Equity, inclusion and individual engagement principle (EIIEP)

When the post-pandemic normal replaces the present pandemic disruption, how does one build employee engagement, particularly at a time when, increasingly, workers have increasing options in deciding where and how to apply their skills? Employee engagement is becoming vital to successful businesses, however, that hasn’t translated to significantly wider adoption of meaningful diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices in workspaces.

It is within this context that the author of this article presents the Equity, Inclusion and Individual Engagement Principle (EIIEP), which is based on observations from the DEI experiences and employee contributions to achieving business objectives.

The Equity, Inclusion and Individual Engagement Principle is exemplified by a commitment to equity, from leaders of organizations, in order to achieve societal and business goals. Superior performance against these goals is attained when there is Individual Engagement, which can only occur through real and conscious Inclusion. This Inclusion is the bridge between Equity and Individual Engagement.

Why engagement is vital

After studying 112,000 teams and 2.7 million workers in 276 organizations across 54 industries in 96 countries for three decades, Gallup identified that employee engagement contributed to:

• 81% lower absenteeism;
• 58% fewer patient safety incidents; and
• 23% higher profitability

in the best performing organizations. Gallup concluded: if money is the language of business, engagement is the language of motivation. (See, https://bit.ly/3CuPwyT, Dec. 15, 2020.)

However, in its most recent report, Gallup has identified a paradoxical shift in the relationship between employee reports of well-being and engagement. Gallup found remote workers of all generations (Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers) had higher employee engagement compared to their on-site working counterparts. This increase in engagement seems to be related to increased flexibility and autonomy, active interactions with leadership, and a shared sense of purpose with other co-workers.

While remote working and other changes were necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the implementation of DEI programs followed the typical course of any change, namely, a smaller number of early adopters compared to laggards. In its 2019 report (which preceded the pandemic) McKinsey found that among their 1000-large company cohort, “while most have made little progress, are stalled or even slipping backward, some are making impressive gains in diversity, particularly in executive teams.” McKinsey’s analysis also showed that the companies in the top quartile with respect to gender diversity on executive teams are 25% more likely to have above-average profitability compared to those in the bottom quartile. (See, https://mck.co/3CxRzC8, May 19, 2020.)

Of particular interest is McKinsey’s analysis of inclusion. The information was gained from social-listening of employee reviews of their leadership. The report states “while overall sentiment on diversity was 53% positive and 31 percent negative, sentiment on inclusion was markedly worse, at only 29% positive and 61 percent negative …. Hiring diverse talent isn’t enough — it’s the workplace experience that shapes whether people remain and thrive.” Gallup also concluded: “Engagement and wellbeing aren’t about the place. They’re about the experience.”

Building employee engagement

One missing best practice in DEI is equity. This was quite poignant when the 2020 Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, recommended that equity be added to their assignment on improving diversity and inclusion in public transportation.

Disney is an example of a company that is actively leveraging employee engagement and DEI approaches. According to a report from City Journal, Disney is intensively involving its employees in confronting aspects of systemic racism, including sensitizing them to the issues of stereotyping, microaggressions in the workplace. (See, https://bit.ly/3DzSlzV, May 7, 2020). Disney is intensively involving its employees in confronting aspects of systemic racism, including sensitizing them to the issues of stereotyping, microaggressions, and other discriminatory behavior in the workplace.

Although we might not totally support this approach, which could evoke strong feelings of resentment and resistance, we believe that Disney is right. There is a difference between equality and equity. “Equal is a noble goal. Equal treatment and access to opportunities help each of us perform our best within a shared set of parameters. But we really need to be striving for equity, where we focus on the equality of the outcome, not the equality of the experience by taking individual needs and skills into account,” the document reads:

“What leaders focus on can change their organization’s trajectory,” according to McLain and Robison from Gallup. In their article on the extraordinary achievements of Nationwide, a 2020 survey revealed that for every disengaged employee there are 24 engaged employees at Nationwide. They further commented that Gale King’s (EVP and Chief Administrative Officer) “advocacy for fairness and equity has made Nationwide’s culture extraordinarily inclusive”. This is the best example of the EIIE Principle, where leaders focus on Equity and genuine Inclusion provides the bridge to achieve Individual Engagement. Kirt Walker, the CEO of Nationwide declared, “I think of fairness, of caring for people and of integrity, and her (Gale King’s) legacy is going to be that she is the best example we have of living our No. 1 value: people.”

