3 Vital Steps to Creating Diversity in Your Workplace

Since June 2020, many companies wanted to prioritise EDI (equality, diversity and inclusion) to give marginalised groups the same opportunities in the workplace. Whilst it is brilliant that businesses of all sizes want to do more, many are not prepared for the task ahead or willing to put any money behind their efforts.

Unfortunately, I see many profitable businesses unwilling to do the behind-the-scenes work and take the necessary steps. Instead, a lot of companies are looking for a quick fix. Here’s what you can do not to be one of ‘those’ businesses.

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1) Get support to change the negative organisational structures.

The first step is to hire external support to work with you and your existing HR team. There’s no doubt that your HR team will already be at capacity, and working on EDI may not be their area of expertise. Working with an external expert allows for a more honest approach to what changes need to happen because this professional is not a part of any internal politics or team dynamics. These specialists and your internal HR team can work together to undertake an audit and create a strategy.

And if your company is thinking about using internal groups such as ERGs (employee resource groups) to drive your diversity and inclusion strategy, this is not a strategy to provide long-term change. The employees within ERGs already have their own jobs, and being part of an ERG is an addition to their daily responsibilities, the job that your company hired them for. Expecting employees that are part of an ERG to provide advice, and to be responsible for changing the processes and cultures of the business all when they have no budget, time or authority, well, that’s just not realistic.

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2) Who are you not seeing across the business?

When people talk about being more inclusive, what people tend to think that means is hiring more Black and Brown folk and more Women. Being inclusive isn’t about focusing on creating visual diversity. Being more inclusive is about having processes and values that don’t create barriers. Being more inclusive is about giving people equity.

Think about different areas of your company. Is there diversity among the teams? Does everyone have the same level of education, does everyone look the same, or is everyone of a similar age? What does the senior team look like?

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3) Change starts with you.

So what can you do? Well, any change starts with us as an individual. So, whilst waiting for others to decide what they are going to do, instead think about what you can do. In your role, what can you do to encourage diversity?

Do you know where your biases lie? Do you know what it means to be anti-racist? Are you interested in how certain behaviours create division and marginalise groups of people?

Start with your own education and then apply what you learn to your work (and personal) life. Think about what you can do in your role to encourage diversity.

• Can you create more opportunities for diverse applicants to join your company?

• Can you alter job descriptions so that they support applicants who have caring responsibilities or different life experiences?

• Can you allow for educational flexibility in specific roles?

• Can you be a part of an outreach strategy to encourage more people into your industry?

Think about who is in your sphere of influence that you can talk to about these subtle yet effective changes. You might not see positive results immediately but the steps that you take now will start to make a difference over time.

~Developing an inclusive strategy supports everyone~

Whatever you choose to do personally, the drive and participation to create a more inclusive workplace must come from senior management and they need to be a key part of any strategy. If it doesn’t seem to be a priority for them, it won’t be a priority for anyone else.

And of course, education is a must for everyone within the business. For EVERYONE and that includes the senior team. No avoiding of learning sessions. There is so much that we all need to learn and just because you are a senior team member doesn’t mean that you automatically know it all.

Remember to track what you do and adapt your strategy when necessary. Track applicants and interviewees, track leavers and track employee engagement; otherwise, how will you know how people really feel and if your actions are beneficial?

And finally, think differently. Don’t be afraid to change processes, question strategies, or ask ‘why’.