EQUITY IS THE KEY; PROMOTING EQUITY IN THE

WORKPLACE

Companies seeking to improve employee recruitment, performance, and retention,

increase engagement, achieve higher revenue and growth can find opportunities and
resources through diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

It’s normal, anymore, for employees to spend more time at work than they do anywhere
else. Imagine if everyone in your organization, regardless of gender identity, ethnicity,
race, sexual orientation, age, disability, economic situation, religion, culture, etc., felt
safe, welcomed, and accepted wholeheartedly for who they are and what they can
contribute? What if your employees knew that your company and their co-workers cared
about them as if they were a “second family?” Imagine what your company could
accomplish and how appealing it would be to work for and do business with such an
organization.

A diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce is vital to the success of any organization.
It has become the new standard of leadership. Positive day-to-day experiences bring
management closer to employees. Encouraging employees to share perspectives and
insights where they feel safe and supported creates opportunities for relationship-
building and innovation. It also brings companies closer to the customers and
communities they serve and support.

With a bit of effort and some strategic planning, your company can create a culture that
promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. Here are 10 tips for
consideration:

1. Encourage employees to recognize words and actions.

Every company has a NON-NEGOTIABLE policy that every employee must
be treated with dignity and respect. Inclusiveness and kindness should be
fostered, recognized, and encouraged at all levels of the organization.
Divisive, exclusionary, and abusive words and actions should be immediately
reported to managers or Human Resources
2. Be willing to listen.
Consider conducting surveys (for instance, a Pulse survey!) and focus
groups to better understand some of the organization’s strengths, issues,
challenges, obstacles, and company culture. It may help identify a starting
point for potential changes, as well as potential risk areas.
3. Broaden recruiting efforts and consider rewriting future job descriptions.
Perhaps a college degree isn’t as necessary as it once was. Consider hiring
 people with disabilities or retirees with years of experience under their belts.
Are there places in your operations where you can expand the talent pool to
provide opportunities to people from underserved communities? Here’s a
chance to find a new approach and to reach out to new stakeholder groups.
There is talent everywhere!
4. Standardize the interview process.
Digital screenings eliminate cognitive and unconscious biases and ensure a
fair, standardized process in evaluating candidates based on competencies.
5. Don’t build fences; build bridges.
Enrich networks and feedback loops. Collaborate across boundaries
whenever possible by coaching, mentoring, and sponsoring employees at all
levels of the organization. Remember to also connect with informal and
social networks within the organization.
6. Embrace more “culture add” and less “culture fit.”
As your company adds diverse talent and becomes more accepting, there
will be less pressure to require employees to fit a norm – which is a good
thing! Think of the new and exciting ideas that your teams will share.
7. Seek larger pools of thought.
Invite input from all employees and seek speakers of diverse backgrounds to
present at meetings, seminars, and new hire orientations. Don’t rely on the
same people all the time.
8. Ensure representation across all employee levels.
Leadership must support and commit to providing professional development
opportunities to middle and front-line managers.
9. Review how the company recognizes multicultural, religious, and informal
holidays/election days.
Encourage employees to enjoy days significant to the company and
celebrate holidays most meaningful in their own lives. Consider allotting
company holidays and then assign other holidays by region or give
employees flexible holidays that they can use as they please. When
scheduling meetings, inventory projects, or other special events, respect
multicultural and religious holidays and election days.
10. Consider offering employees access to a quiet room.
Make space available where believers and those who wish to use a room as
a quiet space but do not consider themselves spiritual can take 15 minutes
for relaxation, reflection, or individual or communal worship.

Research shows that diversity, equity, and inclusion programs result in greater
employee satisfaction and better performance and outcomes.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are more than the latest buzzwords. The business-
related leadership styles, management efforts, initiatives and programs related to these
words should have been happening all along.