Strategies To Infuse Diversity Equity and Inclusion Into Your Organization

Today, successful organizations leverage diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to promote a healthy work environment to ultimately increase business profitability.

Movements like #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter have raised the profile of inequalities, and organizations realize they can make a difference by ensuring DEI is pervasive in their workplaces.

The challenge is infusing DEI is slow; if it’s not done correctly, it will fail. Every stakeholder in the business must participate equally and promote the DEI strategy.

DEI Strategy Insights

In this business blog post, we look at some of the content from a blog post on the site Bridget, as it is an interview with the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Mortenson, Joffrey Wilson.

Mortenson’s experiences are valuable and may change your business’s DEI strategy.

Goals

The starting point is knowing what you want from infusing DEI into your business.

Set SMART goals that involve everyone from the top executive down. You need to understand how the strategy is working, which requires measurement.

Measurement

The critical measurement may identify the progress your business has made on goals that may include:

• Revamping the job selection process
• Increasing positions for women
• Reserving specific numbers in leadership for historically underrepresented groups
• More roles in specific geographical regions or for workers with particular skills
• Training in the DEI-driven environment

Whatever your goals and metrics, don’t lose sight of the main aim of DEI, which is to create an environment that encourages acceptance and inclusion.

Involve Stakeholders

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) need everyone in the organization on board; you can achieve this with training, programs, and accountability.

Here are some ways you can promote DEI efforts within your business.

Promote Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)

ERGs help employees with similar backgrounds, interests, characteristics, and issues build communities.

Such communities support each other by sharing ideas. It boosts the workforce’s morale and promotes organizations’ DEI goals.

Share Employee Stories

Employee stories can be a great way to showcase your commitment to DEI. Such stories are not meant to be significant but unique achievements by defeating all hardships. This way, every “singled out” person, like an only parent or only black person, relates to the company’s commitment towards its employee.

Commitment From The Top

The involvement of policymakers and decision-makers who implement the DEI strategy is necessary. CEO, board of directors, top leadership involvement, and active participation are paramount.

Implement and Monitor DEI Initiatives

The role of leaders and managers is vital in this step. They are the ones who find and nurture talent, make critical products, and make crucial decisions. Therefore, the leadership should integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion into their roles.

According to Joffrey Wilson, Director of DEI at Mortenson, systematic DEI implementation goes hand in hand with proper monitoring.

Managers and team leaders should emphasize collaboration and meetings to share their experiences. Effective monitoring ensures systematic DEI implementation, its success, and corrective actions.

Leverage Technology

Let your data reveal your diverse and equitable work environment. Use technology for quantifiable analytics, which is less biased and consistent.

Additionally, automation in the workplace brings the whole team to a single platform improving productivity, real-time data sharing, and better collaboration. Every team member’s expertise is witnessed, and a share of voice.

Besides, remote working, collaboration tools, and automation improve equity and diversity in the workplace.

Make DEI The Center of Your Business Strategy

Younger generations are holding businesses to account due to recent inequality movements; therefore, it’s risky for any business to ignore DEI.

Plus, if you need further convincing – DEI is good for sales. According to Alex Gorsky, chair and CEO of Johnson & Johnson…

Innovations from diverse groups are likely to meet the expectations of a diverse clientele.

Build An Exclusive DEI Education Budget

DEI initiative should not be a side hustle. Instead, create sufficient opportunities to involve every stakeholder. To learn, network, and grow together, arrange in-house or external events.

Let DEI-trained leaders and speakers share their valuable thoughts during such events.

Sponsor employees to participate in local meetups and join networks. Similarly, sponsor company leaders to attend DEI conferences.

Training

Make similar efforts in the field of DEI training and development. Include activities designed to create a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce.

Organizations with a dedicated budget for DEI initiatives can achieve more progress quicker.

DEI Recruitment and Sourcing

Effective DEI recruitment is the first step toward including diversity in your organization.

To bridge the gap and lead by example, recruit individuals from diverse backgrounds, thoughts, interests, values, and beliefs.

However, avoid projecting your recruitment drive as a branding strategy. A better story proves employees feel welcome, respected, and valued by their employers.

Beyond hiring, take the initiative to improve employee satisfaction to enhance employee retention.

Evaluate your company policies and past data to ascertain the following:

• Diversity at the executive and management levels
• Fair and equal promotion policies for all employee groups
• Backgrounds or groups of employees more likely to leave your company

Endnote

Diversity, equity, and inclusion in any organization need patience, resources, effort, and time.

Therefore success is not overnight. Instead, it is an ongoing process that starts with SMART goals realized in changes made in techniques that prove diversity, equality, and inclusion.

Further Reading

Workforce Ecosystems: Reaching Strategic Goals with People, Partners, and Technologies (Management on the Cutting Edge) is a pioneering guide to understanding and leading workforce ecosystems, which include not only traditional employees, contractors, and gig workers but also partner with organizations that work with companies to accomplish enterprise and individual goals.