Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is an approach to business that encourages organizations to recruit from more diverse talent pools while decreasing employee turnover rates. DEI helps organizations build strong workplace cultures in which everyone feels welcome.
However, some businesses struggle to understand the difference between diversity, equity and inclusion.
Diversity
Diversity refers to all of the ways people differ, from gender, race and sexual orientation to ideas, values and experiences that shape each individual person’s identity. To fully comprehend diversity it is also important to examine how these differences intersect each other – this process is known as intersectionality and recognizes how some combinations of identities may have more of an effect than others on oppression and privilege.
Diversifying a workforce is vitally important in any workplace environment as this allows employees from various backgrounds and experiences to contribute their unique perspectives and bring fresh approaches and innovative solutions for problem solving and creative problem-solving. Furthermore, it helps companies reach more customers while staying more competitive within the marketplace.
Employees that lack diversity in the workplace may feel disenfranchised and less engaged with their work, leading to higher turnover rates and talent loss. Committed companies should establish robust strategies for diversity, equity and inclusion to avoid this scenario.
Though the benefits of employing a diverse workforce are abundantly clear, its implementation can prove a difficult challenge for companies. Integrating diversity can prove particularly challenging when attempting to deal with issues of discrimination and microaggression in the workplace.
One approach to address these problems is through diversity training programs. Such training sessions can assist employees in recognizing and challenging unconsciously held biases about other individuals; furthermore, such programs teach employees how to prevent microaggressions that create an inclusive workplace environment.
An effective way of incorporating diversity in the workplace is by cultivating an environment of belonging, where everyone feels welcomed and valued regardless of background or identity. Furthermore, equal growth opportunities must also be provided through equitable hiring and promotion practices.
Diversity’s purpose is to ensure all individuals can fully engage in society. Businesses can achieve this aim and foster an economic climate more vibrant and sustainable by adopting these strategies.
Equity
Equity refers to ensuring everyone has access to equal opportunities, rights and benefits without discrimination on any basis. It means ensuring that no group is excluded due to race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, political opinion, age national origin or social class. At work this means providing employees with fair chances at getting promoted or hired and treat fairly all while supporting those with disabilities who wish to participate fully in all aspects of business operations.
Diversity, equity and inclusion are interlocking principles within an organization that reinforce each other. Businesses that fail to implement all three elements will forego numerous advantages – studies show that those with greater gender and ethnic diversity in leadership generate 28% more revenue than their counterparts with lower diversity levels.
However, it’s essential to recognize that equality does not equate to inclusion. Many organizations conflate the two concepts when implementing diversity and equity initiatives; this can create problems within the workplace if only diversity initiatives are pursued without also considering inclusion efforts. If your company focuses on diversity but not inclusion efforts alone, employees could feel alienated and abandoned.
Key Point Two: Diversity and Inclusion Are Inextricably Intertwined To be successful, both must work in concert in order to be implemented successfully. Diversity without inclusion will create an toxic culture; similarly, inclusion without diversity could result in an insular workplace culture.
As someone new to diversity, equity, and inclusion it may be hard to understand what each term entails. Luckily there are resources available that can help define each concept more clearly.
One can find definitions and misconceptions surrounding diversity and equity online, along with information about each term’s application to your work environment. Once you understand their definitions, they can provide you with more in-depth understandings on their applications to you as a practitioner.
One of the best ways to understand diversity, equity and inclusion is by exploring its importance through real-life examples. You may recognize this issue anywhere – both globally and locally – such as physical roadblocks that prevent people with disabilities from accessing public transportation or biases that prevent women from speaking up during meetings. By identifying these problems you can contribute towards creating a more diverse and inclusive world.
Inclusion
As with any field, experts and activists in diversity equity inclusion (DEI) often employ specific terminology when discussing their work. If you’re new to DEI discussions, however, this can make the lingo difficult to interpret; thus it is vital that each term’s definition be fully understood so as to avoid miscommunication or misinterpretations of words being discussed.
Diversity, equity and inclusion may seem like distinct concepts; in reality they’re interlinked and influence one another. Diversity Equity Inclusion (DEI) is a process for creating a more equitable world by using all perspectives to innovate and create. DEI seeks to ensure all communities are represented in organizational leadership and decision-making processes. It aims to make our world fairer while at the same time being creative and innovative. DEI strives for social equality as its ultimate goal while creating an atmosphere in which individuals feel safe to express themselves freely both professionally and personally. DEI can do all three aims simultaneously. DEI seeks to foster innovation by tapping all perspectives to innovate and create. It aims at creating an equitable society as well as ensure environments that allow individuals feel free to express themselves authentically both at work and life while representing all communities within organizations’ leadership/decision making processes.
Inclusion refers to the practice of providing cultural and social acceptance and welcome for groups or individuals that differ from others. It’s more inclusive than integration, which demands assimilation into mainstream experience; but more difficult to implement.
Belonging is the final stage of inclusion and encompasses an experience where an individual feels valued for all aspects of their identity, regardless of their visibility to others. Employees find great comfort knowing their differences are celebrated and appreciated, leading them down an important path towards successful inclusion.
Companies that put diversity, equity and inclusion front and center are more effective at solving problems than those who don’t prioritize this goal. Furthermore, they’re better at adapting to changing environments since their employees possess a broader viewpoint that enables them to stay ahead of disruptions and unexpected hurdles.
Inclusion is key to unleashing the full potential of your diverse workforce and creating an energized, innovative team. In fact, inclusion should be at the heart of every organization and what sets it apart from competitors. So next time you hold a meeting or gathering with your team members, pose this question: “What do they currently understand about the three terms?” and share their individual interpretations to hopefully clarify definitions for DEI initiatives and make DEI projects clearer for all concerned.
Belonging
Belonging is the sense of connection that people experience when they become part of a community, which can vary depending on each individual and the culture in which they exist. Belonging is also key component of diversity, equity and inclusion at work: when employees feel they belong they’re more likely to remain engaged, productive and satisfied at their workplace. Furthermore, Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs ranks belonging as an essential human need before self-Esteem or Self-Actualization can take place.
Diversity and inclusion refers to how individuals from diverse identities interact within a community, but belonging is an experience which depends on those around you and how well your workplace accepts all identities and experiences. Organizations should aim to cultivate this sense of belonging by welcoming, respecting and accommodating for everyone’s unique experiences and identities.
One way of explaining diversity, equity and inclusion is using a party analogy: diversity refers to the number of guests at a party while equity allows each guest equal opportunities to attend and dance at it; inclusion is about inviting everyone at the party to dance and belonging is measured based on music played during and discussions within it;
Diversity and inclusion initiatives are critical components of creating a healthy work culture, helping reduce employee turnover while simultaneously creating a more diverse workforce. But they’re no silver bullet; improper implementation could have serious repercussions for all involved if left unmanaged properly; for example, solely focusing on increasing diversity without considering its effect on individual employees can cause feelings of alienation and frustration due to how diversity itself is an outcome that’s determined both by what you do (inclusion) and by events (equity).
Implementing inclusive practices requires an in-depth knowledge of all of the factors contributing to social inequality, including biases and stereotypes that contribute to it. Furthermore, organizations must ensure all members of their community have their voice heard, which may be challenging given language or cultural barriers that might stand in their way. By overcoming such challenges organizations can foster a sense of belonging that will ultimately result in higher job satisfaction and superior business results.