The globalization of the Black Lives Matter Movements last year brought race and diversity center stage. It shed light on a side of America—and the world—that’s in desperate need of change. And it is forcing countries, cultures, and organizations to acknowledge the existence and the extent of the problem.
The huge momentum we’re seeing now needs to be harnessed. But how business leaders approach this will determine their success. Here are four steps to transforming your Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) efforts from your organization’s weak spot to its superpower:
- Start by understanding the problem
- Practice active listening and create a feedback model that works
- Take manageable and consistent action, both on a personal and systemic process level
- Create a sustainable culture for growth
- Start by understanding the problem.
Last year, research found that London-based companies with women making up a third of their C-suite saw profit margins more than 10 times those without. A separate Harvard Business Review study revealed that businesses with a higher percentage of female employees saw increases in their market value.
However, we have to focus on more than just diversity breakdowns. Diversity needs to go hand in hand with Inclusion. You’re not just looking to get people from underrepresented backgrounds in the room. You’re looking to create an environment of belonging that encourages them to stay there, and empowers them to grow and make positive changes that help drive your business forward. Remember that the problem will be systemic and in processes—not just on a personal, person-to-person basis.
Some leaders will make excuses about money, “rocking the boat,” or uprooting “traditional” business practices—arguing that change will harm the bottom line. But time and time again, they have been proven wrong, with the numbers showing that more diverse companies are more innovative and profitable.
So where to start? You can’t fix what you don’t understand. It’s essential, therefore, to first take a measure of your organization’s Diversity and Inclusion so you can truly understand the problem, and create a strategy that works for you. Once you have the right data, you can be transparent about your goals, create a bespoke DE&I strategy, and measure the efficacy of your actions as you go.
- Practice active listening and create a feedback model that works.
A key component to effectively implementing DE&I is to create a safe channel through which people can actively discuss and share feedback about what’s going on inside your organization. So ask for feedback, create a secure place for people to provide it, and be sure to listen.
But active listening is not just about letting employees know they’re being heard. You have to take action, too, and continue to do so after each feedback cycle. This element is essential to successful DE&I implementation. You can’t just find a solution; implement it; and say, “A job well done.” You have to listen to your teams’ needs; propose ideas; and talk with leaders, middle managers, and junior staff alike to understand their perception. Only then, can you build in their feedback and take an agile, people-forward approach. People change, and so do their needs.
- Take manageable and consistent action, both on a personal and systemic process level.
“Taking action” is broad, so break it into manageable chunks. You might, for example, start with reviewing your hiring processes and, in particular, your job descriptions. Are you using gender neutral language? Have you used unnecessary criteria or wording that could put off some segments of the population? Unhealthy unchecked and unconscious biases are all too real in business. If you want to develop a more diverse, productive, and engaged team, make your first impression count.
A common mistake when integrating DE&I practices is applying them selectively. Applying a DE&I strategy in HR and marketing only may seem like the easy fix, but it won’t work. It’s a start, but true change needs to be implemented across your organization. That means diversifying product ideation, creation, and internal storytelling; bridging the pay gap; and diversifying your board and C-suite to name a few.
Personal action from a small few is not enough to create an inclusive organization. Empathy is not enough. You must analyze your processes, understanding that this is a systemic issue. Exclusion has been deliberately baked into society and workplaces (whether it has been unconsciously done is irrelevant for the most part—the impact is still the same on the communities harmed), so we must be deliberate in removing it.
It may seem like a lot, but don’t let that demotivate you. Just start. Take one step at a time, and watch as the positive changes transform your business. Embed transparent communications along the way, sharing your successes and lessons learned, so people understand what is being rolled out, why, and how it has went.
- Create a sustainable environment for growth.
Mental well-being also has become a top priority in the workplace. Businesses are recognizing that depression, anxiety, and burnout costs money—specifically $1 trillion a year globally—while happy workers are more productive. However, recent Peakon data found that 29 percent of employees globally claimed to be on the brink of burnout at the end of last year. Diverse hiring is vital to creating an enriched, inclusive, and forward-thinking workplace. But without addressing mental well-being, you’re fighting an uphill battle.
We all should be thinking about what we need to be productive, happy, and stress free at work. Never forget the need for a healthy work-life balance—whether you’re in the early stages of your career or a CEO. Striking this balance will give you more clarity in meetings, decision-making, and your overall work.
So start by understanding the problem, practice active listening, take manageable and consistent steps, and create a sustainable environment for growth. Hopefully, these words will help you create a roadmap through which your business can thrive and become the image of success that others will follow.
Sheree Atcheson is the global director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Peakon, an employee engagement success platform.
