Diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) goals are crucially important for businesses because they demonstrate to employees and consumers alike that the business appreciates all aspects of diversity and is inclusive for everyone.
Companies looking to implement an Equal Employment and Inclusion agenda must first ensure they have all of the resources needed to implement their goals, such as training managers on inclusivity and creating policies that foster diversity.
Case Study Examples
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) provides companies with an essential tool for fostering fairness and equality within a workplace that often lacks diversity. DEI encompasses four separate concepts intertwined to form an inclusive company culture – improving morale, decision-making processes and even recruiting top talent! However, such initiatives may require careful consideration to ensure successful execution.
One of the first and most essential steps is identifying which demographics are underrepresented in your workforce and leadership team, including gender, race, sexual orientation and disability status. Furthermore, it’s also essential to assess whether your current work culture might be hindering these groups from fulfilling their potential.
Setting specific diversity-related goals is another essential element to achieve inclusive workplaces, such as setting a target for female representation in leadership positions or agreeing to hire certain percentage of underrepresented groups. A third step would be establishing a training program designed to address unconscious bias in the workplace.
Engaging employees in DEI initiatives is also key, whether that means creating employee resource groups or implementing mentoring programs. Furthermore, creating a safe space for discussions about sensitive subjects should also be prioritized. Finally, remember to listen and take your employees’ feedback seriously.
At the core of every successful DEI initiative is commitment from all employees within an organization. Leaders must set an example by leading by example and emphasizing its importance through sharing personal stories of vulnerability or personal experiences that demonstrate its impact, helping build trust between all employees.
As organizations recognize the benefits of diversity, equity and inclusion, they should take steps to foster an inclusive culture. They can do this through providing training courses, outlining clear career paths and supporting leadership development programs; engaging external stakeholders by partnering with diverse suppliers or participating in community initiatives; these efforts will result in stronger, more resilient businesses better equipped to face today’s dynamic world.
Microsoft
As a technology titan, Microsoft understands its responsibility to lead in terms of diversity and inclusion. They have made creating an inclusive culture a top priority, including training all employees on unconscious bias as well as an internal mentoring program to broaden perspectives and provide better opportunities.
Additionally, the company has set targets to ensure underrepresented groups are well represented in leadership positions and supports ERG involvement across all aspects of its operation. They emphasize building allies by encouraging employees to become self-aware about their biases and privilege, in addition to talking openly about experiences they’ve had and sharing stories.
McKinsey study shows the company’s efforts have paid off. Companies in the top quartile for DEI outperformed those in the bottom quartile by 36%; these organizations were better equipped to innovate, adapt to a rapidly changing customer base, and attract top talent.
Diversity is vital to a thriving business. Companies should strive to foster an environment in which all members feel welcome regardless of race, ethnicity, gender orientation, sexual orientation religion age location and disability status. By including diversity initiatives into company culture it will be possible to reach more customers while improving profitability.
One way companies can show they care about diversity and inclusion is by emphasizing its benefits in their marketing materials. This will build trust with prospective customers while showing that your company cares about making an impactful difference in society.
Companies can promote diversity and inclusion by prioritizing hiring practices that reflect them, for instance by prioritizing hiring from underrepresented groups while making sure the interview process is fair – this ensures all applicants receive equal chances to succeed.
Additionally, organizations should foster a flexible work environment so employees can become more productive. This will also allow them to hire more diverse candidates and foster an inclusive culture.
Unilever
Unilever, known for their Ben & Jerry’s and Dove soap products, has set ambitious goals to raise its internal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) standards and ensure external partners meet those benchmarks. Their DEI strategy focuses on three core areas:
The company aspires to pay its employees at least a living wage and allocate $2 billion each year towards third-party media businesses, agencies, and marketing suppliers owned and run by women or people of color. Furthermore, it hopes to increase female leaders across its global workforce as well as represent minorities more fully within leadership roles.
In response, the company established a dedicated diversity, equity and inclusion team which has led initiatives like creating a global gender board and recruiting D&I champions as well as working to raise awareness of unconscious bias while creating an atmosphere of empathy in its culture. Their efforts were recognized with inclusion on Working Mother magazine’s Best Companies for Working Moms list in 2018.
Unilever has taken steps to not only hire and retain diverse talent, but also increase women’s representation in its workforce at all levels of management. By 2021, Unilever reported that 36% of its employees are women; in senior management and higher, this number increased.
Unilever has also done much to support the LGBTQ community. In 2017, it established proUd as a voice for LGBTQI+ employees at Unilever and beyond, working to increase inclusion across industries by supporting diversity-focused organizations as well as creating a private Facebook group where its members can share their experiences.
To inspire employee buy-in of their diversity, equity, and inclusion mission, the company has instituted a new role – Chief Inclusion Officer — at senior vice president level. This role serves as “key component of the leadership team”, responsible for devising and executing an inclusive and equitable business vision strategy and working closely with both CEO and other senior executives on aligning it with wider business strategies.
Annie Jean-Baptiste of Google had long been thinking about ways to expand the perspective pool incorporated in product design and development processes, long before this phrase became fashionable. Now, she leads a team within Google focused on this mission – helping drive diversity forward within tech sectors worldwide.
Jean-Baptiste points out that companies that prioritize product diversity typically see more innovative products and a deeper understanding of their target audience, giving them an advantage in both market competition and attracting talent. “Having multiple cultures working on something usually results in something much more thoughtful and well-rounded,” according to McKinsey’s research.
But creating a more diverse and inclusive workplace takes time and requires leadership support. Furthermore, data collected during such initiatives should be tracked regularly in order to guide future efforts – for instance when hiring diverse applicants it’s essential that their skills and experiences are taken into consideration instead of culture fit criteria alone.
While progress towards greater diversity and inclusion has been slow in the tech industry, companies have made efforts to foster it. Unfortunately, initiatives may be hindered by hiring biases, lack of access to training/mentorship programs and exclusionary workplace cultures that restrict these efforts from succeeding fully.
Measuring and quantifying racial and gender equity within the technology industry presents another difficulty. According to one recent study, women and minorities remain significantly underrepresented.
As many experts agree, having a more diverse and inclusive workforce is good for business. According to research conducted, companies that implement more inclusive practices are better at adapting quickly to challenges faced in their business as well as meeting customer segment-specific requirements more quickly. Companies which prioritize diversity also tend to have happier employees leading to lower turnover and increased productivity – further solidifying its business value. When more employees opt to work for companies who recognize this effort it becomes evident that diversity makes good economic sense.