3 proven ways to supercharge employee equity and productivity

To maximize equity across the entire employee lifecycle, the first step is to recognize that people need more individualized approaches. Although many employers aspire to deliver such a tailored employee experience, it’s an art few have mastered. Studies examining companies’ progress in their diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) goals reflect this hard truth.

For instance, a recent survey from CNBC unveiled that 74% of Black executives say they saw a positive change in hiring, retention, and promotion of Black employees since George Floyd’s murder in May 2020. Yet, in May 2023, Pew Research found that less than half of Black working adults in the U.S. say their company pays the right amount of attention to increasing DEI.

These conflicting studies point to the same conclusion: much work remains to move the needle on DEIB initiatives. While no one expects organizations to immediately remove obstacles historically marginalized groups have faced for centuries, there are meaningful changes to talent and benefits practices — beyond increasing the representation of marginalized groups —that organizations may be overlooking.

When taking a tailored approach to increasing equity during an employee’s time at your company, three overlooked but critical DEIB pillars to consider are recognition equity, manager nudging and internal networks.

Recognition equity

Recognition equity is about recognizing employees equally for their efforts, regardless of gender, sex, race, ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation, seen or unseen disabilities, etc. Frequent, meaningful recognition is a very effective tool for driving retention and productivity. Therefore, recognition equity is a critical KPI to track closely to ensure you are genuinely reaping the valuable business benefits of your recognition program and each employee feels supported and celebrated.

However, when auditing your workforce to ensure recognition is equitable across different levels and segments of the employee population, you will likely uncover some gaps. For example, Achievers Workforce Institute (AWI) data reveals that 39% of women are more likely to say they never get monthly monetary recognition and 28% are less likely to receive at least monthly monetary recognition compared to the overall average.

To combat this and ensure all employees feel appreciated, carefully track who gets recognized and how often and pay extra attention when inspecting recognition frequencies across marginalized groups. Though women, on average, are less likely to receive frequent kudos, you may find that other segments of your employee population are also missing out on monetary and social recognition.

Another key benefit of proactively tracking recognition and identifying potential gaps in your workforce is raising awareness around unconscious biases. When you stay on top of tracking recognition, it can help alert managers of their own unconscious biases and predispositions when they recognize one group more than another. How to fix this? Through powering real-time nudges.

Nudging managers away from unconscious bias

People leaders, or frontline managers, make or break the employee experience, so it’s essential to equip these managers with the tools they need to drive companywide belonging. Unconscious bias is prevalent in the workplace because it’s rooted in the brain but studies show that it is possible to reverse unconscious brain bias.

Therefore, when seeking ways to reverse bias in your workforce, consider nudging. A nudge is a reminder or signal through automated tech that provides information to help managers use their time most effectively. Nudging technology is a powerful way to point out managers’ unconscious biases across their recognition habits to create a more equitable culture at work.

For example, a nudge can tell a manager that they recognize men 90% of the time and should recognize women more often to combat inequitable choices. This simple reminder can skyrocket manager effectiveness and workplace belonging and, in turn, productivity.

Fostering internal networks

Lastly, for real change to happen across a company, consider creating opportunities for all employees to build and expand their formal and informal networks. By creating internal networking opportunities for your workforce, you empower them with multiple avenues to ideate, drive innovation, and problem-solve together. However, these internal networking groups must be authentic and take a grassroots approach to reach the most people.

When done right, internal networking can also boost workplace friendships, which data indicates can foster resilience and productivity. Internal networking can come in the form of employee-led resource groups (ERGs), which bring together individuals with shared identities to work toward common goals. While these initiatives are vital to fostering more DEIB in the workforce, your approach to internal networking should not start and end with ERGs alone.

Related: Labor costs, new calculations could drive health care inflation higher

The promise of an equitable future

Increasing equity among employees provides priceless value to the entire organization by driving feelings of belonging across the workplace. When extra effort is taken to personalize your approach to employees based on their unique needs and wants, your workforce will see how much you’re listening and prioritizing what’s best for them, and more employees will feel at home at your company.

The results? A positive company culture, reduced turnover, higher employee happiness and productivity levels, and increased ROI — a win-win situation for employers and employees alike.

Jeff Cates, CEO of Achievers

Kumari Williams, vice president of belonging and diversity at Workday