Companies that prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion (DEIB) enjoy a distinct competitive edge; McKinsey research revealed that diverse organizations are 36% more profitable.
Setting measurable and attainable goals that align with your company values when setting DEIB initiatives is essential in order to ensure leadership team support for them.
Definitions
People often conflate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Understanding their unique definitions will enable your organization to foster a more welcoming culture while better comprehending DEI’s impact on business performance.
Diversity encompasses all of the ways humans differ, including but not limited to race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, language ability and age/disability. Inclusion refers to creating an inviting workplace where all employees feel they belong; providing employees with all resources needed for growth while making sure their voices are heard equally and taking steps against bias in the workplace.
Belonging is the latest element of DEI framework, and refers to the sense of affinity and positive relationships created when people from diverse backgrounds meet one another. This may include feeling safe enough to express yourself at work, knowing your ideas will be welcomed by your colleagues and being supported by your workplace team.
Many organizations prioritize diversity within their workplace for good reason, according to research conducted by McKinsey. Companies who prioritize diversity tend to outperform those that do not; this could be partially explained by having access to a larger talent pool that allows them to hire more candidates from varying backgrounds.
However, it’s essential that organizations recognize that diversity alone isn’t enough; in order to foster an environment which values equality and inclusion for their employees regardless of background, organizations must also remove any obstacles to opportunity and advancement; this includes addressing pay disparity disparities among employees as well as offering training and development opportunities as well as combatting systemic oppressions such as white supremacy.
One common misperception about equity is that its meaning equates with equality. But equity refers to distributing resources and opportunities according to each community or group’s specific needs, unlike equality which assumes all need equal amounts of resources; equity focuses on satisfying individual requirements by tailoring solutions accordingly.
Attributes
Organizations seeking to achieve diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within their workplace must consider all aspects of DEI in their efforts. DEI involves more than hiring different demographics – it encompasses policies, systems and even products being created. In order to create an environment in which everyone feels welcome and can contribute equally, companies should go beyond setting quotas to focus on creating an atmosphere which fosters interaction between those with diverse ideas, perspectives and values.
Diversity refers to all the characteristics that distinguish one demographic or individual from another — it could include age, race/ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education, marital status disability military/veteran status physical appearance language etc. Equity refers to treating individuals or groups equitably according to these attributes – when there are no structural inequalities which disproportionately disadvantage certain members over others and treat them accordingly.
Research indicates that having diverse teams can bring multiple perspectives that enable businesses to be more innovative, creative and better equipped to respond to changing customer needs. Furthermore, people who feel valued for who they are can lead to increased job satisfaction, productivity and performance at work.
Measuring DEI in companies can be challenging due to an absence of standardized measures. Most organizations rely on annual employee surveys as one way of doing this assessment; however, this method only scratches the surface and often produces unreliable data, as well as arriving too late for leadership to implement any meaningful change.
Measuring how effectively a company fosters belonging is also challenging, yet technology such as 15Five can assist by centralizing and automating candidate sourcing, screening, interview scheduling and tracking to give more insight into employee sentiment analysis. Furthermore, purpose-driven companies may utilize employee resource groups (ERGs) to facilitate conversations that provide safe spaces for their employees to share their experiences.
When it comes to DEI, there is no easy or quick fix; rather, the first step should be acknowledging that current system has been unfair and unjust to underrepresented communities and being willing to work towards a more equitable future. Following that step is creating a culture of respect and inclusion through addressing root causes which will eventually lead to a more prosperous and productive society.
Differences
Diversity Equity Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) should be at the core of every company’s workplace culture. Studies demonstrate that companies that incorporate DEIB practices into their culture enjoy an edge over rivals when it comes to innovation and problem-solving; yet many still struggle to meet their goals.
While diversity refers to the unique attributes that distinguish individuals, equity emphasizes providing fair treatment and access to resources for all employees in an equitable fashion. Furthermore, equity seeks to remove obstacles preventing underrepresented groups from fully participating in a company, for example through unconscious bias and other barriers which prevent women from reaching leadership roles or hiring diverse employees despite having gender diversity targets in place.
Inclusion refers to a state in which all members feel included within a team or organization, regardless of individual characteristics. This sense is fostered by adopting a cultural mindset that accepts differences and embraces them all as valuable perspectives. Policies and practices supporting inclusion such as flexible work arrangements, mentoring programs, employee resource groups and making an effort toward an inclusive work environment all help promote this feeling of inclusion in an organization or team.
Belonging is the feeling of acceptance and recognition by your coworkers, which is central to creating an enjoyable work experience. Harvard Business Review and Edelman research has found that feeling alone at work can lead to burnout, lower productivity and decreased job satisfaction – elements essential to employee engagement and job satisfaction. Employers should ensure all employees can bring all aspects of themselves – personality traits, values and interests – into work in order to foster this sense of belonging for all employees.
Managers need to be mindful of unconscious bias and other barriers to inclusion if they want their employees to feel included at work, including all-white teams for projects which could create feelings of exclusion from the work environment and lead to perceptions of discrimination or unfairness which could have legal and financial repercussions. Employees should be encouraged to explore new experiences and perspectives in order to thrive at work.
Belonging
Finding belonging is vital for happiness and health in the workplace or home environment, improving motivation, mental wellbeing and sense of self-control. But various factors can impact on how strongly one feels they belong; such as social connections, level of physical activity or beliefs about oneself and others.
Diversity, equity and inclusion are closely connected concepts and essential for building communities where people of different ages, races and backgrounds can live with dignity and respect. They help usher in an age when people recognize each other’s unique characteristics while accepting our differences – including gender identity, sexual orientation, nationality and religion – without judgment or prejudice.
Some groups of people may experience more difficulty than others in feeling like they belong, due to vast inequities between racial and ethnic groups in areas like income, education, healthcare access, food security, housing affordability and technology access. These inequalities have serious ramifications on life outcomes like length of life and quality of life for individuals, families, communities and entire nations.
Diverse workplaces are essential because they offer unique perspectives, ideas and opinions that can only benefit companies. A diverse workplace also helps prevent employees from getting bored or irritated working alongside similar types of people every day – thus the importance of developing an inclusion and diversity strategy that brings in people from various backgrounds while keeping them within the workforce.
Companies that hire people of various ages, races and ethnic identities but fail to ensure they feel valued can have difficulty maintaining diversity. Employees may leave when they feel they cannot express their perspectives and ideas or are being heard; as this causes friction within the work environment. Therefore DEI programs need to encompass every facet of business operation for optimal diversity management.