From D&I to DEI to DEI&B.

Simplifying the ever-evolving mammoth, which is Diversity Equity Inclusion & Belonging.

Most conversations in my realm start like this;

“We want to be a Diverse and Inclusive place of work. I think we do pretty well {insert something along the lines of; we have people from all over the world work for us / we have a 37% female workforce, that's more females than we have ever employed / we celebrate Pride Day} ... but I’m sure we can do better. We just don’t know HOW.”

There’s a saying I heard when I first immigrated to Australia.?I’d been in the country for about 3 weeks, and working in my new role for 2.?In a boardroom, at a strategy meeting, my blonde-haired ‘Aussie-As’ colleague sitting next to me responded to the heated conversation with “K.I.S.S”.?

My colleagues nodded in unison as if he had bestowed upon us an absolute epiphany.?

Being as literal as they come, I had no idea how KISSing would ever solve our problem. I assume my face spelled that out, as I was asked what my objection was. I shyly responded “what does K.I.S.S mean in Australia, because where I’m from, that's not a solution in the workplace?”?

Some of my colleagues laughed, one performed a synchronised eye roll and audible exhale? and the rest were perplexed that I didn’t know the acronym.?

One however, nodded and responded, ‘oh, it must be an Aussie thing, you know how we shorten everything, well KISS just means Keep It Simple, Stupid.’

I learned a lot in that boardroom. Not much about my trade, but a lot about the ‘Aussie-way’, working-culture, the difference between nationalities at work, the different ways people respond to those who are not the same as them, group think dynamics, cultural ignorance, cultural intelligence, inclusivity, workplace curiosity and the way I liked to be treated, as an outsider.?

So back to the most common opening statement I get in meetings; To which my response is: K.I.S. [*not a type-o. I dont like the word stupid.]

Lets keep it simple, let's look at the terminology.

What is Diversity Equity Inclusion & Belonging?

Diversity is variety.?

Equity is everyone being on equal / fair playing field {think gender pay gap as an example}

Inclusivity is embracing people for their ‘diversity’.

Belonging is the sense of security that comes with working in a place where it feels safe to be entirely who you are.

All groups are diverse.

Diversity is the most natural thing in nature - no two things are completely alike and if we really wanted to, even in an office full of your stereotypical 'Aussie' females, we could argue diversity within the group. (Generation of immigration, which side of the bridge they live, languages, socio-economic background, sexual orientation, parent / not, age... you see where I'm going here). Diversity is simply a by-product of having a collection of people.?

So saying your workforce is diverse, doesn't really say much at all.?

You can absolutely have diversity and not have inclusion.

And without the B of DEI&B, no organisation will harness the power of Inclusion within your diverse workforce.

So, in response to the statistics of recently hired diverse nationalities and genders in the workplace; I say "Well done. But really, you haven't scratched the surface yet." [The innovative & strategic risk taking magic is still far from reach, if your I&B are not consistently being met.]

What follows may be a series of rhetorical questions.?

1. What is your retention rate of the Employees you’d circle as your “diverse ones”??
2. Do your exit interviews give insight as to why these rates differ to “non-diverse”?
3. Do they know that they don’t have to ‘hide’ their femininity or cultural differences to ‘fit in’?
4. How do you show that they are valued for the diversity they bring to the team??
5. How ‘loud’ are your females and culturally diverse staff??

The answers to these few questions will give you a very light indication, a peek behind the curtain of inclusion, of how much of the diversity power your organisation is harnessing.?

Often, in these meetings, if the conversation is being held in a psychologically safe space and the mutual professional trust has been built, we’ll talk about how you find out if this is in actual fact how your ‘minority groups’ feel or if this is what leadership likes to think they feel.?

And THAT is where the transformational process begins to happen.

When the genuine curiosity of Leadership is palpable and the willingness to hear it from the minority groups with a lived experience of a career in the organisation or industry, for the sake of making real changes - rather than from the SME across the table.?

The transformation happens with the Leadership who is more than curious, rather fully charged to make changes which are human-centred and based on the experiences and needs of YOUR humans, in your organisation.?

#diversityandinclusion #deib #workplacewellbeing