To retain talent, most organizations are happy to offer free tea or coffee, the odd competitive perk, and perhaps a foosball or arcade machine. But what is the use of having a break area or ordering food if there are employees who do not feel comfortable in their work environment?
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is no longer a new concept and, although having A DEI strategy is something unknown to many companies, it is a necessity for those organizations that have committed to promoting fair change. The results of having a DEI strategy go beyond ethics, results and social responsibility: it is attractive to employees and customers. Every day society is more affected by inequality, so an organization that is committed to addressing it is a very attractive company.
1. What is DEI?
DEI stands for: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. It is a term that refers to practices, policies and strategies that a company use to create an equitable workplace and implement diversity and inclusion programs . DEI stands for a successful organization, an organization in which absolutely everyone can prosper professionally.
For a DEI strategy to work, we first have to understand what each of the concepts it encompasses means and know what role they play:
1.1. Diversity
When we talk about diversity at work we mean understanding, accepting and value people of race, different abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ages or religions.
Organizations committed to having a diverse workforce have a larger pool of candidates to choose from, since they are not limiting themselves with meaningless filters and, in turn, are attracting a lot of people who value their diversity to their job opening. However, according to a survey conducted by Glassdoor, 57% of employees believe their companies should be more diverse.
Companies that don't open up to diversity risk losing qualified candidates and may have a harder time filling key positions. On the contrary, diverse companies enjoy benefits such as: variety of perspectives, greater innovation or the creation of greater opportunities for professional growth.
1.2. Equity
In an equitable organization it is taken into account that each employee has different access to resources and, therefore, different privileges. Equity addresses those differences and ensures that all employees have what they need to succeed.
Equity is the path to equality: equality provides equal opportunities, equity provides proportionate access to those opportunities. Therefore, equity requires organizations to know and adapt to each person.
1.3. Inclusion
Finally, we come across the inclusion. Inclusion is about making sure that all voices are heard and taken into account. It has to do with respect, a soft skill as evident as this is sometimes forgotten. Create a work environment where everyone feels part of the process, it is vital for a team to feel valued and proud of the organizational culture.
And how do you give the whole world a voice? One of the most effective ways is through evaluations with self-evaluation , with a subsequent individual feedback meeting. Of course, we must have experienced leaders with active listening and a culture of trust where everyone feels safe.
2. How to create a DEI Strategy
It is very easy to agree with values such as diversity, equity and inclusion. But it is not so easy to apply them in an organization. Because having a DEI strategy is not about going against them but about including policies that really advocate looking after and complying with these principles.
Here are some practices to keep in mind when creating a DEI strategy:
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Define the purpose, the mission and the values:
Identifying why you want to have a DEI Strategy will help you define how to do it. The answers will be linked to the mission, the purpose and the Organizational values. Diversity, equity and inclusion must be values that are translated into behaviors within any practice or decision-making and, for this to happen, any member of the organization must know your principles and share them.
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Avoiding bias in performance evaluations:
Organizations should start by explaining why assessments are being carried out, training employees about the process, and making everyone aware of what indicators will be measured. Reviewing the comparisons by gender or by age ranges will also be very useful. And what we will never get tired of remembering: the higher the degree of evaluation, the greater the objectivity of the results.
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Real flexibility:
You may be wondering what flexibility has to do with a DEI strategy. Well, it turns out that it is something essential: make it flexibile, making organizations in confinement feel extremely valued and necessary, a permanent offer for everyone, not only allows hiring talent from anywhere and from anywhere, but also helps improve the Employee Experience, its loyalty and the commitment of all people, also those that they may feel more uncomfortable in the day-to-day work of the office.
3. Conclusion
When creating a DEI Strategy, there is not a single approach for all companies, but remember, the best guide to drawing your organization's strategy begins with two questions: why? and how? And when you do, never forget to measure its success.
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