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Part V – ‘Unpacking Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’ Blog Series

Keya Bardalai — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 03:58:02 +0000

Best Practices and Global D&I Champions

Last month’s blog covered a range of technological solutions towards monitoring and improving organisational D&I metrics and benchmarks. In this month’s blog, we’re going to take a closer look at companies around the world (and in India) that are excelling and making strides when it comes to diversity and inclusion practices. You’ll notice that they vary across industry and are embracing diversity in different ways. The intent is to draw/learn from these organisations and think about how we can develop our own diversity and inclusion strategies.

Global D&I Champions:

At the very outset, it is worth noting that according to global D&I scorecards:

The United States is leading with at least 25 companies out of the top 100. (Click here for a more detailed list of the best D&I performing companies for the year 2021)
The industry with the highest D&I score is software and IT services,
Gap, Inc. ranked first on the D&I index for 2021

Let’s take a closer look at some of the organisations that have performed well on D&I on a global scale:

1.Sodexo

Industry: Quality of Life Services

Number of Employees Worldwide: 460,000+

While gender, generations and sexual orientation are all part of the diversity hiring strategy at Sodexo, “gender balance is their business” with 55% of all staff members in Sodexo being women (up from just 17% in 2009). 58% of the members on the board of directors are female and the company runs 14 Gender Balance Networks worldwide. What they have found is that when there is gender balance within an organisation, employee engagement increases by 4 %,, gross profit increases by 23% and brand image strengthens by 5 %.

2. Johnson & Johnson

Industry: Medical Devices, Pharmaceutical and Consumer Packaged Goods

Number of Employees Worldwide: 132,000+

J&J’s Global Diversity and Inclusion vision is “to maximise the global power of diversity and inclusion, to drive superior business results and sustainable competitive advantage. J&J has strong employee resource groups, mentoring programmes and a ‘Diversity University’, which is a dynamic website that helps employees to understand the benefits of working collaboratively. The Chief Diversity officer also reports directly to the CEO and Chairman of Johnson & Johnson, meaning that senior leadership is intimately involved in achieving D&I goals. J&J has received various awards and recognitions for strides made in diversity efforts, and is one of only two companies that have been on the Working Mother 100 Best list for the past 28 years.

3. Mastercard

Industry: Financial Services

Number of Employees Worldwide: 13,400+

Mastercard consistently makes it into the Top 10 of DiversityInc’s 50 Best Companies for Diversity list. They believe that “diversity is what drives better insights, better decisions, and better products. It is the backbone of innovation”. A unique initiative that Mastercard has executed over the past few years involves getting older employees in the company more active when it comes to social media. To address generational barriers, “YoPros” BRG (the Young Professionals Business Resource Group) offers a one-on-one ‘Social Media Reverse Mentoring’ program to older employees who want to become familiarised with the platforms.

4. Accenture

Industry: Professional Services/Consulting

Number of Employees Worldwide: 513,000+

Accenture believes that “no one should be discriminated against because of their differences, such as age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, religion or sexual orientation.” Diversity training within the company is broken into 3 different categories:

1) Diversity Awareness – to help people understand the benefits of working with a diverse organisation.

2) Diversity Management – to equip executives to manage diverse teams.

3) Professional Development – to enable women, LGBT and ethnically diverse employees to build skills for success.

The organisation also hosts a company-wide celebration of International Day of Persons with Disabilities as well as endeavour to help their employees with various supports, like assistive technology, flexible work arrangements and additional training.

5. Ernst & Young

Industry: Professional Services

Number of Employees Worldwide: 280,000+

At EY, they believe that “only the highest-performing teams, which maximise the power of different opinions, perspectives, and cultural references, will succeed in the global marketplace.” The organisation was the first of the Big Four to assign full-time, partner-level leadership to diversity recruiting. Ever since, the number of women in top executive management positions has increased by more than 20% and programmes such as ‘EY Launch’ which is for ethnically diverse college freshmen, sophomores and transfer students builds awareness of accounting as a major and professional services as a profession.

