An inclusive diversity equity and inclusion statement can serve to demonstrate your company’s dedication to diversity, equality and inclusion values as well as promote its mission and goals in this regard.
Your DEI statement can provide evidence of your company’s dedication to these values by listing specific past and future actions such as research, teaching and service.
Statement of Commitment
A diversity statement should include multiple components. For instance, it could cover how an applicant has employed diverse teaching strategies into his or her courses or engaged with marginalized communities to advance research, scholarship and service activities. A candidate’s statement should also address future plans to advance inclusive excellence, diversity and equity in higher education. A good statement should not exceed two pages long and written in first person with specific examples to back up all points made throughout its text.
A company’s DEI statement should distinguish it from competitors by being aligned with its mission, vision, and values. Furthermore, it should make clear who the organization prioritizes or focuses on in its diversity efforts – employees, social communities or suppliers for example. This can be accomplished either using company-specific language like Spotify, LEGO Group and Nike have done or through specific focus areas (such as equality and inclusion for women) being clearly communicated within its identity.
Setting out specific, measurable goals and metrics for change in a diversity statement is of utmost importance, enabling companies to demonstrate publicly how far their diversity efforts have come while also creating long-term change within their organizational culture. Many companies include public-facing data such as how many leadership positions were held by women or information on pay gaps as part of their DEI statements in order to demonstrate transparency and accountability.
Final steps involve tailoring diversity statements specifically to each institution to which an application is submitted. Candidates should do their research about what programs already exist at that location, or, if none do exist, use their DEI statement as a framework for initiating new programming on campus or department. Likewise, candidates who wish to expand an established program must include how their contributions or expansion plans will benefit or add to it within their DEI statements.
Statement of Values
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is an integral component of workplace culture. Companies that embrace DEI will find it easier to attract talent, meet customer demands, and foster an environment which is both inviting and engaging for employees. To make the best use of these efforts, companies must clearly define their goals and values while making sure their statements are measurable in order to track progress more easily.
DEI encompasses three elements that work in concert: diversity, inclusion and equity. Diversity refers to how people differ from one another in terms of race, sex, ethnicity, gender, age, national origin religion disability sexual orientation etc. While inclusion involves accepting and celebrating these differences while giving employees a sense of belongingness while making sure their contributions are valued by employers.
Equity refers to providing fair treatment and access for all members of a community, which could involve equal access to resources and opportunities as well as identifying and eliminating barriers that prevent certain groups from fully participating. In a workplace setting this could mean eliminating biases when hiring or providing all employees equal chances for promotion.
Definition of these terms will enable an organization to set clear and measurable goals for its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, while developing and implementing effective strategies for reaching them – from creating an inclusive hiring pool to offering trainings on diversity equity and inclusion.
Statements of values regarding diversity equity and inclusion should be concise, easy-to-read statements that are tailored specifically for their company – this will prevent it from being overlooked or forgotten altogether. A strong diversity statement should also be both positive and empowering, helping an organization reach its full potential; fun features should encourage participation by employees as they support its goals; finally it should be measurable so the company can monitor its progress over time and make adjustments as needed.
Statement of Actions
Statement of action are designed to outline what actions a company is taking to promote diversity and inclusion, with the ultimate goal being a workplace culture in which all employees feel included, valued, and heard. This could involve offering trainings on unconscious bias and anti-oppressive practices or adopting an inclusive language policy as well as creating mentoring programs or community outreach initiatives which support diverse perspectives and values.
A strong statement of action will detail a company’s current efforts in this arena, acknowledging their ongoing journey. Being open about this information with interested parties allows them to see whether its goals are being accomplished in this space.
Companies often include an action plan with their statement of action to outline specific, measurable objectives to reach their stated goals. This is particularly relevant when seeking to increase diversity or boost diversity within leadership ranks – setting specific, time-bound goals is an effective way to hold yourself accountable and effect real change in your company.
One way a company can demonstrate its dedication to diversity and inclusion is by emphasizing its community involvement, such as participation in mentoring programs for underrepresented students or supporting local LGBTQA+ businesses. Furthermore, companies should highlight what work they are doing against systemic oppression – for instance by teaming up with an organization offering legal aid for victims of hate crimes, or adopting anti-racist pedagogy into teaching practices.
While there may be various approaches to writing a diversity, equity and inclusion statement for your company, what’s key is for it to reflect the culture and values of the business as well as connect clearly to its mission, vision and values – this way inspiring employees while drawing talent in.
Statement of Accountability
An effective diversity and inclusion statement will inspire your workforce and serve as a benchmark against which to measure progress. However, to create real change it must go beyond mere words alone.
Deliberate action must accompany their DEI statements in order to create sustainable change, so setting concrete goals will hold your company accountable in terms of employees, candidates and customers alike.
Making DEI statements as transparent as possible is of utmost importance, and one way to achieve this goal is by including concrete examples of your progress. For instance, if your goal is to hire more women or nonbinary employees as a percentage of total workforce hires, including this data will show potential hires that your company is committed to diversity and serious about making changes.
When asking applicants to write diversity statements, provide clear guidelines as to what must be included in them. For instance, certain universities require that candidates demonstrate how they will help advance the university’s commitment to “any person, any study and anywhere in the world.”
An increasingly common approach for hiring diverse faculty involves asking applicants about their past and future ambitions for fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within teaching, research, or service activities. Angelo State University requires applicants to outline how they would promote diversity by providing opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds to learn about cultures, beliefs, practices and how these experiences will contribute to creating inclusive classroom environments.
Veterans United Home Loans has done this successfully by placing their diversity and inclusion values prominently on their homepage, with respect for everyone as the central value. Furthermore, this page showcases their dedication to empowering employee voices with examples from employees as well as testimonials. Booz Allen Hamilton also includes their dedication to diversity advancement within an accessible location on their site – Booz Allen Hamilton provides their commitment statement that clearly states how their company plans on making this a reality.