“An equal, diverse, and inclusive workplace is a key driver of resilience and recovery.”
— Manuela Tomei, Director, ILO Conditions of Work and Equality Department
Discriminatory practices, systemic biases, archaic leadership attitudes, and personal prejudices continue to erode cohesive team dynamics, stifle workplace productivity, and hinder institutional growth. As a result of this toxic reality, the words ‘Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’ (DEI) have become mantras in many boardroom conversations.
What is DEI?
DEI reflects a paradigm shift in management’s approach to strategy, decision-making, implementation, and people management. The general attitude is to foster an environment that embraces differences and values individuality.
Diversity encompasses a wide range of experiences, as well as visible and non-visible characteristics that make employees unique. These characteristics may include, but are certainly not limited to, culture, race, religion, sexual orientation, and cognitive function. Inclusion refers to an active and intentional effort to ensure that diverse perspectives, characteristics, and groups are valued and integrated into all aspects of the organisation. This involves management and staff creating a work environment, where people feel as if they truly belong.
Finally, equity recognises the varying needs and circumstances of individuals and addresses systemic disparities before allocating resources—thus identity is not predictive of opportunities or workplace outcomes.
A 2022 press release from the International Labour Organization indicated that, “High levels of diversity and inclusion in the workplace are associated with greater productivity, innovation, and workforce well-being, yet too little is being done to promote them, particularly among minority groups, meaning that enterprises, workers, and societies are missing out on considerable potential benefits … One-in-four people do not feel valued at work and those who do feel included are in more senior roles.”
Benefits of DEI for local employers
Citigroup, Bath & Body Works, General Mills, Progressive, Paypal, and Johnson & Johnson are noteworthy examples of international employers known for promoting DEI-positive workspaces.
This writer believes that if local employers are to embrace DEI culture, their organisations would benefit from the following:
A sense of belonging—It is so important for employees to experience the safety and wholesomeness of belonging – a sense of being a meaningful part of something bigger than themselves. Such employees exhibit higher levels of job satisfaction and commitment and are also less inclined to engage in petty interpersonal disputes.
Diverse talent acquisition—DEI-positive organisations are usually deemed ‘great places to work’ and word of their reputation is usually spread by way of mainstream and social media. Thus, they can attract a wider pool of talent, which contributes to organisational performance, as diverse talent is almost always better equipped and suited to understand and serve a diverse customer base.
Improved levels of employee retention—Ultimately, DEI-positive workplace cultures stimulate open communication, increased loyalty, mutual respect, and stable employment experiences. This writer believes that happy employees are more inclined to remain connected to their employer. This positively impacts employee retention levels and retained employees often develop a deeper understanding of operations and a greater appreciation for the institution itself. This also reduces unnecessary recruitment costs and ‘new-trainee’ disruptions.
In creating a DEI-positive workspace, it is recommended that management explores comprehensive solutions and interventions that go beyond mere tokenism. In addition to being guided by moral and ethical safeguards, management should consider:
Leadership commitment—Leaders set the tone for the entire organisation and they should continuously articulate a commitment to DEI and model inclusive behaviour. It is also important that DEI commitment be engraved into policies, practices, and procedures and accompanied by measures for holding both management and staff accountable for non-compliance.
Education and training intervention—Management is encouraged to conduct regular training initiatives strategically tailored to raise awareness for systemic inequalities, whilst sensitising staff about their own unconscious biases and micro-aggressions. This is also an opportunity for management to introduce strategies for inclusive communication, conflict resolution, and most importantly, gender-balanced decision-making.
Creation of an inclusive work culture—Management can begin by fostering an environment in which open communication is encouraged. It’s not practical to believe that all employees would have an equal voice, but they can most certainly have a valued opinion. Management should also recognise and celebrate diverse cultures, identities, and experiences through team-building events, initiatives, and healthy competitions.
Workplaces are social environments and ultimately serve as building blocks in our society. Employees are said to spend most of their productive time at work – this implies that the state of the workplace has a huge impact on the employee, possibly affecting other aspects of his life. A DEI-positive workplace increases the employee’s sense of self-worth whilst promoting organisational stability, safety, retention rates, and financial resilience. This writer strongly believes that transforming workplaces through diversity and inclusion is worth all of the time, effort, and investment.