6. Coca Cola

Industry: Beverage

Number of Employees Worldwide: 86,200+

At Coca-Cola, diversity is seen “as more than just policies and practices”. It is an integral part of who the company is, how they operate and how they see their future. Diversity education programmes include Diversity Training, a Diversity Speaker Series and a Diversity Library. In 2017, a new parental benefits policy was implemented, whereby 6 weeks of paid leave is extended to all new mothers and fathers. The move was championed by ‘Coca-Cola Millennial Voices’, a group of young employees tasked with making sure there is a healthy level of employee retention in millennial consumers and staff members.

7. Marriot

Industry: Hospitality/Tourism

Number of Employees Worldwide: 174,000+

Named as one of the ‘World’s Best Multinational Workplaces by Great Place to Work’, the world’s largest annual study of workplace excellence, Marriott International extends their commitment to creating an inclusive guest experience to their workforce around the globe. Women-owned business enterprises make up approximately 10% of Marriott’s supply chain and they vow to spend $1 billion with diverse-owned businesses by 2020. LGBT inclusion is also a top priority for Marriott International. They received that ‘Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality’ accolade when they earned a perfect score on the HRC’s 2016 Corporate Equality Index, a widely recognised benchmark for diversity and inclusion.

8. Novartis

Industry: Pharmaceuticals

Number of Employees Worldwide: 125,000+

Novartis believes that diversity is integral to their success, because it helps them to understand the unique needs of their patients and find innovative ways of addressing those needs. Within the organisation, the word ‘disability’ has been replaced with ‘diverseability’ because they don’t view people living with disabilities as having a lack of ability, but rather having diverse skills and proficiencies. Human Resources professionals in the company are also educated on topics such as unconscious bias, inclusive leadership, disabilities/accommodations and compensation/pay equity in order to improve their diversity hiring methods.

9. Microsoft

Industry: Computer Software

Number of Employees worldwide: 163,000 +

The tech company provides day-care services and has an employee resource group voluntarily formed by workers. The company also set targets to be achieved on diversity and inclusion and has a policy regarding gender diversity and a policy to promote diversity and inclusion in its workforce. When it comes to racial and gender diversity, Microsoft also tops the list. According to data from 2020, 39.7% of the company’s board was made up of racial and ethnic minorities, and its workforce as a whole was 49.8% racial or ethnic majorities. Based on the same data, Microsoft’s managers also consisted of 41.3% racial or ethnic minorities.

D&I in the Indian context:

In the case of organisations in India, we do not perform as well as companies in the west (most MNCs in India tend to have a better track record because of global mandates). However, in recent times, conversations in India around D&I have been strengthened by the explosion of social media, increased awareness of global events, policy initiatives, efforts by advocacy and consultancy organizations and some progressive judgments from the Indian judiciary. During Pride Month in 2019, several India Inc. members came forward to discuss the importance of D&I and the measures they have put in place to ensure a more supportive and collaborative work environment.

Let’s look at some noteworthy initiatives in the Indian context:

1. Myntra

With measures such as reserved parking for expecting mothers, an in-house creche in their Bangalore office, and the #WeForShe initiative, which conducts brown bag sessions to holistically address the challenges faced by women at the workplace, be it casual sexism or beyond – Myntra seems to be raising the bar for how Gender sensitization and Diversity is approached in the modern Indian workplace.

2. Zomato

Zomato has announced paid maternity and paternity leave for all their employees, and also extended this to non-birthing parents (parents who have adopted children). Another slightly controversial policy that they announced was the controversial Period Leave for all women and transgender employees facing discomfort due to menstruation. A policy implemented in good faith, with employees having the discretionary power not to misuse the leaves.

3. Godrej

Legacy company Godrej values diversity in experiences and beliefs to shape a well-rounded workforce. Their HR policies allow you to add a partner as a health insurance beneficiary and not just a spouse. They have work-from-home policies, flexible timings, and other such measures to make employees feel safe and welcome. They are ultimately trying for all their employees to have the same experience, be it in the Mumbai office or in the hinterlands of India.

