Top Tips for Implementing DEI Practices

I recently discussed the importance of raising awareness around the multitude of differing areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion that businesses and the growing tech industry must consider to form a truly diverse workforce that is more engaged, loyal, and better performing in an environment where employees feel safe and trusted.

Focusing on strong DEI foundations and practices can decrease the likelihood of employees leaving by a shocking 87% - it can also increase their engagement by 20%! This is also reflected in the company's product with 28% of respondents from a general survey disclosing that they would not do business with a company where employees are not valued and treated well.

But how do you implement this knowledge and which practices should you consider when thinking about DEI?

HiBob says to start with forming a committee - identify who will be the key individuals in establishing the program, collecting data, and implementing changes. This gives existing employees a chance to connect to their company culture and become advocates for better workplace practices whilst building team unity and trust amongst each other.

Before starting to think about actionable steps it is extremely important to Collect Data.

Data Collection

There are lots of different types of information you can gather but consider some of the following:

• Demographic Information - age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation (if legally permissible).
• Educational background - including educational achievements.
• Pay Equity and any salary details in regard to potential differences across protected characteristics.
• Disability information - if applicable and legal, collect data on employees with disabilities.
• Geographic data - companies with multiple offices and locations collect information on the office statistics and the local areas and their populations.

Once the data is collected, establish a clear idea of what the mission plan and the main goals will be of your DEI program. This is a good time to delegate responsibilities and understand who will be responsible for carrying out each activity/task.

Let's look at some key ideas to consider when establishing your DEI strategy:

1. "Embrace a journey without a finish line" - I loved this statement from Deloitte Insights, the landscape of DEI is constantly evolving, and what works for one team may not for another. Monitor the successes and learn from initiatives that did not work. Gather feedback and create collaboration between the team.
2. Create an ERG? ERGs or more commonly known as Employee Resource Groups are communities often established by the employer and the organisation to better support their workers and connect individuals who share protected characteristics.
3. Regularly report your diversity figures - this will help to create goals and targets when trying to understand areas of focus. This also helps with being transparent with your current workforce and establishing trust within the team once certain action plans are outlined.
4. Set diversity goals! Using your report and the collected data take some time to figure out what are your urgent priorities and needed changes. Take a look at this article of 25 examples of diversity goals including tons of past examples from some global leaders.
5. Establish a team/council to lead DEI efforts. This ties in well with the previous point, after establishing your goals it is important this team can collaborate with business leaders to ensure that the plans are executed well and that goals are achieved within the specified time frame. This is also a good time to understand if anyone has previously worked on similar strategies, if there are any systemic issues in the business, and if there are any structural barriers that would make working on this plan impossible.
6. Document! Make sure you take the time to track all progress, meetings, discussions and plans. You can also split your strategy document into areas sourced internally and externally, focusing on around 4-6 strategy statements for each group.

What is important to note is that this process takes time. It is not an overnight solution but a long-term investment both from a business and a social/humanitarian perspective.

Making sure that the team is aligned at earlier stages helps with the speed of the process. Also don't limit the vision, focusing on one aspect of diversity restricts your ability to address the wider business concerns.

And importantly! There is no single solution for every business - trial and error will define the way for earlier-stage companies.

I hope this was helpful and brought some interesting information into place!

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