The importance of DEI: use it!

What is DEI exactly?

To better understand the importance of something you always need to have at least some basic knowledge of it and this case makes no exception. So, what is DEI exactly??

This acronym stands for: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. All of these factors have become a crucial topic in the public debate through the last few years and are influencing more and more aspects of our lives, work included.

Since they’re so important and discussed, let's see more specifically what each one of them means and how they influence workplaces and organizations.?

Diversity?

Generally Diversity indicates the presence of any kind of differences within a given space or setting. So, if applied to a workplace, it can indicate the presence of differences like ethnicities, age, cultures, religions, sexual orientation etc.

Equity?

Equity means that the processes in which we are involved during our lives are impartial and fair for everyone. In a work perspective it means that all the processes (like the selection of a new talent) and the programs are impartial and let everyone have the same opportunities.?

Inclusion

The term Inclusion is connected to the feel of belonging and acceptance of someone to a determined ambient/organization/culture etc. In a workplace it means that all employees feel comfortable and supported by their organization when it comes to being themselves.

Now that we’ve established exactly what DEI means it’s time to discover…

… Why it has become crucial for EVERY organization?

There are many reasons why DEI has become such an important thing for the job market in 2022, here are the main ones:

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• DEI plays a critical role in making employees feel safe and respected in their workplace;
• It both helps in creating a strong sense of community (keeping your best talents close to you), and attracting new talents;
• Different studies (trusted by certified newspapers like Forbes) have shown that companies that integrate DEI are more likely to hit their financial goals by up to 120%;
• Makes teams more heterogeneous, which leads to more original ideas and possibilities of innovation that otherwise would remain unexplored;?
• Greatly improves your brand image.

Which are the key DEI practices to integrate in your company?

Arriving at this point it should be clear enough that DEI can’t be ignored by any kind of business in 2022, so let’s see some of the “must have” applications of it.

Do your research

DEI is a long term process so the first thing to do is studying it and always try to stay updated. There are lots and lots of resources about these topics that can be found easily on the Internet.

Adapt the hiring process

Observe each step of the hiring process of your company and correct every aspect that could be more inclusive, these adjustments can be made pretty much everywhere: in job descriptions, the language used by recruiters during interviews, forms and surveys etc.

Cultural Contribution vs Cultural Fit

For a long time companies have based their hiring process on how well candidates would have aligned to the company values and internal politics. However nowadays it’s becoming more important to hire new talents based on the Cultural Contribution that they can bring to the group thanks to their experiences and different perspectives.

Create a written document

Every organization needs an official document that states its mission, key values and what leads its decision making. Since DEI has become such a hot topic it needs to be included into this document, so that everyone can be aware of what each company concretely does to be inclusive and equal.

The same approach ISN’T the best for everyone

Until now the common approach was to teach all employees the same working methods and make them follow the same modalities. However the last few years, also due to the Covid-19 pandemic, have shown how such a stiff mentality isn’t actually the best one to obtain the best performances from employees.?

A more flexible and diversificated approach, that takes into account the specificities of the single employee is far better for everyone.

In conclusion

This is just the tip of the iceberg regarding the available infos about DEI, but they can already give a clear perspective to every company on the necessity to move in this direction.

However it is still a needed reminder since a lot of people in the job market are aware of this, but still aren’t investing enough in DEI. In fact a study? of this year by Culture Amp (a society that studies employee experience) ,made on more than 2100 companies and 1,1 million employees, has shown that 63% of them hosted events and DEI - related discussions but only 49% of them have created a strategic plan regarding an actual integration.?

These numbers are a clear signal that, even if general awareness about DEI is growing, there is still a lot of work to do. Avoiding any other waste of time will lead to a better job market for both employees and companies' performances.