Workplaces that cultivate diversity thrive. Companies with a racially diverse workforce are 35 percent more likely to report a return on investment, according to Unleash. Over 7 out of 10 companies that promote gender equality practices report greater profits and productivity, according to Entrepreneur.
These economic trends follow demographic population trends in the United States. Recent census data revealed that between 2010 and 2020, the white population shrank, while there was a 276 percent increase in the number of people who identify as multiracial—from 9 million to 33.8 million multiracial people across the nation. The population of people who identify as Hispanic or Latino grew by 23 percent, much faster than the average growth rate of 4 percent for people who identified as non-Hispanic or Latino in the same decade.
The shrinking white and growing minority populations translate to a more diverse society, resulting in a mixture of ethnic and cultural perspectives. This is one of the reasons why it’s increasingly crucial for businesses to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace.
What Is DEI?
While diversity, equity, and inclusion are related, each covers a different aspect of company culture. Each part of DEI intersects to form a holistic environment that welcomes and supports a healthy and productive workplace.
The first component of DEI is diversity. Diversity refers to differences in cultures, identities, and experiences. Workplace diversity can refer to many different characteristics but commonly studied forms of diversity in the workforce include demographic differences, such as the following:
- Race and ethnicity
- Sexual orientation
- Gender identity
- Religion
- Disability
- Veteran status
The second component of DEI is equity. Equity refers to fairness:
- Are women and nonbinary people in your company paid the same as men in the same roles and with the same level of experience?
- Does your company have effective practices to reduce racial bias in hiring and promoting employees into leadership positions?
- If not, your company may have an equity problem: unfairly privileging employees from dominant social groups (such as white, cis-gendered men) while discriminating against those from nondominant groups.
- The third component of DEI is inclusion. Inclusion refers to the overall sense of whether a workplace is welcoming and respectful to all.
DEI Benefits in the Workplace
It’s easy to notice the advantages for businesses that integrate effective DEI programs. Consider the following DEI benefits in the workplace:
- Diversity draws talent. Glassdoor found that 76 percent of employees and job seekers in 2020 reported that a diverse workplace was an important factor when deciding between job opportunities.
- Equitable workplaces promote fairness, which in turn encourages achievement and reduces employee turnover, according to research collected by the Houston Chronicle.
- Inclusive work environments are more conducive to collaboration and more resilient against the negative effects of organizational change during times of transition compared with noninclusive workplaces, according to Aon.
In sum, committing to a strong, well-crafted DEI strategy can result in:
- Improved innovation
- Greater profitability
- Boosted company culture
- Improved employee retention
- Better brand recognition
- Improved ability to recruit top talent
DEI Training in the Workplace
Given the many benefits of a workplace that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive, training all employees to integrate DEI in their workplace practices and activities is paramount.
DEI Training Topics
Consider how the strategic deployment of different forms of DEI training can contribute to a productive work culture grounded in mutual respect and support:
- Cultural sensitivity, or cultural competency training, refers to training aimed at promoting a greater understanding and respect for specific cultural groups. This DEI training can be especially useful for employees who work regularly with marginalized or underrepresented groups. For example, a group of community health nurses may decide to have ongoing cultural sensitivity training related to understanding and supporting patients who belong to a local community of immigrants.
- Unconscious bias training empowers workers to realize that discrimination need not be intentional to have negative effects on people from marginalized groups. Unconscious bias training can help employees recognize their own unconscious biases and take steps to prevent these biases from affecting their work.
- Community engagement training explores some of the many ways that organizations can work with local community members to identify local challenges and address them.
- Inclusive management training teaches managers how to promote welcoming workplaces in which employees feel respected and safe to speak up when they have feedback. Inclusive management training may also teach skills in defusing interpersonal conflict, advocating for DEI initiatives, and retaining and promoting diverse talent.
- Accommodation training educates employees about how to create work environments and systems that enable all workers to participate fully, regardless of disability status.
DEI Training Resources
A host of resources and tools can help individuals build effective DEI training strategies:
- Anti-Racism offers opportunities for discussions about racial privilege and oppression, as well as practical tips for challenging and eliminating racist workplace policies in hiring, retention, and promotion.
- The National Museum of African American History and Culture has launched the web portal “Talking About Race.” It offers lesson plans on various topics, such as race, whiteness, social identities and oppression, and community building.
- Antiracism Meditation offers guided audio meditations and journal prompts for reflections on privilege, racism, and allyship.
- The American Civil Liberties Union offers reports on numerous topics for workplace DEI conversations, such as racial justice, immigrants’ rights, women’s rights, and disability rights.
- Psychology Today has published a three-part reflection, “On Being an Ally,” by a Black lawyer on the complications of empathy and racial trauma.
- The American Association of University Women (AAUW) provides the “DEI Toolkit: Gender and Gender Identity” that defines gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, and other terms and explains how to create more inclusive workplaces for members of the LGBTQ+ community.
A Look at DEI Initiatives
Many initiatives facilitate DEI in the workplace. Consider how business leaders can strategically choose among DEI initiatives to improve the experience for all employees.
DEI Initiative Examples
DEI initiatives come in many forms, and strategists should plan them with their organization’s overall DEI goals in mind:
- Unbiased hiring strategies. Companies and organizations may need to evaluate their current workforce and adopt new hiring practices to recruit talent from diverse backgrounds. The National Bureau of Economic Research found that as of 2021, widespread, systemic racial discrimination among US employers still exists. Organizations must do more to reduce racial bias in hiring.
- Mentorship and sponsorship. When diverse talent joins an organization, a culture of inclusivity and collaboration needs to be established for them to stay for the long term. Mentorship programs are a great way to grow the next generation of leaders.
- Talent development strategies for underrepresented employees. A talent development strategy takes into account the barriers that underrepresented groups currently face when seeking promotion. Examples of talent development include upskilling programs (initiatives that empower workers to cross-train in a more desirable field) and actions to reduce friction in the advancement pipeline.
- Employee resource groups. Rather than impose DEI training from above, workplaces may want to foster grassroots community building among their employees in the form of employee resource groups. These groups can help employees connect with and learn from each other.
DEI Initiative Resources
Additional examples and ideas that people can use to craft their own DEI workplace initiatives include the following:
- The Association for Talent Development creates resources for teaching and discussing DEI concepts as they relate to the workplace.
- The Council on Accreditation gives a curated list of excellent resources for DEI activities, including the most popular unconscious bias test, the Harvard Implicit Association Test.
- BestCompaniesAZ has collected “Examples of Successfully Implemented Diversity Initiatives” that can provide ideas for organizations planning their own DEI initiatives.
- Built In offers an analysis of “10 DEI Initiatives to Prioritize in the Workplace” and explains why they are important.
- LinkedIn, in the clear and succinct article “The Importance of DEI,” defines DEI concepts and explains their importance for the modern workplace.
- McKinsey & Company provides detailed discussions of how social crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, affect gender and racial equity in the workplace and what employers can do to support diverse employees.
- The Society for Human Resource Management offers a step-by-step guide, “How to Develop a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiative,” for getting started with DEI.
- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and SOAR Works have collected a list of DEI resources that can be a great place to look for books and articles to read with employee resource groups.
Build a Brighter Future
When organizations can recruit from a diverse talent pool and retain empowered employees, innovation and growth are bound to result. Building an effective strategy for promoting DEI in the workplace can help businesses stay at the forefront of their industries and shape future generations.