Diversity, Equity, Inclusion in the workplace. How and why.

Diversity Equitity and Inclusion (DE&I) has emerged as one of the hottest topics in the business world in the past few years, especially after covid. A diverse and inclusive workplace is one that makes everyone, regardless of who they are or what they do for the business, feel equally involved in and supported in all areas of the workplace.

What is diversity, equity and inclusion?

Diversity in the workplace refers to recognising, respecting and valuing the differences in people, from experience and background to religion, culture, age and all other characteristic.

Equity in the workplace refers to creating the opportunity for everyone to fully participate in the workplace productively and successfully, progress their career equally and receive equivalent rewards and benefits for doing so. It’s about fair treatment for everyone.

Inclusion refers to how well each individual employee feels accepted, included and valued in the workplace. It’s about creating a sense of belonging, connection and engagement for each employee in the working environment and extends from the way meetings are run to how success is celebrated.

Diversity

The number of factors that define diversity is truly unlimited. We can distinguish at least 8 types of diversity in the workplace:

·???????Race: Race is a person’s biological identity, including physical characteristics such as skin color, hair type, etc.

·???????Ethnicity: Ethnicity is associated with culture, history, nationality, heritage, dress, customs, language, ancestry, and geographical background, for example Hispanic or Latinx, Irish, Jewish, or Cambodian etc

·???????Age and Generation: Age is generally categorized by generation- baby boomers, Generation X, Y, and Z, and millennials. People of the same age group don't usually think the same way, yet a person’s age defines some similarities.

·???????Gender Identity & Expression: To be successful, organizations need to look at the barriers faced by all genders when contributing to the workforce and see how they can alleviate some of those restrictions for their employees.

·???????Sexual Orientation: Sexual orientation refers to a person’s identity in relation to the gender or genders to which they’re attracted to. Common sexual orientations include heterosexual, bisexual, lesbian, gay, asexual, pansexual, and questioning.

·???????Religious and Spiritual Beliefs: This type of diversity refers to the presence of multiple religions and spiritual beliefs (including lack thereof) in the workplace

·???????Disability and Neurodiversity: Neurodiversity is used to describe how the brain varies from person to person, it focuses on neurodivergent people, including those with autism, ADHD, epilepsy, Tourette syndrome, and dyslexia (among others).

·???????Socioeconomic Status and Background: Employees in a company come from different socioeconomic backgrounds and have varying attitudes towards specific factors of life, like money, social status, education, etc.

Blanchard 6 Strategies for Leveraging Diversity in Your Organization:

1.?????Set a clear, inclusive vision.?That includes identifying your organizational purpose, picture of the future, operating values, and action steps.

2.?????Increase the quality and quantity of conversations occurring between managers and direct reports in order to make sure that everyone’s issues and concerns are on the table.

3.?????Walk the talk. In the past, if leaders were inconsistent, employees would talk about it in the bathrooms and in the hallways, but that was usually as far as it went. Today, people are much more direct, so integrity is more important than ever.

4.?????Turn the organizational hierarchy upside-down.?Effective day-to-day implementation requires turning the organizational chart upside down so that front line people are at the top serving customers while leaders move themselves to a supporting role and focus on removing roadblocks and providing resources.

5.?????Consider the whole person. Don’t ask people to “leave their nerve endings at the door.” Employees want their managers to know them as people—including the issues they might be dealing with both in and out of work. Employees want to feel cared for, understood, and supported in their efforts to make a difference at work.

6.?????Increase involvement. As Blanchard likes to point out, “No one of us is as smart as all of us.” One of the great advantages in having a diverse population is that you can tackle a problem from a rich variety of viewpoints. But you have to encourage participation and really listen to what people have to say to make the most of that opportunity.

Equitity

A society is equitable when all people have the opportunity to participate, prosper, and reach their full potential, regardless of their demographics or identities. In equitable organizations, factors that influence titles, compensation, rewards, and consequences are transparent, documented, and performance-based. These organizations strive to apply policies consistently and fairly.

