Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) uses many terms that may be unfamiliar and thus hinder meaningful progress.
Understanding what these terms mean is paramount when implementing a DEI framework, so this article aims to define key concepts so your team has a mutual understanding.
Diversity
Diversity refers to all human differences, such as age, gender, sex, religion, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, political affiliation, sexual orientation and native language. Diversity is at the heart of inclusion – it encourages acceptance, respect and multiple perspectives while contributing to equity by understanding individual needs and allocating resources evenly.
Diversity comes in many forms, each offering distinct advantages and drawbacks for organizations. Cultural diversity helps companies better understand and meet client needs; gender diversity assists recruitment processes. Gender equality should be prioritized within organizations – companies can do this by hiring women/nonbinary employees as well as offering gender-related training sessions for employees.
Ethnic diversity is another essential type of diversity, helping companies better understand client needs across different cultures and create a sense of belonging in the workplace as part of an effort towards inclusion. Yet creating such an inclusive work environment requires significant dedication from management.
Businesses should provide employee training on diversity and inclusion, making sure employees understand their own biases, while also identifying workers willing to serve as DEI champions – employees who care deeply about this work due to past experiences or simply wanting to become allies themselves. DEI champions may exist across departments but younger employees tend to fill this role more readily.
Culture of diversity and inclusion at a company can have a dramatic effect on its bottom line, from hiring and retention, productivity gains and customer relations improvements to outperformance compared to lesser focused competitors. According to one McKinsey study, companies that prioritize diversity outshone those that didn’t focus so strongly.
Diversity and inclusion success is fundamentally tied to its culture; for this to work effectively, clear goals must be established and efforts made to prioritize this work. Furthermore, dialogue must remain open so as to encourage employees who wish to learn about this topic to do so without feeling uncomfortable about becoming vulnerable while learning more about its topical implications.
Equity
Diversity, equity and inclusion are often discussed within diverse settings. Unfortunately, their meaning can differ significantly depending on one’s perspective, making it challenging for some individuals to comprehend or address these topics effectively. To aid discussion and foster understanding it may be useful to have definitions for each term being discussed.
Diversity refers to a wide variety of characteristics that distinguish one demographic from another, such as race, ethnicity, national origin, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, physical abilities and socioeconomic status. Diversity’s goal is to recognize and respect these differences as much as possible.
Inclusion refers to the practice of making all individuals feel welcomed and valued regardless of any individual differences they may possess. It involves celebrating diversity while providing equal opportunities and making sure all groups have equal representation when it comes to decision-making processes. It plays an integral part of creating an enriched workplace culture and contributing to higher levels of productivity.
Although diversity in the workplace is widely recognized, it’s essential to note that diversity alone doesn’t guarantee true equality. Racial equity is central to creating an inclusive environment and involves addressing differences among groups that experience discrimination or have less access to resources compared to others, and creating systems which distribute resources evenly between all groups.
At its core, this means eliminating biases that impact hiring decisions and microaggressions (which include negative statements or actions that reduce self-esteem). It’s essential to keep in mind that unconscious stereotypes play a big part in these forms of biases which affect individuals of all ages.
Companies that incorporate DEI into their culture can ensure everyone has an equal chance at succeeding, such as by adopting inclusive hiring practices, reducing unconscious biases, identifying microaggressions and mitigating them, creating an inclusive workplace atmosphere and welcoming workplace culture – and ultimately attract and retain top talent.
Inclusion
Diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEI) have quickly gained in recognition among corporate leaders and HR teams. Organizations are beginning to realize the power of DEI initiatives on morale, employee engagement and revenue growth. While DEI and inclusion may often be used interchangeably, they actually represent separate efforts; diversity efforts tend to focus on demographics such as gender, age, ethnicity, gender identity, location and religion while inclusion practices focus on making sure every individual can thrive within an organization.
Diversifying their workforce can help companies better respond to customer needs, enhance decision making processes, and broaden product appeal across diverse demographics. McKinsey research indicates that companies with more women on their executive boards are 35% more likely to experience above-average profits compared to companies without these female leaders in place. Having said this, having diverse employees alone won’t guarantee everyone feels included or can contribute fully – they must feel that all contributions are welcome and appreciated within an organization.
Inclusion refers to providing access to resources, creating environments in which everyone can thrive, and encouraging an attitude of acceptance. It means breaking down barriers that impede success for individuals or groups such as structural inequalities across race, religion, creed, color, sex, socioeconomic status education age culture sexual orientation gender identity military/veteran status or (dis)ability status. Furthermore, inclusion requires taking account of differences in experiences perspectives as well as power imbalances existing between relationships.
Leaders looking to foster an inclusive workplace must consider all aspects of its structure – policies, hiring and promotion practices, rewards systems and training programs among them – in order to create an ideal working environment. Leaders must also take time to recognize and address individual’s unique challenges so that all team members – regardless of background or experience level – feel supported at work. This will allow all of them to find success at their job while feeling valued by management.
Implementing inclusion can be challenging, yet essential to the success of a business. Aside from making sure all employees feel welcome and respected, leaders must also keep diversity at the forefront through conversations and trainings; furthermore they should recruit passionate mid-level influencers from various parts of their organization who can drive positive change within their company.
Impact
Diversity, equity and inclusion are three buzzwords often associated with efforts to make society more equitable. Understanding these terms is vital if you wish to create an inclusive workplace; however if they’re new to you they may seem daunting. This article aims to clarify them so you can gain a clearer picture of their meaning for you and how it applies in your business environment.
Inclusion means creating an environment in which everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed and feel like they belong within an organization. This may involve making sure employees from marginalized groups don’t face discrimination or exclusion; and offering training and workshops about diversity and inclusion for employees. A diverse workforce is beneficial because it enables organizations to leverage different ideas and perspectives that result in improved products and services for customers.
Diversity alone isn’t enough. Diversity may bring many positive benefits, but without appropriate structures and processes in place to support it, its positive effects won’t last. This means putting into place policies to address discrimination against minorities while making sure hiring or promotions processes do not disadvantage those from them.
Many people recognize the benefits of diversity for business, yet there are some misconceptions regarding its implementation. Some businesses assume they can achieve diversity simply by hiring more minorities; however, this approach disregards the fact that diversity should be seen as part of how an organization functions rather than as something separate to itself.
Businesses that invest in diversity and inclusion experience more satisfied employees, higher revenue and improved performance, greater brand value than their competitors and stronger consumer and public trust – leading more people to work for these organizations and resulting in more people choosing diverse teams as employers. A recent Deloitte study concluded that diverse teams made better decisions with higher shareholder returns, which is likely to continue as Generation Z and Millennial workers enter the workplace.