Writing a Diversity Equity and Inclusion statement should be part of every business owner or job candidate’s to-do list. Not only can these statements showcase your authentic experiences, but also help create lasting change within an organization or workplace.
Mastercard’s DEI statement serves as an excellent example because it keeps its message succinct while connecting directly with its core values of caring, honesty, and responsibility.
1. Embrace the Diversity of Your Workforce
Diversity initiatives often address discrimination and bias in the workplace, providing resources for underrepresented groups like people of color, women, and the LGBTQ+ community. But their true value lies in creating environments which celebrate difference by building inclusive cultures.
Recognizing differences starts with acknowledging that we all possess unique experiences, backgrounds and values that define who we are as individuals. Empathizing with employees’ struggles requires you to understand that all employees can find meaning in DEI concepts in different ways. When creating an inclusive workplace environment it is imperative to remember this connection.
By celebrating employees’ differences, they feel valued and recognized as individuals, which increases the likelihood that they’ll embrace your company values and embrace working alongside their diverse colleagues.
Ensure your company truly embraces diversity by forming a team to oversee inclusivity efforts. Appointing one person can be problematic because their perspective could skew inclusivity differently; to prevent bias from emerging, establish an 8-12 person committee with diverse backgrounds and viewpoints who will oversee all aspects of inclusivity efforts.
Once you have established a team to oversee inclusion efforts, set specific goals for your organization. This may include goals related to demographic representation in leadership positions or setting targets for equal pay, or encouraging mentoring and sponsorship programs for underrepresented groups. It is also crucial that progress is regularly reviewed so necessary adjustments can be made as required.
As you create your goals, be sure to share them with all members of your workforce and display them prominently on your company website. This will ensure everyone understands your commitment to DEI and is aware it is a top priority at your organization. Furthermore, consider including an inclusion question on any employee engagement surveys you use for feedback purposes; this will provide valuable insight into whether your inclusion initiatives are working as expected as well as helping identify any areas for additional training needs.
2. Empower Your Employees
Be sure to use positive language when writing your company’s diversity statement, so employees and candidates feel as though your organization supports and values them as individuals. Furthermore, using this statement as an opportunity to illustrate where your company has come from and where you hope it goes will reassure people that DEI initiatives and strategies are making real change happen.
One key part of your diversity statement should be showing your dedication to empowering employees and creating an inclusive culture. This could involve various initiatives like providing cultural competency training or flexible scheduling arrangements, or by simply recognising employees have other responsibilities outside work and giving them the time they need for caregiving themselves and their families.
Finally, your diversity statement should include specific goals you hope to achieve and measures of progress that hold you accountable. For instance, tracking women in leadership positions or how much money your company spends with diverse suppliers would show people that your company is making efforts towards creating an inclusive work environment rather than simply talking the talk.
Your diversity statement must reflect both your core values and business strategy, and should be approved by all members of your company, not just HR or leadership teams. Soliciting feedback from employees across your company could help identify barriers to inclusion that your leadership may not know about – perhaps an employee survey reveals that production teams feel excluded because there’s no separate holiday party for them?
Establishing an effective diversity statement is a key part of building an inclusive organization. Deliberately investing the time into writing an impactful, meaningful diversity statement will pay dividends in the form of increased diversity and inclusion at your workplace. By following our tips above, you’ll soon be on your way towards building an environment which embraces all its diversity and inclusion! To learn more about creating inclusive workplaces, listen to our podcast featuring D&I advocates Cynthia Mason, Mia Lewin and Natalie Egan!
3. Make Your Workplace More Inclusive
Recruitment of a diverse workforce is only the first step toward creating inclusivity in your workplace; you also must ensure that employees feel valued and comfortable within their work environment. To do this, consider offering cultural awareness training courses, hosting diversity events, creating safe spaces and supporting employee wellbeing programs as methods.
Key to inclusion is recognising that differences are what unify us rather than divide us, although this concept can be difficult to implement, particularly within a workplace setting. That’s why it’s essential to set time-bound, measurable goals for your inclusion efforts and include them in your DEI statement.
Be sure to educate your leaders on the difference between diversity and inclusivity by creating an inclusion committee, which should include representatives from across departments and levels within your organization. This committee can then identify issues, propose solutions and devise company-wide plans.
As you choose committee members, strive to recruit those representing diverse social demographics and identities in the workplace. In particular, look for those with a passion for inclusion who will put forth extra efforts in making sure your workplace truly embraces inclusivity.
Once your team is educated on the various elements of inclusivity, it’s time to initiate change within your workplace. Implement new hiring practices that recognize diversity’s value while encouraging equal pay equitably; another method would be creating inclusive events such as community collaborations, workshops or town hall meetings.
Promote preferred pronouns and provide resources to non-binary employees, and consider adding safe spaces like unisex restrooms, breastfeeding rooms, quiet workspaces and prayer areas to your office environment. Finally, help improve employee wellbeing by offering access to resources for managing stress, anxiety and depression.
Inclusivity in the workplace is a long-term endeavor that requires genuine dedication from every level of an organization. But this dedication can pay dividends through improved communication, more creative ideas and higher productivity. By celebrating diversity and building an inclusive culture, employees will feel appreciated for who they are while staying put at your organization.
4. Create a More Inclusive Culture
Inclusion doesn’t just involve adding diverse employees to your company; rather, it involves creating an environment which values diversity and fosters inclusion. One way of accomplishing this is through developing an inclusive culture.
Your workplace culture must be inclusive to thrive, so you must work to nurture it. One effective strategy to do so is by providing training programs on inclusion within the workplace. Training should continue beyond one event so employees can build tolerance and respect for a variety of groups and individuals.
Your employees can help create an inclusive culture by giving them a voice in company decisions. This involves providing them with the freedom and confidentiality to express their opinions or voice any concerns without fear of retaliation from management; your managers should then listen without passing judgement or trying to sweep it under the rug. Another way of giving employees a voice at work is enabling them to celebrate their cultures and traditions at work by creating policies which recognize this diversity, such as offering time off for religious holidays or accommodating any dietary restrictions they may need to adhere to.
Make your company more inclusive by ensuring employees are compensated based on their skills and experience, rather than gender, race or sexual orientation. While making this change is not straightforward, as it may involve changing existing policies to accommodate it; for those struggling to implement such changes quickly or smoothly you could consider creating an employee council or task force to assist with decision-making process and hold leaders accountable to being more inclusive in the workplace.
If you haven’t done so already, now is the time to review your company’s core values and include an inclusive culture statement in them. Inspire leadership and HR teams to become more diverse so they have all of the perspectives necessary to implement effective inclusion strategies.