The best way to increase equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace |

In the wake of employees' increasing social emotional, environmental, and physical needs have become more pronounced, employers have realized they have to take action in order to assist their teamsotherwise, they risk losing them. This includes more interests and investment in diversity, equity and diversity (DEI) programs at work.

While this shift is promising however, it's been caused by confusion. We talked to DEI experts and thought leaders to understand what DEI entails, the foundation of establishing a solid DEI strategy, and some tips on making it successful.

Dive into DEI The lessons you'll gain

•    What is diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace?
•    The effects of diversity, equity, and inclusion
•    How to build an equitable, diverse and inclusive work environment
•    6 tips to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace

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

One of the most costly mistakes I've witnessed companies commit in my fifteen years in DEI has been treating diversity as an exercise to check boxes. The focus of companies is on statistics -- for instance, the proportion of their workforce who are Black, Indigenous, and people of different races (BIPOC) or the amount they've donated to a cause -- and miss all important, subtle details that actually actuallyimpact their employees.

Since DEI is so much bigger than that.

True DEI isn't just about checking boxes in your hiring process. It is always helpful to break equity, diversity, and inclusion down in order to know what these terms means.

Integrating DEI into your workplace requires you to actively advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in every part of your company. It means learning to examine every decision inside every department using a DEI lens , from the partnerships you choose to support to how well you promote your employees outside of the workplace.

DEI concerns the things we can see however equally significant are as the things that we can't determine: how comfortable our employees feel, if they feel a sense of belonging to the company, and if individuals feel they can talk openly with their bosses.

The effects of diversity, equity, and inclusiveness

It's hard to overstate the effects of equity, diversity and inclusion for both your employees and your organization.

It's clear why diversity, equity, and inclusion matters to the employees. Employees want to feel comfortable and at home at work: they want to see people who are like themselves, to feel confident in their ability to fail without fear, speak up safely and know that they aren't required to hide their personality when at work.

For a long time I was unable to imagine how I could become an executive since I was a Black single mom of three. In the beginning of my career, I was convinced that I must have the right answer for any question, and ensure that my hair wasn't naturally tangled for me to be successful. It was only after I chose to join companies that met me exactly where I was when I realized all the things that I thought did not belong to me were actually my strength. It's been a while since I've heard other people have similar stories.

The data supports these stories regarding how a strong DEI company culture affects the employees. Based on the research done by BetterUp, those who experience a high connection to their work place show that, on the average

• A 56 percent increase in job performance
• 50% reduction in the likelihood of leaving
• A decrease of 75 percent in employee sick days
• Employer Net Promotion Scores (eNPS) which are higher by 167%

These are clear benefits for employees. However, they're highly beneficial to firms that are a fan of DEI. In addition to the numerous benefits that come from an active workforce, less turnover, stronger job performance and a decrease in absenteeism companies with higher diversity are more likely to see an above-average profit, higher profits, a greater rate of return on investment and a higher percent of revenue from innovation.

This is the kind of results that come not just from ticking boxes, instead, it comes from making the work to ensure that employees feel psychologically safe. When employees feel they can take risks and still be supported, or are able to safely speak with the manager with concerns or ideas, companies reap their advantages.

This is the time for employers to hear their teams' best ideas, most imaginative and innovative ideas, and that kind of constructive feedback that will truly help the performance of an organisation.

What can you do to create a diverse, equitable, and an inclusive work environment

If you're eager to flesh an DEI strategy that is more than ticking boxes, we'll detail the steps you'll have to follow to start understanding and actioning your priorities.

Take stock of the place you're at

The first thing you'll want to get is an understanding of the way DEI currently looks like at the company you work for. This can be a scary step if you haven't started your DEI journey yet, since it's hard to see where your gaps are. This is however essential -- because when you're not collecting fundamental data, it's impossible to track the progress you make over time.

A good method to begin is to start by creating your own engagement surveys as well as collecting self-identified diversity information on your current employees.