4. Tech Mahindra

Tech Mahindra has received global recognition for its excellent Diversity and Inclusion policies. They have a gamut of policies to meet the needs of all – the parents, the kids, the LGBTQ+ community, new mothers, people of different nationalities, ages, sexes, specially-abled people, underprivileged communities, etc. Programs such as COLORS, Mentoring Tables, Role Model Series give women an opportunity to develop their careers. They also have self-defense and financial wellness programs for women to have a secured future.

5. Infosys

The D&I vision of the corporation is an integral part of the Infosy Code of Conduct contained in a powerful tenet viz., ‘Respecting Each Other.’ D&I Goals on the corporate scorecard flow into leader and manager goal sheets. D&I councils at the business unit, location, and geo levels provide a rich matrix of responsibilities and relationships to collaborate on the strategic intent of the organization to build inclusion for everyone. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) act as huge enablers. Some of the ERGs at Infosys India include: Infosys Women’s Inclusivity Network, InfyAbility (for employees with disabilities and their allies; iPride (for employees of the LGBTIQA+ community and their allies) and Family Matters for all employees focusing on childcare; parenting; relationships; health and wellness. ERGs serve to strengthen peer support groups towards building inclusive work environments.

6. FedEx Express

In Feb 2021, FedEx express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp (NYSE: FDX) and the world’s largest express transportation company, was recognised with the award for ‘Best Gender Equality Workplace’ by the World HRD Congress at the Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Awards 2021. Their commitment to diversity, inclusion and gender equality is an integral part of their culture and strongly believe in providing all team members with an equal opportunity to excel and grow. Recently, FedEx Express launched the Leadership, Education, Advancement, and Placement (LEAP) initiative in its MEISA region; a mentoring program aimed to equip women with mentorship opportunities, and the tools they need to advance their career within the organization. To showcase its commitment to helping women in the workplace advance their careers and explore possibilities. FedEx has been named by Forbes Magazine in 2019 as one of the Best Employers for Diversity globally, and was also recognized as one of the top Top 50 Best Workplaces for Women 2020 in India, by the Great Place to Work® Institute.

Other initiatives that deserve attention:

The Kochi Metro which hired 23 transgender persons (in 2017), deploying them in different sections based on their qualifications. The progressive move garnered a great deal of attention, and rightly so. However, soon after the news broke, about 10 of these employees quit, as they were unable to find accommodation in Kochi , thus highlighting the systemic barriers that continue to operate at a societal levle.
Nukkad, The Teafe, in Raipur is reversing social barriers by only employing transgenders and people with visual and speech impairments. The intention behind this endeavour is to provide a space of equal opportunity for marginalised groups of individuals – who are more or less persistently denied opportunities to work and progress, because of their perceived physical capabilities and their affiliated social stigmas.
The Lifestyle brand and company designed a remarkable initiative, called the “Creating A Ripple” program whose objective was to create an ecosystem where employees display a high degree of sensitivity and empathy towards each other’s issues / problems / troubles (grievances). To encourage this cultural change, activities and training programs were conducted across the organization. Employees were introduced to the idea that they themselves could help another employee with a grievance where they were given a choice to be a solution provider, a connector or even an empathizer.
Recently, Diageo India rolled out an “enhanced wellness policy” for all employees effective July 2020 regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, including LGBT+. As part of the company policy, “medical coverage and leave benefits are to be extended to both same sex and opposite-sex domestic partners”. It also provides medical coverage for gender confirmation procedures. Similarly, surrogacy and fertility treatment medical benefits will be made available for all employees thus involving a revision to the definition of family to include ‘same sex’ and ‘live-in’ partners.
L’Oréal India, which is the only FMCG company in the country that has been awarded the advanced EDGE (Economic Dividends for Gender Equality) MOVE level certification for gender equality, has inclusivity policies like medical insurance that covers employees with same sex partners. “Our LGBTQI+ employee base feels respected, valued and entitled to every opportunity and benefit that any other employee would. Notably, this year, the company launched the Employee Human Rights Policy “with the principle of non-discrimination, particularly for the LGBTQ+ community” and covering aspects like hiring, remuneration, access to training, company benefits and services, promotions, terminations or retirement.

