There are an infinite number of things that can be done to address diversity, equity, inclusion (DE&I) and belonging in a business. Focusing specifically on benefits, the following is an example of how HR strategy, ESG, and benefits are key to ensuring employees feel engaged and supported year-round.

1. Create and design DE&I not as a "program," but as a division contributing to the company-wide strategy.

When DE&I is embedded into a company-wide strategy it creates permanence and a message to employees and others that it is a necessary way to operate. There is a misconception that embedding this as a company-wide goal takes away from the ability to focus on business objectives.

When Rihanna created Savage Fenty and Fenty Beauty for people of color, and all shapes, sizes and identities and intentionally focused on inclusion and belonging in her products her business did not fail, in fact she's a billionaire. This is just one example of many.

If companies use a programming approach to DE&I, it feels like entertainment or something that is easily disposable. The inclusion and belonging of all people in the workplace is not disposable. DE&I professionals aren't doing work for entertainment, but instead fighting the systems of inequality that have created barriers to the success of historically excluded groups. This applies to not only what I refer to as "The Big Three" – Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexual Orientation – but also to parents and caregivers dealing with the fallout of a global pandemic; in addition to neurodiversity as we grow to appreciate the various abilities of adults that are now in the workforce with autism, ADHD, anxiety and other ways that affect inclusion at work and all of the other multidimensional aspects of diversity.