Be aware that data that you collect can tell a story, not just regarding your DEI efforts, but about how things are going in general. In other words, it's impossible to look at employee engagement from 2019 to employee engagement in 2020 without mentioning the effects of the pandemic. In the same way, keep in mind the context of what's going on both locally and internationally each year in order to understand how factors affect employees' lives.

Go on a listening tour

Although a survey may provide you with an excellent initial image of the level of engagement at your organization Don't just stop there. Surveys can be a valuable source of data, but if you don't talk to individuals directly, you'll be missing critical insights and feedback.

I generally recommend approaching this through coordinating meeting with your CEO directly. Often, employees' opinions do not make it to leadership, since they are filtered through management chains. It is a chance for the CEO to engage in direct conversations with a particular group and really hear their comments about their concerns and ideas.

It's my first step to ask members to join groups that are based on diverse dimensions (such such as BIPOC and LGBTQIA organizations). There is no limit to the number of participants that can be a part of the group since we'd like everyone to have a voice. I talk to each group first and let members know that at the event there will be a time for the CEO to inquire and a second amount of time to ask comments and questions by the group.

After that, I instruct the CEO in the type of questions they should be asking employees to gather valuable feedback. The CEO will always craft his own questions obviously, but I suggest that they also ask questions like:

• "What do you think are the best actions you think will help the company?"
• "What are some things that you think would help me to be a better leader?"
• "What do you believe will further our company goals?"
• "Here are the main objectives I'm working towards. From your position, consider what you think will hurt or benefit these goals?"

Prioritize needs

Conducting an audio tour or the launch of an engagement survey will usually reveal numerous DEI areas for a company to consider working on. This is completely normalsince, when it comes to DEI work there are always possibilities for how an organization can continue to improve the customer experience.

However, the reality is that many companies are faced with only a limited amount of time and funds to implement DEI initiatives. Actually, as per research carried out in 2022 by Culture Amp, only 34 percent of Human Resources and DEI practitioners feel they have sufficient resources to support their DEI initiatives.

It is obvious that prioritizing tasks is essential. However, how do you determine what tasks you should first tackle?

You should begin by analyzing all the information that you've collected, including feedback, as well as the insights you've collected through the listen-in tour, an engagement survey, and data collection. It's generally my experience that I can group these insights into three general areas:

• Tasks or initiatives that should be completed (but we haven't)
• Needs of the moment
• Long-term objectives

Once you've categorized the insights then go over and evaluate each by risk. Which needs are currently putting the company at risk from a legal standpoint? Anything that's putting the company or its employees in danger is a must-have.

Following that, you should take a look at projects that could be small-hanging fruits or may be the most pressing. Be realistic about what can be accomplished every quarter. Then, sketch your strategy on a roadmap.

Keep in mind the fact that DEI work is iterative. A company's DEI needs will constantly be evolving, and that's okay to leave some in your plans Don't be scared of having your needs for the future change.

Participate with leaders and managers DEI Training

As per James K. Harter, Gallup's chief scientist in work-related management, managers are responsible for at least 75 percent of the factors that cause employees to leave. And yet, only 41 managers report attending courses or classes that are focused on DEI.

Fortunately, explicit training can tackle these issues, helping managers apply a DEI lens to everything they perform, from interviewing to onboarding and facilitating effective one-on-one sessions.

It's not enough to just focus on managers when it comes to training, either. Company leaders may not have enough time to spend one-onone with teams, but true commitment to DEI needs to start from the high levels. The leaders must be actively involved in DEI rather than simply making an announcement on a website. Furthermore, training via video, in-person or hybrid group sessions could help them make sure they are bringing an DEI lens to every choice they make.

You can measure your achievement -- then share it

As you tackle initiatives in your plan, don't forget to monitor and assess the impact of each. In the case of, say, if you want to see a higher percentage of BIPOC employees who are in leadership positions be sure to keep the track of your progress and the results. Consider identifying and measuring the following:

• What has been the amount you've increased the percentage of BIPOC applicants that are in your pipeline?
• What ways have you diversified the job boards you advertise What job boards have you diversified your advertising
• How many BIPOC employees do you promote to senior positions?

