Diversity, equity and inclusion is an ever-evolving discussion. To ensure an informed conversation with your team members about these terms.
This glossary serves to assist in clarifying the definitions of Diversity, Inclusion and Equity. These terms each have specific definitions dependent on lived experience.
Diversity is the variety of people.
Diversity refers to the variety of people within a group or society. It encompasses differences in age, ethnicity, education background, family background gender identity religion sexual orientation among other characteristics; along with differences in abilities social values beliefs. Diversity can be used as an asset within organizations. It brings new ideas and perspectives into play that help improve performance while increase innovation – but it’s essential that organizations understand the difference between diversity and inclusion.
For instance, if your team is diverse but not inclusive, the lack of diversity will have an adverse impact on some groups more than others. They may not receive equal opportunities for advancement or be excluded from certain conversations resulting in feelings of injustice or unfairness for certain employees. Inclusivity involves more than simply hiring from diverse demographics – it involves cultivating an inclusive workplace culture which ensures everyone has equal access to decision making processes.
Your organization should reflect the diversity of the community it serves in order to best meet customers’ needs, attract talent that seeks an inclusive workplace and build stronger employee relationships and foster a more productive work environment.
Diversity, equity and inclusion is an ongoing journey that demands continuous improvements. It involves recognizing and eliminating biases or barriers that prevent individuals from being themselves at work; also challenging any assumptions that being different means being inferior.
As the first step toward creating an inclusive culture, identifying what distinguishes your team members is key to creating an inclusive environment. This may involve characteristics like age, assigned sex, culture, ethnicity, gender identity neurodiversity national origin race and sexual orientation among others that contribute to diversity such as religion educational background career experience social life etc.
Once your team has identified its diversity traits, the next step should be creating an action plan to address them. Begin by ensuring everyone understands the definitions of diversity, equity and inclusion before discussing how these terms can be applied in your work environment.
Equity is the fairness of outcomes.
Diversity encompasses different kinds of differences among people; equity refers to ensuring all individuals experience equal outcomes – this may involve fair access to opportunities and the equitable distribution of resources. Equality also involves addressing barriers that impede people from participating fully in an organization, for instance a shortage of resources could result in poor performance or even failure within its work context. Inclusion refers to providing people with the tools and support necessary to succeed, whether this involves adapting policies and procedures or identifying and countering unconscious biases that exist outside of an individual’s awareness.
When discussing diversity and inclusion, it’s essential that you define which terms you use and their relationships between each other. This will enable you to make more informed decisions regarding which programs, initiatives or activities your company should implement – for instance whether “Equity” should come before or after “Diversity,” or perhaps another word entirely is better; some organizations and consultants use acronym EDI which stands for Diversity Equity Inclusion.
Diversity refers to differences among employees that span race, sex, age, religion, gender identity and sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education level and workplace experience. Inclusion refers to processes and practices designed to ensure all employees feel valued, respected and supported; this involves how employees are treated by others as well as how much involvement they have in decisions that affect them.
An inclusive business must recognize that different groups of people face distinct issues and challenges that require individual care and consideration. Furthermore, their approach towards their employees has an enormous effect on motivation and retention levels; studies have indicated that companies with greater gender diversity in leadership positions enjoy increased productivity and profitability over those with less diversity.
Inclusion is the process of achieving equity.
Diversity can be achieved easily; however, without inclusion it becomes an isolated team of talented but disconnected players. The goal of diversity, equity and inclusion is to foster an environment in which every employee feels welcome and connected – companies that prioritize these objectives have an edge over competitors when recruiting top talent.
Many organizations are committed to diversity and inclusion; however, not all are actively committed to creating an effective diversity and inclusion culture. Companies that make an effort to foster inclusive practices and a culture of belonging will often see employees stay longer, which is good for business. Furthermore, people who feel connected with their company culture tend to perform at their optimal performance level at work.
In order to achieve true diversity and inclusion, organizations must address both challenges that limit as well as those that aid. Traditionally, organizations have attempted to meet this challenge from a programmatic viewpoint by offering training on implicit bias, employee affinity groups, and diversity councils advising departments. Though these efforts have some value, they fail to address systemic issues that leave marginalized persons feeling undervalued or neglected.
Focusing on equity should be your goal. This involves reviewing your company’s systems and processes through an equitable lens to uncover disparities resulting from historical oppression or injustice, then working to rectify them so as to give all individuals an equal chance at a favorable outcome.
Once you establish a strong equity framework, other aspects of DEI will fall into place organically. A focus on equity makes prioritizing diversity easier since more diverse perspectives will lead to improved products and services; similarly, having more diverse employees means better informed decision-making processes.
Establishing a culture of diversity and inclusion can be intimidating for leaders who are new to this idea, so it is crucial to remember there is no quick solution for the complex problems associated with DEI, while honest mistakes should be seen as opportunities to learn more about how you can promote inclusion within your organization.
Equity and inclusion are related.
Diversity in business can take many forms, from race and ethnicity to age, gender, sexual orientation, religion and socioeconomic status. Benefits of diversity include increased innovation, improved problem-solving capabilities and higher productivity levels. Diversity without inclusion isn’t enough; rather, people from diverse backgrounds and identities should feel safe and valued at work. This includes people who have historically been underrepresented due to a lack of opportunity or bias in hiring, pay, and promotion decisions; individuals may also be subject to microaggressions such as offensive language and actions which make them feel unsafe at their place of employment.
Companies can be diverse without being inclusive, which is why it’s vital that both aspects of D&I be addressed simultaneously. Diversity refers to how much variation there is within an employee pool while inclusivity measures whether those employees are making progress toward equity – for instance, even though a company might employ many women or people of color, its culture could still be distinct if these groups don’t receive adequate training or opportunities to succeed in the workplace.
Inclusivity refers to creating an environment in which all employees feel valued regardless of any differences that might exist between them. While this goal will take some time and work to accomplish, its importance for businesses who wish their employees to feel engaged in their jobs and trusting in making important life-affecting decisions is essential.
Many workers have encountered DEI initiatives at work, yet only six out of ten feel their company cares about them as individuals. Those who have had positive experiences with DEI programs report feeling more connected to their employers as well as more productive and satisfied in the workplace.
Implementing policies and practices designed to foster inclusion is central to the success of any business, and can help ensure all employees have equal access to opportunities for advancement and feel comfortable sharing their perspectives with peers. Doing this will foster increased collaboration and creativity while simultaneously decreasing unconscious bias risk in the workplace, leading to a more inclusive world.