7 Activities to Promote Diversity, Inclusion and Equity
Organizational diversity is defined as how people in a workplace differ in terms of race, gender, ethnic origins, age, personality, approach to problem-solving, duration of service with the organization, position, education, and experience. On one hand, diversity can be a strength as it opens up a more comprehensive array of ideas and fosters creativity. Still, on the other hand, it can create barriers to communication, misunderstandings, competition, and even subconscious prejudice if not well handled. The support of diversity, inclusion, and equity in the workplace is crucial for unleashing the talents of a diverse labor force.
Here are seven activities organizations can undertake to nurture diversity, inclusion, and equity:
Organise Training on Unconscious Bias
Implicit biases, also known as unconscious or hidden biases, are prejudices that are deeply rooted and embedded in people’s minds without them being aware of them. Such biases, although they are not very obvious, can affect the behavior and choices made in an organization. Unconscious bias training enables the employees to be aware of the bias they might hold. It also helps them to have an insight into how such prejudices have the potential of causing harm to the individuals nearby.
Steps for the training:
- Employ an expert in the area of prejudice in training
- Training should be compulsory for all people working in the organization
- Encourage the use of videos, case studies, and role-playing activities
- Employees should be able to think through their experiences and come up with specific things to do
Diversity Months and Events
It is important to note that celebrating diversity-related events and occasions can go a long way toward improving diversity and inclusion practices in the workplace. This can involve celebrating months associated with specific groups, such as black history month, women's History Month, and Pride Month. It also consists in participating in cultural activities such as World Day for Cultural Diversity, International Day of Tolerance and World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.
Activities can include:
- Pre-reading activities on the history of celebrations
- Organizing potluck lunches where people bring food from their native culture
- Discussions on the materials related to diversity in book club meetings
- Special appearances from motivational celebrities
Form Employee Resource Groups
ERGs are groups developed in organizations where employees share a common background or characteristics. Establishing groups such as Women’s Initiative Network, Black Leadership Network, Pride Alliance for the employees within the LGBTQ community and others are helpful in supporting and improving their experience at work.
Steps include:
- Surveying to check the interest level of the employees
- Ensure access to seed capital and organizational management
- Educate team leaders on what is expected
- Provide opportunities to groups to work as partners in organizational interventions
Advocate for Equal Policies & Compensation
Diversity, equity, and inclusion-conscious organizations synchronize their policies, operations, and rewards reasonably to ensure they are not biased toward workers. These are aspects that should be explored and include paid parental leave, medical cover, flexible working arrangements, training and development, among others; any policy that is detrimental to a particular social group should be changed.
To ensure compliance with this regulation, organizations should consider conducting a Pay Equity Review.
It is a sad reality that after so many years, discrimination of pay still occurs in many organizations based on gender, race, and other factors. Internal pay audits should be conducted in organizations. If there is unequal representation of different social categories for those positions, efforts should be made to rectify such inequalities. Anonymous surveys can also help to determine whether minorities think that there are pay gaps.
Provide a Coveted List for Newcomers
Diversity breeds more diversity. The hiring panels should actively ensure that they are creating a diverse candidate list and not creating a pool of similar candidates. Measures should be taken to ensure that there are no prejudices or stereotypical clauses in the advertisement that would deter minorities from applying. Expand the pool of candidates by advertising positions in places and to groups that are not usually targeted.
Foster Inclusive Leadership
Diversity programs are good on the gosh, but to make them real, there must be support from the leadership and role modelling. Organizational leaders, including directors and managers, should actively promote diversity through written and verbal communication. Ensure that all current and potential leaders undergo mandatory coaching and mentoring on how to manage their biases and be an inclusive leader. Expect them to deliver on diversity objectives.
The above 7 activities entail teamwork but can result in the wonders that diversity brings about. It instead leads to a workplace environment where employees are seen, wanted and are capable of contributing to their optimum. With equal opportunity, it provides a better platform where all employees are given chance to improve and succeed in their career path.