Although Indian companies (not MNCs) have a long way to go, it is endearing to see them take steps towards gender diversity and inclusion by enabling conversations and policies that get the ball rolling. It must be said that India’s diversity is complex and inclusion goals require great nuance and concerted efforts to be truly impactful. Our involvement with organisations over the last two years also indicates a growing awareness and desire to enhance and empower diverse employees within the workplace. In particular our flagship women in leadership program – She-Leads has been an incredible success at DXC Technology (for over 200 participants) where we have seen tangible results and shifts in mindsets.

Having laid out all these best practices and success stories over a series of blogs these last few months, I now ask you to introspect on what diversity and inclusion means in your organisation and what has worked (or not) for you?

Ask yourself:

Do I feel a sense of belonging in my organisation?
Does everyone in my team truly feel that their ideas and suggestions are considered when making decisions?
What does leadership in my organisation look like?
What does the language used in corporate documents or during meetings sound like? – is it gender-inclusive? Or does it make some people in the room feel that they don’t belong there?
What policies does my company have in place to support people from diverse backgrounds? Is the tone of these policies about mutual respect or just meeting legal obligations?

As you reflect on these questions, do check out our flagship D&I program – We-Lead – to learn more about how we can help you address, improve and align diversity and inclusion goals in your organisation.

Keya Bardalai is a Senior Research Consultant at Syngrity. She has a Ph.D. in Social Anthropology and specializes in work and employment in the service economy. Keya has a keen interest in gender in the workplace and works on how spaces can be made more just, equitable, and inclusive for all.

SOURCES:

https://www.mondaq.com/india/employee-rights-labour-relations/1086642/workplace-diversity-and-inclusion-in-india-a-possible-blueprint

https://apna.co/blog/indian-companies-at-the-forefront-of-diversity-and-inclusion-at-work/

https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/workplace/transgender-diversity-inclusion-wellness-policy-diageo-india-6526423/

https://www.peoplematters.in/article/diversity/creating-inclusive-workplaces-for-india-29576

http://orinam.net/resources-for/workplace/list-of-transgender-plus-inclusive-employers-india/

https://www.socialtalent.com/blog/diversity-and-inclusion/9-companies-around-the-world-that-are-embracing-diversity

https://fortune.com/2021/06/02/fortune-500-companies-diversity-inclusion-numbers-refinitiv-measure-up/

https://linkhumans.com/diversity-inclusion-tech-companies/

https://homegrown.co.in/article/802154/diversity-in-the-workplace-5-indian-companies-with-inclusive-hiring-policies

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Part II – Unpacking Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) Blog Series

Vipin Kumar Tanwar — Fri, 25 Jun 2021 06:55:06 +0000

‘Unconscious Bias in the Workplace’

Last month’s blog was about going back to the basics and trying to understand what terms like diversity, equity and inclusion mean, especially in a workplace setting. This month, the blog picks up from where we left off to unpack unconscious bias and how it affects diversity and inclusion efforts in an organization.

Let me start out by saying that this is not an easy concept to unpack. I’m not a psychologist, far from an expert on the subject, and definitely hold a lot of unconscious biases myself. But the intent is to talk about it, put it out there, and start from a place of honesty and deep authenticity – a step that I think many organizations are beginning to see value in, and embrace.

What is unconscious bias?

Unconscious biases, also known as implicit bias, are attitudes and stereotypes accumulated throughout our lives that can influence our decision-making, particularly when something must be decided quickly. These biases are not always ‘negative’ but can lead to inaccurate assessments based on faulty rationale. For example, we might put someone on a pedestal because he/she has an Ivy League education without considering more information about him/her; we may judge a person negatively, as lazy because they are larger or heavier than average.

No matter how much we deny it, unconscious biases influence most of our decisions. Science tells us this is because our brains can consciously process 40 pieces of information per second—while we unconsciously process 11 million pieces. Therefore, for us to function with all the stimuli bombarding us, we create mental shortcuts that make decision-making easier. Studies tell us that this bias served to distinguish friend from foe to help early humans survive. The ability to quickly and automatically categorize people is thus a fundamental quality of the human mind. Categories give order to life, and every day, we group other people into categories based on social and other characteristics.

