An organization that does not promote diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) may find it challenging to attract, hire and retain talented workers.
DEIB goals should be specific, measurable, attainable and time-bound to enable employees to relate directly to them. They also should reflect company values to help employees feel invested.
Belonging is one of DEIB’s four pillars and refers to feeling connected and appreciated in the workplace.
Inclusion
Inclusion refers to how companies help employees feel welcome, supported, respected, and valued for their differences. Although inclusion can sometimes be more intangible than diversity, as it often requires an internal shift of mindset and behavior that may take some time to implement, organizations that truly commit themselves to inclusion will invest the necessary time and resources in making it happen.
Differences may arise on many dimensions of identity, such as race/ethnicity, creed, color, sex, gender, age and sexual orientation. Socio-economic status also plays a part, along with language culture religion spirituality national origin military veteran status intellectual perspectives intellectual traditions perspectives associating preferences. Acknowledging and celebrating individual differences as well as eliminating any barriers preventing students or employees from fully realizing their potential is the foundation of inclusion.
Many workplaces are increasingly emphasizing diversity and inclusion (DEI) efforts as part of an effort to provide their employees with a better environment. DEI benefits can be seen throughout an organization from recruiting to retention to customer service and innovation.
Though these gains have been made, much remains to be done. Vast disparities still exist among racial/ethnic groups and have serious ramifications on quality of life and opportunity for all. This impacts education, healthcare access, income security, food security, housing and broadband connectivity to name just some examples. A person’s skin tone or ethnicity is an accurate predictor of their life outcomes.
Although most people support DEI efforts, workplaces aren’t doing enough to give employees equal chances for career success. A recent McKinsey survey discovered that only 61% of employees with access to a DEI program believe their employer is making sufficient efforts in supporting its diverse workforce.
Companies fail to properly grasp the differences among diversity, inclusion and belonging. Companies tend to misunderstand them and treat them as synonymous terms when in reality each concept serves a distinct function: diversity refers to the number of groups represented within an organization; inclusion means each member feels valued while their differences are respected; while belonging is the sense of attachment within a community.
Equity
Beginners in the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) field may feel intimidated by all of the language that surrounds you when entering this field for the first time. There are numerous terms used by professionals when discussing DEI work that seem similar but actually have very distinct meanings – here is a breakdown of key terms to help guide the conversation surrounding DEI.
Diversity should be at the center of business thinking. It refers to all forms of human difference – racial/ethnic origin, gender identity and sexual orientation differences, disability statuses, socioeconomic status and religious beliefs being among them. Diversity can be harnessed for business growth if businesses recognize its power within their workforces and communities.
Diversity enhances any community and its member, which celebrates differences while appreciating each person’s differences. Studies have proven that companies which embrace diversity and inclusion are more successful, and that employees of diverse backgrounds tend to be happier in the workplace.
DEI (Diversity, Equality and Inclusion) is a framework for creating an environment in which all individuals can flourish regardless of background or identity. It incorporates equality and inclusion principles by developing a system which allocates resources evenly while taking individual circumstances into account and offering advancement based on merit instead of demographics.
Equity is central to creating an inclusive workplace; without it, diversity without purpose would simply increase. An equitable workplace identifies and eliminates barriers to success – such as lack of access or feeling unappreciated for one’s efforts – in order to foster success for everyone in its workplace community.
Once your organization has developed clear definitions for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), they can begin creating their own strategy to meet DEI objectives. Remember that these definitions serve only as guidelines; over time they’ll need to be revised so they continue to meet business objectives. Involvement from both leaders and employees in DEI processes is vital if DEI processes are continuous and dynamic processes.
Belonging
People who feel excluded in their workplace environment are much less likely to engage and be productive, which makes it all the more essential that each member feels appreciated and can express themselves freely in the office environment.
DEIB stands for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging and refers to organizations’ work in helping people who don’t feel included at their workplace find connections among each other and find places for flourishing at their organizations.
Recognizing and understanding differences among individuals – be they race, sex, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability status or socioeconomic status – is crucial for creating an inclusive workplace environment and harnessing its creativity, innovation, problem-solving and decision-making potential.
For employees to feel connected with their workplace, it is crucial that they share its mission and vision. Employees must believe their work serves a greater purpose in making society more equitable – an effort which relies on leaders being open with regards to its wider impact.
An organization which is diverse and inclusive represents its population well, offering equal access to opportunities regardless of differences among its employees. Even so, employees may feel alienated at such organizations if the culture does not actively seek to embrace all types of individuals.
Organizational measures can also help increase feelings of belonging. Companies can ensure all employee benefits are distributed equitably and not favor one majority group over the others, and promote an environment which facilitates sharing personal stories.
Increased belonging is crucial for employee health and wellbeing, but particularly so for underrepresented employees in the workforce. According to estimates, over 70% of young workers who regret accepting job offers do so because they were not made to feel welcome by their employer. Prioritizing DEIB will allow all employees the chance to realize their full potential while contributing towards organizational success.
Leadership
Employees need to feel like they belong at work in order to feel accepted and thrive. This means being recognized and honored for who they are by management, seeing themselves represented throughout the organization and having all aspects of their culture honored. Inclusion also involves being allowed to flourish at work by sharing openly their perspectives while learning from each other and receiving support through challenging situations.
Leaders must commit themselves to diversity equity inclusion and belonging (DEIB). While stating their support of DEIB may seem easy enough, leaders need to put it into action by eliminating biases, practicing active listening skills, recognizing microaggressions as they occur, mitigating microaggressions effectively, and providing employees from underrepresented groups equal opportunity in hiring, compensation, promotion and development processes.
Measuring how well a company is doing when it comes to DEIB can be challenging, particularly if leadership doesn’t fully grasp what the term means. Employee surveys tend to only scratch the surface and don’t provide sufficient insight for real changes; however, there are certain key indicators which can be used as yardsticks of progress:
Diversity encompasses many characteristics that distinguish individuals, such as race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion socioeconomic status veteran status and worldviews.
Inclusion refers to practices which acknowledge and utilize individuals’ differences as resources for driving innovation, creativity, productivity and success.
Belonging: the feeling of connection and trust one feels from being valued as part of an organization’s mission, values and community.
Recruitment, retention and promotion of diverse employees are essential components of competitive success in today’s globalized marketplace. By adopting DEIB practices in their organization, companies can attract top talent while increasing productivity, customer insight and innovation as well as better meeting society’s ever-evolving needs.