Diversity Equity and Inclusion Statements serve two distinct functions. First, they demonstrate your dedication to creating a more inclusive workplace environment; and secondly they help develop an environment of inclusion.
A comprehensive diversity statement should include quantifiable inclusivity goals and accountability metrics, in addition to details about any current outreach initiatives and any tangible progress achieved so far.
Background
Universities and colleges increasingly ask candidates for diversity statements as part of their application materials. These statements provide you with an opportunity to reflect upon how you have contributed to advancing equity, inclusion and belonging in academic communities so far, as well as your hopes to continue this important work as faculty member. They also allow you to highlight your understanding of the relationship between your social identities – which you may refer to – and experiences related to diversity within classrooms, departments or disciplines.
An effective diversity statement can demonstrate your comprehension of multiple dimensions of identity such as race/ethnicity, gender, age, ability, sexual orientation and religion. Your statement should describe personal experiences associated with these identities that have helped form your values; these insights should serve as the basis of your commitment to diversity at your institution of choice and help define your actions and decisions related to it.
Even though some companies post DEI statements online that simply list activities, this is not the ideal approach to writing DEI statements. DEI statements must form part of their company’s mission and vision statements in order to truly set them apart from competitors; here is where companies can demonstrate they do more than talk a good game but follow through on actions taken as promised.
Girls Who Code uses its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion statement to emphasize its mission of “creating more diversity, equity and inclusion in computing.” Fostering an inclusive culture is central to its purpose. In contrast, Salesforce emphasizes promoting diversity by “engaging with our community collaboratively”, listening and learning from stakeholders of all kinds.
An effective DEI statement should highlight initiatives, programs, and policies that demonstrate how a company is striving towards its diversity goals. Any specific statistics that show progress made should also be listed; Salesforce for instance publishes both percentage of women in leadership roles as well as spending on diverse suppliers on its DEI statement page.
Personal Experiences
Many organizations require job applicants to submit a diversity statement as part of the application process, giving applicants an opportunity to reflect upon personal experiences that have shaped their approach to diversity, equity and inclusion as well as current scholarly research in this area.
Statements should highlight examples of your work with underrepresented groups, whether this occurs in a classroom setting, on campus, professional associations or through research projects. You should also discuss what plans to take moving forward – be that as simple as adding more inclusive practices into classroom instruction or more complex such as proposing programs dedicated to underrepresented populations.
Demonstrate your understanding of the complexity of diversity and inclusion by recognizing its obstacles. For instance, employees might struggle with lack of cultural competence – an understandable issue which should not be neglected but instead addressed openly and honestly so all parties involved understand potential obstacles they need to address together in order to meet business goals.
Also important in creating an DEI statement is showing how it will serve as a tool for success. This element shows how your company will leverage this statement to improve performance and foster more inclusive workplaces; for instance if hiring too few women or those identifying as non-binary candidates is an issue then having a diverse and inclusive statement in place could help draw in qualified applicants more readily.
Make your diversity statement as effective as possible by using straightforward language to deliver its message, including accessible graphics that illustrate key ideas. Finally, incorporate resources to enrich the DEI statement such as diversity reports or employee testimonials for maximum impact.
Contributions
Adidas states their mission is “Our aim is to ensure a level playing field for everyone regardless of background or ability.” This shows an understanding of diversity and inclusion issues while emphasizing how the company prioritizes its customers and communities. Furthermore, statistics can support such claims – for instance percentage of women in leadership positions or the amount spent with diverse suppliers can substantiate this statement.
Companies should post their DEI statements prominently on their websites or as standalone pages so employees and job candidates can easily locate them. This allows employers to show that their DEI issues are addressed on all levels within their organization and boost employee morale at once.
In accordance with UC’s academic personnel manual, faculty should articulate how their teaching, research and service aligns with its commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. For instance, this could include serving on committees that help diversify department curriculum or advising LGBT students.
Faculty candidates seeking DEI-related roles should outline future activities they would like to undertake in this area, whether through existing campus programs or community organizations to implement new initiatives. They might even wish to form programs promoting scientific concepts to girls or creating training courses on equitable and inclusive research methodologies for graduate students.
Sincerity should be at the core of every DEI statement written by faculty or candidates for DEI status. Avoid using buzzwords that appear artificial and condescending to readers; genuine statements will encourage others to make similar efforts, which should ultimately be the aim of such statements. It would also be helpful if committee members from different groups and levels took part in creating such statements to ensure as wide a spectrum of perspectives is represented as possible in its writing.
Future Vision
A diversity statement must showcase not only past efforts of your company but also plan for the future. Show what steps are being taken as an employer to foster inclusivity – for instance by recruiting from diverse pools or providing training on working with those living with disabilities. You might also include statistics that illustrate your current successes such as an overview of Employee Resource Groups or percentage of women leaders – this demonstrates to potential employees that you have a strategy in place for advancing gender equality for all.
An effective diversity statement can have multiple advantages for an organization, ranging from increased employee engagement to creating a more creative and innovative workforce. But creating an inclusive culture takes time and commitment – any pledges or promises made should be supported with tangible actions rather than being simply used as marketing gimmicks.
Legal-sounding language in your diversity statement may create the wrong impression to potential employees and could alienate potential hires. Your diversity statement should feel like it was written by real people who care about creating an inclusive workplace; to achieve this effect, involve various employees from across your workforce in writing it together – for instance by creating a committee which includes representative of all demographics of your workplace as members are invited to review its final draft statement before submission.
Your diversity statement should include a measurable action plan to track progress towards meeting its goals, such as specific hiring targets or eliminating unconscious biases, new training programs or setting diversity objectives for all aspects of business. Setting clear milestones helps hold teams accountable while giving them all of the resources they require for success.
An effective DEI statement can motivate and empower employees, driving change. However, each employee and leader must embrace this message daily in their work environments to foster an atmosphere where everyone feels appreciated for their unique talents and perspectives. By adopting an holistic approach to inclusivity companies can foster more productive environments where each member feels appreciated for contributing their special gifts and perspectives.