The best way to increase equality, diversity and inclusivity in the workplace |

As employees' social emotional, psychological, as well as environmental needs have become more pronounced, employers have realized they have to take action in order to assist their teamsotherwise, they lose their employees. That means more involvement and investment in diversity, equity, and diversity (DEI) programmes within the workplace.

Although this trend is positive, it's also been the subject of a lot of confusion. We talked to DEI experts and thought-leaders to understand what DEI entails, the foundation of building a strong DEI strategy, and some tips on making it successful.

Dive into DEI The lessons you'll gain

•    What is diversity? equality, and inclusion at the workplace?
•    The effects of equity, diversity and inclusion
•    How do you create an equitable, diverse and welcoming work environment
•    Six ways to encourage equity, diversity, and inclusivity at work

What is the difference between equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace?

One of the most costly mistakes I've seen companies make in my fifteen years in DEI is to view diversity as an exercise to check boxes. Companies will solely focus on figures -- like the percentage of their workforce that are Black, Indigenous, and people of different races (BIPOC) or the amount they've contributed to a cause -- but they don't consider important, subtle details that actually reallyimpact their employees.

Due to the fact that DEI is so much bigger than that.

The truth is that DEI isn't just about ticking boxes on your hiring practices. I always find it helpful to start by breaking equity, diversity and inclusion down in order to comprehend what each one of the terms means.

Truly integrating DEI within your organization means critically advocating the cause of equity, diversity and inclusion in every part of your company. It means learning to analyze every step inside every department using a DEI lens , whether it's the partnership you select for support, to the ways you promote your employees out of the office.

DEI is about the things that we see, but just as importantly is the things we aren't able to see be able to see: how well-supported employees feel, whether they feel a sense of belonging to the company, and whether employees feel that they are able to communicate freely with their managers.

The effects of equity, diversity and the inclusion of all people

It's impossible to underestimate the effects of diversity, equity, and inclusion for both your company and your workforce.

Naturally, it's obvious why diversity, equity and inclusion matter to employees. They want to feel in their workplaces: they would like to meet people who have similar characteristics to them, have the ability to fail with no fear, speak up safely, and feel you don't need to hide aspects of their personalities when at work.

In the beginning I was unable to imagine how I could become an executive because I was a Black and single mother of three. When I started my professional life, I believed I must have an answer to each question and also ensure my hair was naturally tangled so that I could be successful. It was only after I chose to join companies which matched me with exactly where I was and I realized that the things that I thought weren't my power could be actually my strength. And I've heard so many others share similar experiences.

The data supports these stories regarding how a strong DEI company culture affects the employees. According to studies conducted by BetterUp and BetterUp, those who experience a high feeling of belonging to the workplace show, on average:

• An increase of 56 percent in work performance
• 50% reduction in the risk of employee leaving
• A 75 percent decrease in the use of employee sick days.
• Net promotion scores for employers (eNPS) that are 167% more

These are clear benefits for employees, but they're also highly beneficial to companies that prize DEI. Beyond the many advantages that result from an active workforce, less turnover, stronger job performance and a decrease in absenteeism companies with higher diversity will also be more likely to achieve an above-average profit as well as higher profits, a better rate of return on investment, and a higher percent of revenues from innovations.

This is the kind of result that don't just come by ticking boxes instead, it comes from making the effort to ensure employees are psychologically secure. If employees feel that they are able to risk their lives and be supported, or can safely go to their managers with any concerns or suggestions, businesses reap their benefits.

Employers get to hear their teams' best ideas, most imaginative and innovative ideas, and provide the kind of feedback that will truly help the performance of an organisation.

What can you do to create an equitable, diverse, and inclusive workplace

If you're eager to flesh your own DEI strategy that goes beyond checking boxes, we'll explain the steps you'll need to take to begin understanding and actioning your priorities.

Be aware of where you are now

The first thing you'll want to get is an understanding of what DEI is currently like in your business. This is a daunting stage if you've not started the DEI process yet, because it's difficult to identify where your weaknesses exist. This is however crucial since without collecting the foundational data, you can't keep track of the improvements you've made in time.

