Bettering corporate culture with DEI initiatives
DEI is more than policies or programs in the workplace.
As companies expand and operate in hybrid environments, it is essential for HR to ensure employees feel a sense of belonging at work. When employees feel valued by their managers and their wellbeing is a top priority, they are more likely to be satisfied and engaged, which leads to increased productivity and performance. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is an essential aspect of ensuring employees feel like they belong.
Related: Evolving DEI policies explore new ground
DEI is more than policies or programs in the workplace. DEI is essential to helping foster a respectful workplace that acknowledges and embraces the unique needs, perspectives, and potential of all employees. It starts with building trust which in turn enables people to feel passionate, energetic, and committed because they can be their authentic selves. It creates space for each employee to lean into their personal belonging journey. As a result, diverse and inclusive organizations earn deeper trust and more commitment from their employees. DEI is a critical aspect of building engaged and happy workplaces and can improve the wellbeing of all employees.
Creating a sense of belonging
A jaw-dropping 45% of American workers experienced discrimination and/or harassment in the workplace in the past year, according to a study by Gallup. DEI efforts are essential in reducing workplace harassment, making sure employees feel heard and are comfortable discussing discrimination and workplace safety.
Employees want to work for organizations that are focused on and committed to creating environments that reflect a community’s broader demographics and in which they feel welcomed and respected. According to a survey by Glassdoor, 67% of job seekers believe workplace diversity is an important factor when considering employment opportunities, and more than 50% of current employees want their workplace to do more to increase diversity.
A sense of belonging is ultimately rooted in trust and partnership amongst employees, peers, and their managers. Encouraging people to be their authentic selves can foster communities in the workplace where people can converse, network, and get support from colleagues. Initiatives can include Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), which are voluntary, people-led groups that provide a safe space where members can have conversations, network, and a sense of community. Members can share a common identity, whether it is gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, lifestyle, or life experiences that connect them to their community of interest, regardless of self-identification.
Prioritizing employees’ needs
Listening to employees is vital to DEI efforts. Listening will help teams and managers develop a deep understanding of their employees’ experiences at work. Many organizations use engagement surveys or pulses to get a read on the overall health of their work environment. Although this may seem like a helpful tool, it is not an effective way to evaluate workplace culture when it comes to DEI.
A study conducted by Mercer that surveyed more than 1 million employees at more than 100 organizations found that engagement levels for Black employees, indigenous employees, and people of color (BIPOC) were just as high as engagement levels for white employees. Even though rates of engagement were positive, it was found that BIPOC employees experienced significantly higher levels of workplace discrimination and favoritism than their white counterparts. By focusing too narrowly on workplace engagement to evaluate employee experience, companies can overlook their own inequities.
However, that is not to say engagement is no longer important in the workplace. Highly engaged employees are still three times more likely to say they feel heard at work (92%) than highly disengaged employees (just 30%), according to “The Heard and the Heard-Nots,” a global study of over 4,000 employees conducted by The Workforce Institute at UKG and Workplace Intelligence. Seventy-four percent of employees report they are more effective at their job when they feel heard, according to the same study.
DEI officers, those who engage directly and take responsibility for being the principal architect of a company’s DEI efforts, are instrumental in making sure employees are recognized and heard in the workplace. To prioritize employees—though it will look different on an organizational basis—DEI officers can:
- Facilitate the dialogue at all levels around supporting and enabling people.
- Create programs that support and encourage talent.
- Provide resources to support unique talent and marginalized communities.
- Address inequities in all systems, processes, and policies (promotions, professional development, mentorship, compensation, hiring and performance management).
- Remove barriers and bias that get in the way of fairness to create opportunities for all.
- Measure the success of people initiatives, engagement and belonging.
Leveraging resources
Tools are available to help DEI officers and their employees feel more comfortable, and subsequently understood, in the workplace. For example, tools like Writer, a search browser add-on, can be used to identify words that should be avoided and offer a synonym instead. Companies can look at words such as postmortem, which is commonly used across departments after a project is completed. With all the loss and pain that occurred during the pandemic, this word is no longer appropriate and can be added to a company’s Writer profile to suggest alternatives. Online training tools can include resources that help employees break biases to building awareness of the unique experiences specific underrepresented individuals face in the workplace.
Collaboration solutions — such as Zoom and Slack — can also assist employers in engaging colleagues on new levels, increase access to flexible work arrangements for all employees, and foster belonging. Adding pronouns to Zoom and Slack, and using someone’s correct personal pronouns, can show respect and foster belonging, just like using a person’s preferred name and knowing the correct pronunciation. Using someone’s correct pronouns demonstrates respect and inclusion across the workplace.
Additionally, online tools like Zoom and Slack can help employees with disabilities telework as a type of reasonable accommodation if they choose. Although 90% of companies claim to prioritize diversity, only 4% consider disability in those initiatives, according to a report from the Return On Disability Group. Generational diversity with a focus on employees later in their careers also tends to be a low priority. In fact, employees with disabilities and older employees can add to the organizational diversity that drives better decision-making and innovation companywide. Having different DEI efforts for different needs will foster a greater sense of understanding and community among employees and increase overall wellbeing.
Every company is at a different point in its DEI journey. For those organizations that may be just getting started in their DEI efforts, begin by creating communities such as Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) which are foundational to fostering belonging and wellbeing, and focus on the recruitment process. Expand where and how you source unique talent, work to eliminate biases within the hiring phase and expand efforts from there. Although it can be daunting to keep up with best practices and changes in DEI, listening to the personalized needs of your employees will create a workplace that is welcoming, with employees that are happy, efficient, and productive.
Rosie Cofre is global head of justice, belonging, uniqueness, and social human responsibility at UiPath.
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