Developing biases start at an early age, Social scientists believe children begin to acquire prejudices and stereotypes as toddlers. Many studies have shown that as early as age three, children pick up terms of prejudice without really understanding their significance. Soon, they begin to form attachments to their own group and develop negative attitudes about other groups, or the ‘out-group’. Once learned, stereotypes and prejudices resist change, even when evidence fails to support them or points to the contrary. People will embrace anecdotes that reinforce their biases, but disregard experience that contradicts them.

Given that these biases form early on in life, and are integral to the way we make sense of the world, we naturally carry these biases with us everywhere we go, especially into the workplace. This automatically affects things like who gets recruited, hired, promoted, influences the overall culture of the workplace, and frequently leads to racism, ageism, ethnic profiling, and so on.

Let’s look at the different types of biases we hold.

1) Affinity Bias

Affinity bias leads us to favor people who we feel we have a connection or share similarity with. For example, attending the same college, growing up in the same town, or reminding us of ourselves or someone we know and like. Affinity biases have a huge impact on recruitment. For example, if a candidate we have an affinity with tells us they’re a little nervous, we may smile more or offer more words of encouragement to try and set them at ease. Whereas, if a person we shared no affinity with told us the same thing, we wouldn’t behave quite as warm towards them. After the interview, the first candidate would seem to be a better fit than the second candidate.

2) Halo Effect

The Halo effect occurs when we perceive one great thing about a person and let that color our opinions of everything else about that person. As mentioned above, if we notice that someone went to a highly regarded college we tend to let this achievement influence how we see everything else about that person.

3) Horns Effect

The Horns effect is the direct opposite of the Halo effect, and occurs when our perception of someone is influenced by one negative trait (or what we perceive as a negative trait). For example, if we do not like the way someone dresses we might assume they are also lazy and unprofessional, even though professionalism and competence are not related to attire.

4) Attribution Bias

Attribution bias affects how we assess other people and their achievements. It can be particularly impactful during recruitment. When assessing ourselves, we tend to think our achievements are direct results of our merit and personality; while our failings are the result of external factors, including other people that adversely affected us and prevented us from doing our best. We are more likely to consider the achievements of others as a result of luck or chance; and their failings as a result of their personality or behavior.

5) Confirmation Bias

Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, focus on and remember information that aligns with our preconceived opinions. Recruiters must be cautious about this bias. If we make a judgement about a candidate, we subconsciously look for evidence to back up our own opinions. We want to believe we are right and that we have made the correct assessment of a candidate. The danger of confirmation bias in recruitment is that our own judgement could be inaccurate and result in the loss of a good candidate for the job.

These biases often color how we look at race, caste, gender, age, beauty, authority, and so on. The question for us to consider is whether we can truly de-bias ourselves and our practices. The short answer to this question – No. However, we do have the means to train ourselves to recognize, interrupt and manage biases. The only way to do this is to point them out by educating ourselves and building safeguards in processes so that decision-making is more objective.

Testing for unconscious bias

Psychologists at Harvard, the University of Virginia, and the University of Washington created ‘Project Implicit’ to develop Hidden Bias Tests—called Implicit Association Tests, or IATs, in the academic world—to measure unconscious bias. These‘Implicit Association Tests’ (IATs) are designed to tap hidden stereotypes and prejudices that circumvent our conscious control.

But there is a caveat. An article shows that when some people first took the test, they were happy with the results as it indicated no automatic preference for a race, ethnic group, and so on. According to this test, these people were free of bias, even at the subconscious level. However, when they took the IAT again a few days later, the results revealed a slight implicit preference for certain racial groups over others.

The article states that the IAT might not tell individuals much about their individual biases. According to a growing body of research, and the researchers who created the test, the IAT is not conclusive when it comes to predicting individual biases based on just one test. It requires multiple testing, or an aggregate of tests before it can really make any sort of conclusions (writer Jessica Nordell unpacks the complex and controversial science of implicit bias in her article and the idea that people can act in biased ways even when they sincerely reject discriminatory ideas).

