Diversity, Equity, and Beyond.
You’ve heard the terms and acronyms—DEI, D&I, EDI, DEIB, JEDI! It’s likely you know what all the letters stand for (just in case—diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and justice are all represented).
You’ve heard the statistics:
85% of companies with revenue greater than $500 million agree diversity is key to driving innovation in the workplace
83% of millennials feel more connected to their company if they believe their workplace has a diverse and inclusive culture
65% of consumers make choices based on the words, values and actions of company leaders.
Highly inclusive companies are more likely to hit their financial target goals by up to 120%
You’ve taken some trainings—perhaps a mix of HR-heavy, compliance-oriented modules, awareness-building tutorials on micro-aggressions and unconscious bias, and longer-form sessions on inclusive leadership, anti-racism or Whiteness.
But now what? Have you achieved diversity goals around recruitment and retention? Do all employees in your organization feel a sense of inclusion and belonging? Is your organization as equitable as it could be? In short, have the investments paid off?
If the answer is “yes,” great work! We’d love to hear your story and learn from your accomplishments! Seriously! Please post a quick comment below and tell us more!
If the answer is “no,” read on. We have some ideas…
Return to roots, to fundamentals—over and over again. In Equity Labs we start with human connection and different ways to manifest empathy. Connecting with your peers, seeing them—and being seen—in our full humanity doesn’t get old. Come back to these basics regularly.
Practice—every day. Cultivating diversity; including folks who’ve historically not been included; applying an equity lens to your decision-making—these are practices, learned habits. There’s no perfection, just practice, and that’s OK!
Do it as a team. NASA doesn’t get to outer space without a team. Even the best soccer players in the world can’t excel without harmonizing with their teammates. Building an equitable organization requires a team approach. Do it together!
Sustain the efforts. There are no quick fixes to culture change. If you aren’t able to retain people of color in your organization; if employees feel excluded; if trainings aren’t making a difference, you need culture change. That’s OK—don’t be afraid. Cultures evolve and are changing all the time, remember shag carpet and linoleum, smoking on airplanes? You WANT to evolve, you WANT to grow into the next historical moment.
Continue and deepen the learning. Treat the efforts equitably (don’t apply a singular approach equally). Not everyone needs the same type of learning or knowledge building.
Creating equitable workplaces may require you to shake up your thinking to unstick yourself from the “I don’t know how” mentality. Small, incremental change applied consistently over time is what builds new habits and behaviors. Start where you are, influence what you can influence, keep practicing, get your team on board with you, keep going, keep learning, keep growing.