Inclusivity should be a top priority for HR, but it can be hard to implement Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) strategies and turn them into real action to achieve true inclusivity. Keeping track of goals and assessing DEI throughout the year can help you stay on track and find out how inclusive your company really is.
What is true inclusivity?
True inclusivity means going beyond an on-paper DEI strategy to actively implement inclusivity into your workplace, for people across all points of difference such as ability, race, gender and religion. True inclusivity goes beyond just HR initiatives, too – it needs to be a company-wide culture of openness and belonging for all.
Although it may seem hard to achieve, inclusivity is an important part of DEI that can even help the business. Inclusivity can lead to more innovation and may be more likely to outperform competitors. This is because creating a culture of inclusivity makes all employees feel welcomed. It gives them a sense of belonging, which can not only increase meaningfulness at work but can make them feel more comfortable bringing ideas to the table.
How to create true inclusivity
When it comes to promoting equity and inclusion, there are three areas to focus on, says Aubrey Blanche, global head of equitable design and impact at Culture Amp.
Blanche suggests focusing efforts on creating transparency in talent processes, intentionally prioritizing fairness and promoting access to development and recognition. This may look like:
- Implementing employee recognition programs
- Having formal mentorship and sponsorship programs
- Creating clear career advancement processes, and
- Explicitly sourcing underrepresented talent.
How to track and assess inclusivity
Constantly assessing and keeping track of DEI goals can help you understand what you’re doing well and what still needs to be worked on to create true inclusivity.
Blanche suggests asking a few questions to find out how inclusive your company really is. She suggests looking at:
- Authenticity: Do employees feel that they can be their authentic selves at work?
- Respect: Do all employees feel respected at work?
- Belonging: Do all employees feel like they belong at your company?
- Valued contribution: Do employees feel valued for the unique contribution they make to the company?
- Psychological safety: Do employees feel safe taking risks at the company?
Although surveys and reports are a great, data-driven way to measure diversity, tracking inclusivity doesn’t have to mean gathering lots of data. Instead, you can rely on data you already have to see how employees feel. Blanche suggests looking at past surveys about inclusivity and belonging at work and comparing them by key demographics such as gender identity, sexual orientation, age or race.
“Companies would be better served in achieving diversity across their workforce if they set and held themselves accountable to equity and inclusion goals,” says Blanche. “It’s also a good idea to consistently measure the outcomes of this work, which is often shown in changing representation – at all levels – over time.”
Blanche suggests setting goals for equity across areas such as performance, promotion and pay processes. To achieve equity, Blanche also suggests focusing on employee experience between marginalized and majority groups. If employees within marginalized groups report the same experience as majority groups, it may be a good indicator that DEI efforts are sticking. Consider setting goals such as:
- Women of color are as engaged as White men.
- Disabled women have the same intent to stay as non-disabled men, or
- LGBTQ+ individuals have the same level of psychological safety as non-LGBTQ+ individuals.
“By setting goals that speak to employees’ subjective experience, you’re more incentivized to prioritize investing where you can make the most difference, especially in a season where leaders often see DEI resources as expendable,” says Blanche.