Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) are top of mind for many People & Culture and Business leaders as the benefits continue to be touted from the organisations who are doing this well!!
Research indicates that organisations that are more diverse and inclusive have improved business outcomes, are more creative when it comes to problem solving, are more productive, and have a positive impact on profits through stronger teamwork, a positive company image and improved retention. We know the benefits however we still have work to do to attract, retain and engage talent from diverse backgrounds.
Actions you can take to gain and build momentum
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are everyone’s responsibility, we all play a role in creating inclusive environments. It can seem overwhelming when there is so much work to do and you aren’t sure where to start or what will have the biggest impact. As the saying goes, the best time to plant an avocado tree was 20 years ago, and the second best time is today. Here are 6 ways to get started and build momentum as you work to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in your workplace:
1. Build an inclusive company culture
The most important thing you can do to improve DE&I is to build an environment where people are free to be their best selves. In the 2021 workplace wellbeing census, conducted by Bupa, it was reported that 28 per cent of people in the workplace suffer bullying and/or discrimination on issues such as gender, age or sexual orientation.
How do you build an inclusive company culture?
Communicate why DE&I is important and how the organisation will be engaging in a more inclusive workplace. Start by talking to the employees and communicate what you are trying to achieve. Acknowledge the journey and ask for their support. Use inclusive language in your business values.
Celebrate DE&I across the organisation. Take time to understand your employees, what are their values, how they want to be recognized and what is important to them. Create events and initiatives focused on inclusivity.
Gather and act on feedback. Engage your team members in the process. Provide a platform for them to provide feedback and communicate with them to let them know their feedback is appreciated and taken seriously. Wherever possible, share results from team suggestions and let them know when you’ve implemented their feedback.
Recognise and reward performance. Not only does recognition drive employee engagement and boost morale, but rewarding specific behaviours is a great way to re confirm your company’s values.
2. Set Key Performance Indicators
What gets measured, gets done. Set key performance indicators (KPIs) and hold people accountable for achieving them. For example, you may choose to set goals for:
Representation: Compare the representation of people from underrepresented groups to market demographics or industry benchmarks. Set KPIs to improve representation overall, by job level, or by role.
Talent acquisition: Setting goals around the diversity of the talent pool and diversity of the hiring panel. Sourcing goals for candidates from underrepresented groups.
Retention: Compare the average employee tenure by demographics and use exit survey data to identify trends for each group. Set KPIs around retention goals.
Promotions: Look at your representation by job level, promotion rate by demographic, and time to promotion by demographic. Set KPIs to encourage promotions for team members from underrepresented groups.
3. Build an inclusive hiring process
Once you have the foundations of an inclusive culture, KPIs, and team involvement, you may begin to focus on recruiting candidates from underrepresented groups. Take the time to build the right hiring process which includes:
Providing recruitment and unconscious bias training to all hiring leaders.
Reviewing talent acquisition strategy including, where the job is advertised, and the language used in the job descriptions to ensure they are written with language that is inclusive, without bias, and will encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply.
Develop and implement a structured approach to interviews. Use an interview guide with set questions to ensure all candidates are asked the same questions to make more objective hiring decisions.
4. Prioritise pay equity and employee benefits
The wage gap is real. Pay attention to pay equity when you make external job hires, internal periodic reviews and through promotions. Having a structured compensation strategy, salary bandings as well as being across external data and market trends are good places to start.
Employee benefits should be a representation of what would benefit your employees. Revisit your employee benefits to make them more inclusive. Start by asking your employees what they want? For example:
Provide floating holidays to team members so they can celebrate holidays of their choosing.
Offer flex schedules to improve work-life balance, especially for those with caretaking responsibilities or high medical needs.
5. Invest in and offer DE&I education
Invest in and offer educational resources to your team to help them learn and grown and support the DE&I within the organisation. Resources could include:
Internal training on DE&I and unconscious bias
Sponsoring events within the community and encouraging team members to attend
Educational events with experts and thought leaders
Leadership coaching
6. Talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion
Diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace will always be an ongoing journey. Make the time to keep it top of mind for each employee through employee touchpoints:
Leadership communications; sharing road maps and plans
Communicating the targets and the results
DE&I Committee updates
Board reporting
Team meetings
Employee surveys
Every organisation's diversity, equity and inclusion journey will be different. However there is one thing that is common: best practice starts with the employees at center of the program. Programs are evaluated with data from key metrics to measure impact and action plans are developed to deliver continued growth and change.
Conclusion and final thoughts
The benefits of diversity, equity, and inclusion are clear. Yet many organisations and leaders still struggle with how to build an inclusive culture that achieves the goals of creating a workplace where everyone is seen as equals. Our team works closely with companies like yours on developing successful DE&I programs by addressing these critical areas highlighted above. We can help you develop your own plan for building a more diverse and inclusive environment.