Once you've documented the progress your company is making then share the story to the entire company via a town hall meeting or video update synchronously. It lets your employees know that you're actually actioning their feedback through the tour as well as highlighting the improvements that you've achieved.

6 ways to encourage diversity, equity, and diversity at work

There are many methods to boost DEI at work as well as every company's journey is different. There are however a few tips you can use in order to discover possibilities to boost your DEI.

1. Lean in to difficult moments

A second example of this could be found in the hiring freezes numerous companies are experiencing. The hiring freeze is challenging to manage, however it can also provide an opportunity to evaluate what your current recruiting and hiring practices will look as. Lean into this moment and ask yourself the following questions:

• We can expand our Careers page and interviewing panels?
• What can we do to ensure that our candidates from all walks of life can envision ourselves in our organization before they arrive?
• How can we ensure the interviewing process, whether it's remote or in-person -- accommodates people with disabilities?

Every time you face a challenge, there's an opportunity to make improvements.

2. Don't focus solely on outcomes

While you think about your DEI plans, it could be easy to set goals that are solely focused on outputs. But don't forget that inputs can also be an effective driver of changes.

As an example, your output goal may be to improve diversity among employees to X percent. This is an important ultimate goal to establish, but it will be impacted by many, smaller actions that you take, such as:

• In the event that you are unable to fill your hiring pipeline with at minimum 50% minorities
• Ensuring 75 percent of the postings on job boards are geared towards minorities.
• Reviewing your benefit plan in order in order to ensure transgender women and female employees are protected

Make sure you are focusing on this level while you set the DEI plan, and you'll find many more positive changes that are implemented across your organization.

3. Create spaces that drive connections

At , we've established Employee Community Groups (ECGs) to help promote the feeling of belonging between employees. A large number of employees participate in one of six ECGs and each one receives an annual plan, mission statement, and executive sponsorship in order to host workshops and organize events.

ECGs and similar group discussions (whether they're held on Slack or in person as well as on video calls) provide psychologically secure spaces for employees to connect and unwind. We've observed, that's invaluable for the health of your employees' minds, happiness, and belonging to your teams.

4. Respond to social justice moments

Businesses today are more global, which means that -- at any time -- there will be people who are affected by global problems. It doesn't matter if it's war in Ukraine as well as losing abortion rights or the quake in Haiti, leadership needs to react to events that are important to their employees.

Not every social justice moment will require a public statement from your CEO, of course. Those can be incredibly impactful however, when we consider about how to respond in these situations this usually means being aware of the affected employees. Consider:

• How do you respond when an employee has a death in the family?
• How do you support employees who are denied access to some rights?
• How do you provide spaces and help for employees undergoing a traumatic event in their city?
• What are your ways of acknowledging the experiences of your employees?

If you react to situations of social justice by showing support and compassion, your employees will notice that you see them and care about them. If that moment goes unnoticed? Employees leave.

5. Don't ignore smaller opportunities for change

When carrying out your DEI strategy, it may be really easy to focus solely on your goals. However, really adhering to DEI is a matter of looking at every decisions by looking through a DEI lens. If you can do this it will be easier looking for smaller, low-cost strategies to boost DEI at your company.

For instance, at , we've started to take an in-depth look at our partnership. There is no cost to partner with an organization in order to make an impact, so what can we do to expand this program? What can we do to better utilize it to aid more Black-owned businesses or folks improving their lives in the prison system?

Businesses are usually so focused on watching the North Star that they miss opportunities like these. Take a step back and look for smaller potentials.

6. Make sure you remember to purchase your product

When you're done with your day, your employees are hard at work on delivering a item or service to customers. So make sure that you include DEI within the process. Is your marketing inclusive? Are you supporting diverse needs? Are your options taking everyone's needs into account, or are they accidentally exclusionary?

They are huge elements that are critical to the success of your company, so make sure that they're included in your business plan.

Start the beginning of your DEI journey