Despite this, testing for bias is an important place to start. If people are aware of their hidden biases, they can monitor and attempt to control hidden attitudes before they are expressed through behavior and cause damage. Recognizing that the problem is in many others—as well as in ourselves—should motivate us all to try both to understand and to act. It can be easy to reject the results of the tests as ‘not me’ when we first encounter them. But that’s the easy path. To ask where these biases come from, what they mean, and what we can do about them, while difficult, is the only solution.

Tools to minimize workplace bias:

Assuming we begin to work towards recognizing our biases, there are many practices that we can follow to control or minimize its impact in the workplace.

Set D&I goals. From more innovation to more talented employees to higher retention rates, there is clear evidence for why companies should focus on creating diverse workplaces. Setting D&I goals is the first step that signals wanting to overcome unconscious biases that operate in the workplace. (I explore the business case for D&I in my next blog)
Widen your work circle. Work with a more diverse range of people and get to know them individually. This will help expand your horizons, lead to a better understanding of the cultural differences that exist in the world, and reduce the intensity of your biases.
Try blind recruitment. Removing information from a candidate’s application that might influence your hiring decision – such as name, age, location, and school name – can help you make a more objective decision on their suitability for a role-based only on relevant skills and experiences. Similarly, it is worthwhile investing in recruitment tools and software as it helps with eliminating biases in how we look at our talent pool and the overall recruitment process, by introducing some kind of standardization.
Writing neutral job adverts. Make use of tech tools to check if job adverts for your organization contain unintentional gender/race/ethnicity-specific language that could discourage men or women from diverse backgrounds from applying. For example, words such as ‘decisive’ and ‘self-confident’ are regarded as masculine-coded, while words such as ‘collaborative’, ‘empathy’, and ‘trust’ are seen as feminine-coded.
Use artificial intelligence (AI). While the debate on AI rages (the data used by algorithms to make decisions may reflect the biases of those who programmed it, as well as the previous human decisions that it uses as its data points), I personally think AI has significant potential to help limit the impact of our unconscious biases.
Invest in training. Regular and immersive training can help organizations address biases systematically and effectively. One-off interventions are less likely to be effective. Deep-diving into biases at various levels of the company can help reveal where biases lie and what biases are unique to groups/roles/teams/departments. Stacey Gordon, a well-known D&I strategist, highlights that while organizations complain about the costs of such training, it is more important to focus on the cost of what unchecked biases could do to an organization’s image, reputation, and access to talent.
Publish data and conduct audits. It is important to publish and disseminate your D&I data and metrics in order to assess whether your commitment and practices to overcome unconscious bias are being met. Audits and tracking metrics add legitimacy to change efforts.
And, finally, Encourage others to speak. It is crucial to ensure that everyone in your organization or team contributes to decision-making processes – not just the people who are like you or think like you. That way, you might realize that a decision may have been influenced by unconscious biases. This can only happen when you create a culture that encourages open dialogue and lets others know that they shouldn’t be afraid to speak up, refute or challenge one another.

These are just some of the many tools and steps we can take to rectify how our unconscious biases seep into organizational processes. But one does not have to wait for an ‘organization’ to take these initiatives. We as individuals can address it within ourselves as a start (we must not forget that we make up the institutions and processes we inhabit). One just has to google ‘unconscious bias/eliminating unconscious bias in the workplace to find plenty of research, innovative best practices, and tips we can apply in our daily life.

I come back to the point I started this blog with – intent. At the end of the day, while recognizing that addressing unconscious bias is complex and far from easy, none of these ‘tools and practices’ will yield returns unless there is genuine intent, at an individual and organizational level, to educate ourselves about biases and manage it. Without it, our D&I practices will not just be lip-service, but may even be counterproductive to the end goal of inclusion.

In my next blog post, I discuss the business case for D&I goals. Till then, I leave you with an eye-opening TEDx Talk on unconscious bias by Valerie Alexander:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP-cqFLS8Q4&ab_channel=TEDxTalks

#unconsciousbias #diversityandinclusion #asktherightquestion #biasatwork #syngrity

Sources:

https://skillpath.com/blog/unconscious-bias-training-for-companies-is-more-important-than-ever-

https://medium.com/@socialbeings/unconscious-bias-a9a145642fd9

https://www.catalyst.org/2020/01/02/interrupt-unconscious-bias/

https://www.learningforjustice.org/professional-development/test-yourself-for-hidden-bias

https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/3/7/14637626/implicit-association-test-racism

https://www.ciphr.com/features/unconscious-bias-in-the-workplace/

The post Part II – Unpacking Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) Blog Series appeared first on Syngrity Transformation Solutions.

