Diversity refers to a variety of differences, including race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, and socioeconomic status. Equity is about promoting fairness by identifying and addressing social disparities. Not everyone has equal access to opportunities, so underrepresented groups need a leg up. Inclusion means ensuring that diverse people are fully accepted and welcomed into programs and institutions. Each element of DEI goes hand in hand. Promoting diversity and inclusion creates an equitable workplace—and a more positive experience for employees.
For example, you might look at the company’s recruitment and advancement data and find a low hiring and retention rate for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) employees. Continually improving existing equity practices is just as important as developing new ones! It’s easier to identify the steps you need to take to become more inclusive and equitable once you know where your company stands in terms of statistics.
For example, if you’ve discovered a biased hiring pipeline, you might make it a goal to hire 5 new BIPOC employees of diverse backgrounds—or commit to a 30% increase in BIPOC employees over the next 2 years. You could also form a representative committee of employees in your company who are responsible for evaluating current practices and identifying future goals.
For example, you might put together an email or newsletter for all employees, updating them on the progress of the company’s new hiring initiatives. You could also use quicker digital communication channels to share data and keep everyone in the loop, like Slack and Microsoft Teams. Send around employee surveys and collect their feedback. Ask employees how they feel the company is doing with equity and inclusion thus far and how they think it can improve.
People are paid vastly different salaries for doing the same job in many organizations, often based on things like gender and race. If you’re a leader, make a point to offer fair and equal compensation to employees. Discuss wages openly with coworkers to create transparency if you’re an employee.
A proactive approach is the best way to create a more diverse talent pool. For example, find sites that attract a broader audience rather than assuming anyone can find a job posting on a single site. DEI hiring also improves a company’s culture in the long run, providing equitable opportunities for all and helping retain more talent.
In structured interviews, every employee is screened the same way and asked standardized questions focusing on hard and soft skills. Collaborative hiring basically means working as a team with colleagues from different parts of the company to screen, interview, and hire employees. Blind shortlisting is the process of removing identification details from candidates’ applications (like ethnicity, gender, and even names) before making any decisions.
For example, you might start a leadership development program aimed at helping diverse employees hone their skills and prepare for management roles at the company. Remember: equity and equality aren’t the same. Equality means treating everyone the same, whereas equity is about giving proportional representation for the same opportunities.
Remember that employees from different backgrounds may have different needs when it comes to onboarding. By extending the process, you can ensure that every employee has the skills they need to excel.
Those incentives could include social recognition, profit-sharing plans, tuition reimbursement, bonuses, gifts, or health and wellness rewards (like free healthy lunches and on-site health screenings, for example). Employee recognition programs build stronger teams and develop greater loyalty as a whole while also increasing productivity! Ensure employees have equitable benefits. That means spousal health insurance should be available to same-sex couples and other non-traditional families, while parental leave should be granted to people of any gender.
Try establishing a repository of information for all employees. Target that information towards the needs of specific demographics, but ensure that every employee is aware of and able to use it. Lack of access to education actively leads to less diverse and inclusive workspaces. When marginalized people aren’t given the tools they need to learn, they can’t grow.
Check in regularly to ensure your employees find their mentorship experience helpful and that the program is running smoothly.
Treat every employee with the same amount of respect and dignity and promote ethical behavior in the workplace. If an employee does encounter discrimination, take the problem seriously. Report the incident, send a clear message that discrimination won’t be tolerated, and ensure it doesn’t happen again. For instance, be vocal about championing gender equality in the workplace. Ensure you have a balanced representation of workers across many different gender identities, and treat them respectfully.