The best way to get started here is to start by creating your own engagement surveys as well as collecting self-identified diversity statistics on your current employees.

Remember that all the information you gather tells a story -- not just regarding your DEI efforts, but rather about what's happening in the world more widely. In other words, it's impossible to evaluate employee engagement in 2019 to employee engagement in 2020 without talking about the effects of the pandemic. In the same way, be aware of what's going on both locally and internationally each year to help you better understand how factors affect the lives of employees.

Take a tour of the listening

Although a survey may provide you with an excellent first impression of how employees are engaged within your company, don't end there. Surveys can be a valuable source of information, however if you don't talk to employees directly, you'll lose crucial insights and feedback.

I generally recommend approaching this by coordinating meetings directly with the CEO. Most of the time, employee opinions do not make it to leadership, since they trickle up through management chains. This gives the chance to the CEO to have an open dialogue with an individual group of employees and truly hear their feedback about their concerns and ideas.

We begin by inviting individuals to sign up to groups based on diversity dimensions (such as BIPOC or LGBTQIA organizations). There's never a cap to the number of members who can join the group because everyone deserves to have a voice. I engage with every group first and let them know that during the session it will be an opportunity for the CEO to pose questions, and then a period of time for comments and questions from the members.

After that, I instruct the CEO about the kinds of questions they should be asking employees to garner useful feedback. The CEO will always craft their own questions too, obviously, but I suggest that they also ask questions such as:

• "What do you think are the best actions you believe will benefit the company?"
• "What do you think are the most important things you would suggest would assist me as a leader?"
• "What do you think could further our company goals?"
• "Here are the main objectives I'm working towards. Now, in your position, consider what you think will hurt or help these goals?"

Prioritize needs

Conducting an audio tour or launching an engagement survey will usually reveal numerous DEI areas for a company to potentially work on. This is totally normal -since, when it comes to DEI work, there are always possibilities for how an organization can continue to improve the customer satisfaction.

The reality is that most companies have the resources and time for implementing DEI initiatives. In fact, according to research carried out from 2022 Culture Amp, only 34 percent of Human Resources and DEI practitioners believe they have enough funds to fund their DEI initiatives.

The obvious answer is to prioritize. However, how do you determine what tasks you should first tackle?

Begin by sorting through all of the data as well as feedback and information that you've gathered through your audio tour or engagement surveys, as well as the data collection. I generally find that I can group the information into three main areas:

• Initiatives, tasks or projects which we could have carried out (but we haven't)
• The current needs
• Long-term goals

Once you've categorized the insights you've gathered, look over each by risk. Which needs are currently putting your company in danger legally? Any situation that puts the business or its employees in danger is a must-have.

After that, review projects that could be low-hanging fruit or that might be more pressing. Be realistic about what can be managed each quarter, then plot your plan of action out on a roadmap.

Keep in mind the fact that DEI work is iterative. The company's DEI requirements will always be changing, which is fine to leave some in your plans, and don't be afraid to have your requirements for the future change.

Participate with leaders and managers DEI training

Based on James K. Harter, the chief scientist at Gallup for work-related management, managers are responsible for at minimum 75 percent of the variables that cause employees to leave. And yet, only 41 percent of managers report attending courses or classes that are focused on DEI.

It is a good thing that explicit training can help with these problems, assisting managers apply the DEI approach to everything they do -- from interviewing to onboarding to arranging effective one-on one meetings.

Don't stop at the managers in terms of training, also. The leaders of your company may not get as much one-on-one time with teams, but true commitment to DEI needs to start from the highest levels. Leaders need to be involved in DEI beyond just making statements on the website, and training through video, in-person or hybrid group sessions will help ensure they bring a DEI approach to every choice they make.

Measure your success Then share it with others.

While you work on initiatives that are that are on your agenda be sure to track and assess the impact of each. If, for instance, your aim is to achieve a higher percentage of BIPOC employees who are in leadership positions be sure to keep track of your efforts and your successes. You should consider identifying and measuring these things:

• How much have you increased the number of BIPOC applicants that are in your pipeline?
• Which ways did you diversify your job board that you post ads What job boards have you diversified your advertising
• Which BIPOC employees are you promoting to higher positions?

