Despite clear and decisive advantages, many organizations struggle to implement effective Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) programmes. Good intentions aren't enough. Implementation is key to success. The only way to implement an effective DEI programme overnight is to get a genie to grant those three wishes! For the rest of us, it takes time, effort, focus, and much trial and error. Your workforce composition changes over time, and so will their needs; DEI programmes must catch up to stay relevant.
The advantages are clear and measurable. Companies can achieve up to 33% higher revenue through a commitment to diversity and inclusivity in the leadership. Around 50% of Gen Z professionals say that a serious commitment to diversity, equality, and inclusivity in the workplace will influence their choice of employer. Why is there so much friction when implementing such an obvious value driver?
Many organizations are simply not aware that they have an issue at all. Leaning on vanity metrics is reassuring in the short term, but they are not absolute indicators of success. On the other hand, if your ratios are skewed one way or the other, it doesn't make sense to go on a hiring spree just to fill your rolls with team members from under-represented groups. If your organization hasn't built a culture that supports diversity, forcing diversity into the existing framework is a big mistake without making the necessary adjustments.
Like most companies, when we first began focusing on diversity, equality, and inclusivity, there were no real symptoms of a need for improvement. As a knowledge services company, our gender ratio has always been relatively even, and we have set up our facilities accordingly. We do not discriminate or track parameters such as religion, ethnicity, and sexual orientation, and we do not track this information for our employees. We also provide opportunities to people with physical challenges to contribute to our business, and we have always taken steps to make the workplace accessible to everyone.
We employ specialized trainers to enable effective communication with differently-abled individuals. We provide Hearing aids and other enabling devices for those who need them free of cost. Since inception, we have included respect and compassion as the company's core values, and we have established a strongly meritocratic environment to highlight actual performance and naturally push all other factors into the background.
The most direct way for organizations to understand their successes and failures in DEI is to ask questions and listen to their people. Remember that the goal is not just to have diversity in your workforce but to provide an equitable and inclusive environment for your diverse workforce. There are specific indicators – or signal lights, if you want to look at it qualitatively – which stand out in any typical organization.
Is diversity visible in your upper-level leadership? Or is it restricted to the junior levels, where it is easier to accommodate more people for DEI targets?
Apart from Government mandated holidays, do you offer sufficient accommodation for various religious groups and days of religious significance for them?
If you don't discriminate by age in hiring, do you follow through and offer senior employees the same insurance and all other benefits?
Have you arranged accessible facilities such as wheelchair ramps, special restrooms, and recovery time accommodations for your physically challenged staff?
Do all the other team members understand their needs and sensitivities if you have any non-binary employees or openly LGBTQ individuals on the team? If not, do you have any training programmes to help them?
An effective diversity strategy begins with accepting natural differences between people in your workforce. Depending on your management strategy, diversity can be your biggest strength or your worst nightmare. Promoting inclusivity and equality – embracing variances from the norm - gives you better results than ignoring or resisting. The 6 Es offer a good framework if you wish to set up an effective DEI policy:
Eliminate discriminatory barriers from your policies and processes
Extend the momentum beyond recruitment into their daily work-life
Educate your people on how to be inclusive with all kinds of colleagues
Evaluate the results from time to time by asking your team members
Encourage people to come forward with fair requests and grievances
Evolve your DEI strategy to keep up with the changing workforce
There are several factors to optimize for – gender, age, religious beliefs, community, nationality, home location, family structures, physical abilities, medical complications, health histories, mental abilities, social considerations, and so on. Remember that you are not merely doing favors to specific groups by creating an inclusive environment. Instead, you are giving an equal footing and equal opportunities so that everyone can contribute at their best to your business. That is your bottom-line consideration!
For more information, visit https://hr.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/workplace-4-0/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-equality-and-inclusion-is-your-company-adapting-effectively/95869994