Yancy Berns, in Comparably.com, profiles 10 companies that have ‘impactful D&I initiatives’. Here are some common themes:

• The leaders focus on equity at all levels
• Employees are encouraged to bring their ‘authentic selves’ to work
• Use of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to get employee contribution
• Focus on economic benefits of Diverse contributions
• Focus on Integrating best practices of Inclusion
• The leaders of these companies are providing the strategic framework, Equity, and are consciously working on Inclusion to achieve Individual Engagement. They are linking their D&I efforts to business achievement and related personal goals

Equality does not equal equity

Equity is indeed an essential component of all meaningful DEI efforts. Whereas equality focuses on providing equal opportunities, equity focuses on providing the necessary resources each individual needs to achieve the best outcome. There is a vital link between empowering an individual to achieve the best outcome and engaging that individual. Equity enhances the sense of purpose and motivation, which in turn amplifies employee engagement and desire to achieve best outcomes personally and for the organization.

Once the equity principle is in place inclusion becomes the next opportunity. When equity is present, inclusion is approached in a more thoughtful manner.

Inclusion is an opportunity

Inclusion and true diversity are inseparable. Diversity of thought, ideas, approaches and experiences are part of the life experience of an individual. One cannot benefit from the productivity that diversity brings without including the bearer of that diversity!

In my view, no amount of hand-to-hand combat with microaggressions will adequately address a problem that is endemic and has evolved over centuries. Addressing the problem requires both strategic and tactical approaches. The desired outcome is individual engagement, while leaders commit to focusing on equity. Conscious inclusion is the bridge between the present state and the desired outcome of individual engagement. Therefore, a holistic approach is necessary if an organization wants to operationalize the EIIEP. Such an approach would consist of the following elements:

• Development of a Ten-Point Equity Policy;
• Evaluation of rules, regulations, decision making and promotion practices that support the Ten-Point Equity Policy;
• Review of present DEI programs and their support of the Ten-Point Equity Policy;
• Assessment of individual engagement at all levels of the organization;
• Identification of in-house DEI programs that reinforce the equity policy;
• Introduction of targeted sessions to help aggrieved individuals;
• Introduction of group sessions to explore specific examples of equity challenges; and
• Development of a “Continuous Improvement Equity Policy.”

The above program demonstrates the commitment of leadership to create a work environment in which everyone can collaborate, innovate and achieve personal and company goals without fear of being themselves. It also provides a framework that fosters dialogue between leaders and associates. It enables harmonization of company goals and individual goals, and it increases the wellbeing of the associates with the attendant benefit to their lives away from the workplace.

It drives Individual Engagement because there is real and conscious Inclusion. Organizations would then be able to proudly say: The individual is our top priority.

Frank L. Douglas Ph.D., M.D. is an award-winning industry veteran with more than three decades of experience in healthcare, pharmaceuticals and entrepreneurship. Douglas is the founder of Safe Haven Dialogues, LLC and the recipient of the 2007 Black History Makers Award and has been honored twice as the Global Pharmaceutical R&D Director of the Year. Douglas holds a BS in Chemistry from Lehigh University, Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry, and an M.D. from Cornell University. He did his internship and residency in internal medicine at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institution and a fellowship in neuroendocrinology at the National Institutes of Health.

This article appeared in Marketing the Law Firm, an ALM/Law Journal Newsletters publication reporting on the latest, and most effective, strategies for Chief Marketing Officers, Managing Partners, Law Firm Marketing Directors, Administrators and Consultants.