Equity in the workplace is all about empowering employees to be their best and ensuring that everyone within the organization is treated fairly. Everyone expects and receives the same treatment in terms of opportunity, consequences, and rewards. Work in this area includes identifying and working to eliminate barriers to fair treatment for disadvantaged groups, from the team level through systemic changes in organizations and industries.

Effecting change through an equity lens generally requires an understanding that the societal systems in which we currently work are not equitable and that those inequities are reflected in our organizations. So, equity is not the same as equality.

Workplace equality means treating everyone in the workforce the same. All employees fall under one blanket of privileges, rules, and employees experience design. Workplace equality does not take demographic related needs into account — and that can result in an unfair work environment. Instead, equity aims to provide fair opportunities to all employees based on their individual needs and aspirations.

Instride suggests some simple tips of how you can enable an equitable working environment:

1.?????Make job descriptions accessible.?This means having transparency around the wage range for different positions, as well as providing a variety of avenues through which talent may access application materials.

2.?????Skills-based hiring.?Not everyone has access to higher education and this shouldn’t barr them from opportunities for work if they have the skills necessary to do the job. Instead of focusing on specific degree requirements in your hiring process, emphasize skills and previous work experience.

3.?????Provide inclusive incentives.?Event-based incentives which center around alcohol or formal dress codes have the potential to alienate some employees. Financial or recognition-based incentives are a better way to reward top-performing team members and avoid exclusion.

4.?????Provide equitable access for all employees.?This not only means access to resources and opportunities, but also physical spaces and materials. It is important to consider whether your meeting room is wheelchair-friendly, whether you have accurate closed-captions on a video presentation, and if your office space has adequate accommodations for employees with sensory sensitivities.

5.?????Empower your employees.?Even if you have all the best resources in place, it’s up to your employees to take advantage of them. For you, this means making sure your employees know about the resources, know how to access them and feel comfortable and safe doing so.

6.?????Ensure equitable benefits.?Spousal health insurance should be available to same-sex couples and non-traditional families as well as straight couples. Additionally, parental leave should extend to fathers and mothers equally.

7.?????Re-evaluate your equity practices.?Everyone makes mistakes and as we continue to take action against a problematic status quo it can be difficult to know what’s right. Organizations should continue to analyze and update their equity practices as new information is given.

Inclusion

Inclusion is when every person in the society is valued, heard, supported, and respected, and people feel a sense of belongingness. inclusion focuses on creating and having a culture that nurtures this talent and provides them with a healthy work atmosphere, allowing them to come together and work harmoniously, comfortably, and contribute effectively and confidently. Inclusion ensures that everyone feels valued and adds value.

It requires inclusive leadership — leadership that assures that all team members feel they are treated respectfully and fairly, are valued and sense that they belong, and are confident and inspired.

Deloitte’s 2017 Global Human Capital Trends report shows that it directly enhances performance. Teams with inclusive leaders are 17% more likely to report that they are high performing, 20% more likely to say they make high-quality decisions, and 29% more likely to report behaving collaboratively. What’s more, we found that a 10% improvement in perceptions of inclusion increases work attendance by almost 1 day a year per employee, reducing the cost of absenteeism.

According to Harvard Business Review there are the six traits or behaviors that distinguish inclusive leaders from others:

1.?????Visible commitment: They articulate authentic commitment to diversity, challenge the status quo, hold others accountable and make diversity and inclusion a personal priority.

2.?????Humility: They are modest about capabilities, admit mistakes, and create the space for others to contribute.

3.?????Awareness of bias: They show awareness of personal blind spots as well as flaws in the system and work hard to ensure meritocracy.

4.?????Curiosity about others: They demonstrate an open mindset and deep curiosity about others, listen without judgment, and seek with empathy to understand those around them.

5.?????Cultural intelligence: They are attentive to others’ cultures and adapt as required.

