization within the workforce.
One way that D&I initiatives may become inequitable is when companies appoint experienced diversity and inclusion leaders (commonly referred to as champions) who care deeply about the cause as part of their job responsibilities, but aren’t compensated accordingly. This situation creates inequity by forcing individuals to choose between fulfilling professional responsibilities and working on social justice work – two activities with no guarantee of reciprocity for one another.
Inclusion
Diversity refers to any difference among humans that exists on an individual or collective basis, including race, ethnicity, gender identity/expression/sexual orientation and more. Inclusion expands on diversity by making sure everyone feels welcome and valued within an environment; organizations must recognize the needs of diverse communities by developing programs designed to make them feel safe and supported.
Businesses seeking to foster an inclusive workplace must provide environments in which employees feel free to express themselves fully while supporting each other, regardless of cultural heritage or personal experiences. This may mean creating groups or spaces for employees to come together and celebrate their heritage, practice religion or spirituality and share aspects of themselves with one another. Additionally, it means making sure all employees have access to all the resources necessary for performing their duties successfully. Implementing policies to protect workers from discrimination and harassment. Training employees on creating psychologically safe work environments. Also providing tools or procedures which enable workers to speak out against non-inclusive behaviors or policies as well as demonstrate support for marginalized colleagues is part of inclusive workplace culture.
However, inclusion should not be confused with equality. Equality applies uniformly; equity takes into account that some groups have experienced oppression and attempts to rectify this imbalance through providing more opportunities for those historically marginalized groups.
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) present several obstacles in the workplace. Unconscious bias in job descriptions and interview questions may prevent qualified, diverse candidates from landing roles; hiring practices which do not consider someone’s disability status or veteran status can result in less representation at leadership positions; failing to establish an inclusive training program can relegate certain groups to entry-level roles.
As those with more privilege can struggle to recognize the need for DEI initiatives because they haven’t personally experienced how systems of oppression affect folx from marginalized groups, this may cause them to misinterpret its necessity and fail to take appropriate actions. That’s why it’s crucial that teams include DEI advocates from marginalized groups – their insight will provide feedback on your current initiatives and help foster a more inclusive culture.
Creating an Inclusive Culture
Organizations who invest in diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) create an environment in which employees feel free to be themselves every day – this includes gender identity, racial or ethnic background, religion, sexual orientation status and disability status differences between employees. DEI encourages organizations to embrace these differences to foster innovative solutions and find creative solutions.
Establishing a DEI culture takes commitment from all levels of an organization, beginning with leadership. Senior managers should set an example by modeling inclusivity and providing clear instructions for engaging in inclusive behaviors at work. Furthermore, training and development leaders must devise programs and courses which address issues of discrimination, harassment, and bias.
Step two is listening to employees to gain an accurate picture of how well your organization is creating an inclusive culture. This could involve one-on-one meetings and interviews, anonymous employee surveys or facilitated workshops; ensure all feedback is carefully considered and analyzed for trends; identify any issues which need addressing as soon as possible and ensure all voices – supportive or not – are heard and taken seriously.
Once your organization understands the concept of inclusiveness, the next step should be implementing its strategy. One effective method of doing so is ensuring your organizational structure, policies, and processes promote equality for all; using gender-neutral pronouns in all communications and documents; revising language to remove any sexist or racist references; providing training on using Conscious Style Guide as all excellent ways of creating an inclusive workplace.
Promote an inclusive culture by acknowledging and celebrating all employees’ differences through recognition, rewards and celebrations of cultural holidays and traditions. Focusing on these strategies will create a work environment in which employees feel supported and included – leading to higher engagement and productivity levels as well as creating a more equitable and just society.