When you've documented the improvements your organization is making then share the story with your entire team through a town hall or video update synchronously. This lets employees see that you're actually actioning your feedback through the tour and also letting them know the progress that you've achieved.

Six tips for promoting equality, diversity and diversity at work

There are many methods to boost DEI in the workplace, and every organization's path is different. However, there are a handful of suggestions you can follow in order to find opportunities to improve your DEI.

1. Lean in to difficult moments

A second example of this could be seen by the hiring freezes that numerous companies are experiencing. The hiring freeze is complicated to negotiate, but it also provides the time and space needed to re-evaluate what your recruiting and hiring practices are like. Take this time to think about:

• How can we expand our Careers page and our interviewing panels?
• How can we ensure that diverse candidates can see themselves at our company ahead of their first day?
• How do we make sure that our interviewing process either via remote mode or in-person -- accommodates people with disabilities?

Every time you face a challenge you have the chance to improve.

2. Do not solely focus on the outcome

As you plan out the details of your DEI plans, it could be easy to set objectives that solely focus on outputs. Don't forget that inputs can also be an effective driver of changes.

In the case of output, for instance, your goal may be to boost diversity in your employees by the amount of X per cent. This is an important ultimate goal to set -- but it'll be affected by a variety of smaller actions that you take like:

• In the event that you are unable to fill your hiring pipeline with at minimum 50% minority-owned candidates
• Ensure that 75 percent of jobs boards that you list to are geared towards minorities.
• Re-examine your benefits program to make sure transgender and women employees are protected

Utilize this degree of focus when you create your DEI strategy, and you'll see a variety of positive changes implemented throughout your business.

3. Design spaces that foster connections

At , we've created Employee Community Groups (ECGs) in order to foster a sense of belonging among employees. Many employees make up one of six ECGs and each one receives all year-round funding, a mission statement, and executive sponsorship in order to host workshops and organize events.

ECGs as well as similar ECGs and similar groups (whether they're held on Slack as well as in person as well as on video calls) can create psychologically safe environments for employees to communicate and unwind. As we've witnessed, that's invaluable for the health of your employees' minds of your employees, their happiness, and the belonging to your teams.

4. Respond to social justice moments

Today, companies are becoming increasingly global, which means that -- at any time there are workers affected by global issues. Whether that's the war in Ukraine as well as the end of rights to abortion, or an earthquake in Haiti leaders must react to events that are important to their employees.

There are times when social justice issues is going to require a formal statement from your CEO, of course. Those can be incredibly impactful and uplifting, however when we think of responding to these moments it is primarily about taking care of your employees. Ask yourself:

• How can you handle the situation to an employee who has suffered died in the family?
• What do you do for employees who are denied access to certain rights?
• How do you provide spaces and help for those who are undergoing traumatizing events in their city?
• What do you think about acknowledging your the experiences of your employees?

If you react to social justice moments with support and empathy, employees are aware that you care about them and are there for them. When that moment is missed? Employees leave.

5. Don't ignore smaller opportunities for change

If you are executing your DEI plan, it could be easy to concentrate solely on your goals. However, really accepting DEI involves looking at every actions from a DEI lens. Once you've done that then you will begin to look at smaller, no-cost ways to improve DEI within your organization.

At a particular point , we've begun to take more seriously our partnerships. It doesn't cost us anything to join with an organization for the purpose of making an impact, so what can we do to expand this program? How can we better use it to aid more Black-owned companies or people who are improving their conditions in prison system?

Companies are often so busy watching the North Star that they miss opportunities such as these. Take a step back and look for lesser opportunities.

6. Make sure you remember to purchase your product

In the final hours of the day, your employees working to deliver a product or service to consumers -- so make sure that you include DEI as part of your marketing. Is your marketing inclusive? Are you supporting diverse needs? Are your options taking everyone's needs into account, or do they exclude people who aren't?

These are major components that will determine the success of your company So make sure they're an integral part of your plan.

Take the first step in your DEI journey