6.?????Effective collaboration: They empower others, pay attention to diversity of thinking and psychological safety, and focus on team cohesion.

The Principles of Inclusivity was created by the University of Waterloo ’s campus community, presenting the ideals by which their members should engage one another – with respect, sensitivity, and fairness.

·???????Acknowledge individuals have unique and particular needs in the learning and work environment.

·???????Respect each individual’s right to express and present themselves relative to their religion, culture, ethnic background, sexual orientation, gender-identity, physical and mental ability.

·???????Promote inclusivity by reasonably adjusting procedures, activities and physical environments.

·???????Focus on the capability of the individual without assumptions or labels.

·???????Be inclusive in all forms of communication.

·???????Serve all with sensitivity, respect, and fairness.

How to improve DEI in your workplace

Successful Diversity and Inclusion Programs don’t just happen. They are planned, executed and managed with a goal to always push the boundaries and welcome new methods and trends of growth in the workspace. The journey to building a truly equal, diverse and inclusive workplace can often be a long and daunting one.

So, if improving diversity in the workplace is on your agenda, here are several practical tips:

1.???????Start a conversation with your employees:?Εmployees are looking at what their organisation is doing to create genuine change in the workplace. So, it is important to start an open and sincere conversation about what could be done to achieve greater diversity in your organisation.

2.???????Gather data to identify priority areas:?Use anonymous surveys to gather data and create a picture of the current status within your organisation. Asking your employees for private information in a safe and anonymous way, will provide you with an honest view of your employee population and identify where you need to prioritise your time, energy and resources. It also allows you to have confident and informed conversations with your organisation’s leaders about the areas that require focus.

3.???????Create a culture that supports DEI:?It is crucial to create a culture that supports DEI. Every single employee in an organisation has a role to play in contributing to what the culture looks like. How people behave to their colleagues and peers needs to be accountable. But we are all human and we all have unconscious bias, so take employees along on the journey of forging a culture that supports DEI, make them aware of their unconscious bias and educate them on the benefits of DEI. You could even consider informal training to raise awareness and understanding of the perspectives and lived experience of under-represented groups.?

4.???????Publicly commit to DEI: Inclusive leaders should aim to clearly, regularly and effectively communicate that ED&I is on their agenda. Communicating policies, promoting any initiatives being undertaken and sharing the social, personal and commercial successes resulting from these will help increase employee?confidence that leaders understand the importance of DEI to individuals and the business as a whole.

5.???????Provide a sense of belonging for every employee:?During your one-on-one meetings with employees, take the time to regularly check-in and ask how they are, recognise their good work and talk about why you?value their skills and contribution. Build peer groups where people feel a sense of community and belonging. Support key DEI events to reflect the varied characteristics that make up a workforce and establish taskforces to champion DEI.

6.???????Encourage employees to have a voice:?Fostering an environment in which employees can be open and honest allows them to share their opinions and ideas, as well as concerns, which helps them feel that their view matters. So, ensure employees can have a say in key decisions that impact their work, such as by holding regular team and one-on-one meetings, providing an anonymous feedback service, offering a suggestion scheme and running surveys.

7.???????Encourage diversity of thought:?Organisations should aim to ensure all employees feel they can challenge the status quo, their voice is respected and valued, and they can and should fearlessly bring new ideas to the table. Follow-up with clearly defined actions.?

8.???????Ensure all employees have access to career development:?People need to feel that they can develop and advance their career within your organisation. Provide regular upskilling, learning and development to all employees and give them the time to develop these skills and bring them back into their day-to-day job. To increase diversity in management and executive levels, formal mentoring programs can be used to empower employees to develop and advance.?

9.???????Ensure everyone feels valued and included:?Talk to individual staff to understand what is required for them to feel included and be their full authentic self at work. This may include, for example, additional support from you, modified facilities, a new meeting format so that everyone can participate,?the creation of employee-led taskforces or the adoption of new communication and collaboration channels.?

