Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies have become top priorities for many organizations and businesses, leading to improved business results such as higher productivity and strengthened employee relations.
At the outset, it’s beneficial for all stakeholders in your organization to define three terms that relate to this project. Have everyone write down what they understand by each term, then compare notes.
Definition of Diversity
Diversity refers to the presence and acceptance of differences across demographic categories such as race, gender, ancestry and ethnic origin, age, religious faith, sexual orientation, disability status, life and career paths, marital status, educational background socioeconomic status linguistic skills gender identity gender expression gender expression as well as more. Differences can also be understood through intersectality; that is when various aspects of an identity overlap or intersect – such as when Black women consider how her gender racial cultural and sexual identities overlap or intersect each other – giving her unique perspectives on these dynamics involving her gender, race racial cultural identities intersect with each other – for instance revealing how her gender, racial cultural and sexual identities interact.
Inclusivity refers to the practice of respecting and supporting all employees throughout their workplace experiences. The goal is to foster an atmosphere where all workers, including those from underrepresented populations in the workforce, feel welcomed into a welcoming workplace where they feel they belong and can succeed at their jobs.
Inclusive environments can be established with policies and practices like flexible working arrangements, mentorship programs, diversity education courses and anti-discrimination laws. An inclusive culture can also be fostered within a team through policies like welcoming diversity of ideas and perspectives in its ranks – research has demonstrated this can attract and retain top talent by making employees believe their employer values the different backgrounds and points of views within its workforce.
Diversity is vitally important for businesses. It brings new ideas and perspectives into an organization, helping it to expand and innovate while meeting customer needs across a wide spectrum. According to 2020 McKinsey research, businesses that place emphasis on diversity and inclusion outperformed those that didn’t.
Research indicates that developing a company culture centered around diversity and inclusion is vital for retaining top talent, as workers dissatisfied with their current employers are more likely to seek other job opportunities elsewhere. As 2019 is seeing more resignations due to COVID-19 pandemic infection, many workers have taken this as an opportunity to reevaluate what kind of workplace they would prefer in the future; pay, work-life balance, as well as environmental sustainability are often factors of consideration when selecting an employer. Younger employees in particular seem most concerned about these aspects when considering which employers they would work with in future – young workers seem particularly focused on this aspect when making this assessment process.
Definition of Equity
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) often creates confusion for newcomers to this field. With three separate concepts that come together to foster more inclusivity in society, understanding them may be difficult if you’re unfamiliar with DEI jargon used by practitioners involved with its implementation; many who participate use different terminology when discussing it which can further dilute your efforts to implement an DEI strategy without fully understanding each term involved in doing so.
Equal treatment versus equity differ in that equality doesn’t take into account external factors that could hinder someone from reaching success, while equity does. A simple example would be two people trying to reach the same piece of fruit from a tree; but one has more difficulty than expected climbing it – equality would dictate they both get equal amounts while equity may provide them with a ladder to reach it more easily.
Equity refers to ensuring that everyone, no matter their background or circumstances, has access to resources and opportunities necessary for them to flourish – this includes things such as education, employment and housing. At work this can manifest in programs offering mentorship or training for underrepresented groups in an attempt to help them overcome any obstacles that prevent them from realizing their full potential.
Inclusion means creating an environment in which all individuals can express themselves freely, including their differences, while being valued and respected for who they are. Furthermore, inclusion ensures that people feel like they belong at their company and that their contributions are recognized. Companies which prioritize diversity and equal employment opportunity outperform competitors through inclusion.
Reaching equity and inclusion in the workplace requires an in-depth understanding of employees from diverse demographic backgrounds, their needs and challenges, as well as an assessment of any external forces that hinder people from thriving at work. Although it’s a complex process, ensuring equitable inclusion can have profoundly beneficial results on quality of life for employees and their families alike.
Definition of Inclusion
When we think of inclusion, it means making sure that people from diverse identities and backgrounds feel valued, respected, and supported by both peers and leadership. This involves making sure all employees have an opportunity to voice their ideas freely while feeling like they belong – whether this means sharing full identities or unique talents in the workplace.
Inclusion differs from diversity by emphasizing practices that foster fair and equal treatment of all groups in an organization, including marginalised and minority populations. It involves looking into systems or barriers which inhibit certain people from having influence or power and redistributing those resources more evenly across an organisation.
As such, it is imperative that employers remain open to feedback regarding inclusion and DEI initiatives within their workplace. Make use of anonymous surveys, one-on-one meetings or focus groups to seek feedback from your employees regarding existing policies and practices – this way you will better understand their needs and ensure your DEI initiatives truly include everyone.
Note that inclusion is defined differently from its perception by employees. Our recent survey revealed that while most employees support diversity and inclusion initiatives, perception of inclusiveness varies dramatically between workers. Hourly employees and those in entry-level roles reported lower levels of inclusion compared with their salaried peers due to less experience with discrimination and oppression as more privileged people and therefore having difficulty understanding what true inclusion entails.
Keep in mind that inclusion is an ever-evolving concept, making it challenging to keep up with its ever-evolving definition. One effective strategy to stay ahead of this curve is engaging directly with marginalised communities themselves to leverage their knowledge and experiences on how more inclusive spaces can be created.
Definition of Equitable Design
DEI policies are becoming an increasing focus for businesses across various industries, as DEI initiatives seek to ensure equal opportunities, employment and a sense of belonging for people from diverse backgrounds in the workplace. DEI encompasses aspects such as age, race, ethnicity, gender sexual orientation religion culture and disability – everything needed for true human diversity!
DEI differs from equality in that it provides equal opportunity to everyone regardless of circumstance, while inclusion refers to creating an atmosphere in which all individuals flourish and feel like they belong. To promote equity, organizations must ensure impartiality within their procedures as well as change any organizational structures which have historically disadvantage certain groups (i.e. racial/ethnic minorities, women, LGBTQ+ individuals).
Camber Collective employs an equity-focused lens in their design work. This approach emphasizes empathy and an understanding that everyone has different needs; with products and processes made accessible for all. According to Camber Collective’s definition, equitable design refers to “an intentional design process which takes into account underrepresented communities’ perspectives, challenges and obstacles”.
Product development that embraces inclusivity provides enormous value to both customers and companies alike. It enhances brand image, strengthens customer loyalty, expands target markets and increases market penetration while simultaneously improving employee engagement, productivity and organizational innovation – yet many companies overlook its significance during product creation.
To achieve this goal, product developers must think holistically about who their users are and what motivates them. This involves considering physical, cultural, and emotional dimensions when creating products – this is what product inclusion means in practice.
As the individual business owner decides the role diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) plays in their organization, most workers–both men and women alike–say that DEI efforts are positive contributions for their companies; employees belonging to minority groups are twice as likely to express this sentiment.