10.????Run inclusive meetings:?This starts with distributing an agenda and associated background material well in advance of the meeting so that people can prepare. Ensure everyone can join the meeting, such as by offering access to remote workers, take steps to encourage everyone to participate and ask others to share their view.

11.????Create inclusive recruitment and hiring processes:?Before you recruit, review job descriptions and the language used in job advertisements to ensure it does not dissuade particular demographic groups from applying. Use an objective and set criteria to assess all candidates against.?Hiring managers should undertake unconscious bias training so they are aware of any prejudice or favouritism.

Statistics that show why is DEI Important in the Workplace?

The benefits of diversity, equity, and inclusion are undisputed. While DEI efforts are the right thing to do from a moral and ethical perspective, there is also a compelling business case for launching DEI initiatives in your workplace.

Research shows that organizations that practice diversity, equity, and inclusion outperform those that hang onto the status quo. These companies benefit from higher productivity, better employee retention, and an overall boost in morale.

Research by Great Place to Work on company culture shows that when employees trust that they, and their colleagues, will be treated regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or age, they are:

• 9.8 times more likely to look forward to going to work
• 6.3 times more likely to have pride in their work
• 5.4 times more likely to want to stay a long time at their company

A?study?by the Technical University of Munich found a positive relationship between management diversity and innovation. On average, companies that promote inclusive work environments generate a third of their revenue from innovative products and services.?Companies that don’t, generate less than a quarter in the same way.

A study of Harvard Business Review found that companies with higher-than-average diversity had 19% higher innovation revenues. They found that industry, nation of origin, and gender had the biggest impacts, but by thinking about diversity in a multidimensional way companies were able to lead in innovation.

According to a survey done by?Glassdoor ,?creating a diverse and inclusive workplace is central to attracting talented employees, and to setting your company up for success :

• 67% of job seekers consider workplace diversity an important factor when considering employment opportunities, and more than 50% of current employees want their workplace to do more to increase diversity.
• 72% of women (v. 62% of men), 89% of African Americans, 80% of Asians, and 70% of Latinos ranked workforce diversity as important in their job search.

Fast Company found that organizations with above-average gender diversity and levels of employee engagement outperform companies with below-average diversity and engagement by 46% to 58%.

The Fortune 1000 list of companies shows how important female CEOs are for a company’s success: while only 5% of companies are run by women, those organizations contribute 7% of the total revenue of the Fortune 1000 list. ?

According to a 2015 McKinsey report, companies in the top quarter for racial/ethnic diversity are 35% more likely to surpass peers, while those in the same bracket for gender diversity are 15% more likely to do the same. They found that there’s a strong correlation between a company’s higher-than-average diversity (racial/ethnic and gender) and higher-than-average profits, as compared to similar organizations.

Deloitte has found that if just 10 percent more employees feel included, the company will increase work attendance by almost one day per year per employee. The research found that diversity and inclusion lead to engagement and that they must go hand in hand. When workers feel included, absenteeism decreases.

Harvard Business Review defines “2-D diversity” as both inherent and acquired. Companies with leadership that exhibited 2-D diversity outperformed their peers, were more likely to experience greater innovation, and proved able to attract new markets. Companies with “two-dimensional” diversity are 45% more likely to report that they had captured a larger portion of the market and 70% more likely to have entered into a new market in the past year.

In summary, successfully delivering diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace can lead to :

• A more extensive talent pool
• Increased employee engagement and satisfaction
• Higher retention and lower turnover
• Better decision-making
• Greater innovation
• Enhanced financial performance
• Ability to outpace the competition

DEI is not only something that should be promoted today, but should also be maintained, updated and managed throughout the future and as the business needs change and as employee needs change. Training, when done well, can make a great difference for employee success, work productivity, and happiness in the workplace, which all leads to a more profitable and strong business.

DEI is an integral part of any modern, high-performance organization. While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all rule book for rolling out a successful DEI program to your company, you can begin your journey by learning what DEI truly is and understanding the value it can bring to your company.