Part I – Unpacking Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) Blog Series

Vipin Kumar Tanwar — Wed, 02 Jun 2021 06:31:03 +0000

What does DE&I mean when it comes to the workplace?

There is an abundance of resources and materials available online about DE&I in the workplace as a result of the fact that many corporations are pursuing DE&I goals. But what is immediately apparent is that achieving DE&I goals and strategies in the workplace is far from easy or straightforward.

A 2020 PwC Benchmarking Survey states that although global DE&I is a priority area for 76% of the organisations surveyed, many are struggling to translate DE&I strategies into action. In fact, 33% of respondents still feel diversity is a barrier to employee progression and only 5% of surveyed global organisations’ DE&I programmes reach the highest level of maturity. Diversity data on corporate India, while limited, indicates that although organisations are beginning to accept the need for diversity and workplaces are striving to be inclusive, we are dealing with deep-rooted socio-cultural biases and inertia that impede successful DE&I practices.

The question before us then is how we overcome these chokepoints? What tools, language, and value propositions do we need to successfully meet diversity and enable inclusion in the workplace and possibly larger communities we are part of. In this seven-part blog series on DE&I, I explore a range of questions around these issues in the workplace, whether we are asking the right questions around it, and reflect on where we stand (globally and within the context of India) and need to get to in terms of benchmarks and values. In this first blog post, I start with the basics – What is diversity and equity? What do we mean by inclusion? More importantly, how do these concepts intersect?

What is diversity, equity, and inclusion?

Despite the renewed momentum around DE&I, there remains a visible lack of clarity around each of these terms. In some circles, we hear one or more of these terms used interchangeably. Elsewhere, we find DE&I used as a kind of non-specific catchall, when it might be more productive to zero in on a specific part of this concept for the purposes of identifying improvements and launching initiatives. It’s therefore helpful to define diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Diversity refers to political beliefs, race, culture, sexual orientation, religion, class, age, and gender identity differences. In the workplace, diversity means your employees consist of individuals who bring new perspectives and backgrounds to the table. It’s important to remember that diversity is less about what makes people different—their race, socioeconomic status, and so on—and more about understanding, accepting, and valuing those differences.

Whereas diversity refers to all the many ways that people differ, equity is about creating fair access, opportunity, and advancement for all those different people. It’s about creating a fair playing field, to use a familiar metaphor. To use a common example, not everyone within an organization will own a car, or even be able to afford public transportation on a daily basis. An organization can create a more equitable environment by accommodating the full spectrum of transportation needs, from policies around start times and working hours to allowances for both automobile and public transportation travel. Successful equity initiatives, then, must build fairness and equal treatment into the very fabric of an organization on the premise that not everyone has the same set of resources.

Finally, inclusion means that everyone in the diverse mix feels involved, valued, respected, treated fairly, and embedded in your culture. Empowering all employees and recognizing their special talents is part of creating an inclusive company.

How do diversity, equity, and inclusion intersect?

All three components of DE&I are important一diversity without a sense of equity and inclusion can result in a toxic culture, and inclusion without diversity can make a company a homogenous monolith, stagnant and uncreative. Further, companies are starting to focus more on diversity, but many disregard the equity and inclusion piece of the puzzle. Without a concerted effort towards all three components, the workforce is bound to feel out of place and unsupported. There’s a common misconception that environments in which diversity and equity are priorities naturally lead to inclusion. The truth is that even among the most diverse teams, there is no guarantee of equity and inclusion. Women might be well represented at the senior management level, but still not feel included due to longstanding gender norms, salary discrepancies, and other factors.

Diversity and inclusion expert Verna Myers, founder, and president of Verna Myers Consulting Group coined the phrase:

Diversity is being invited to the party; Inclusion is being asked to dance.

The phrase is powerful in the way that it distinguishes the two terms, which for many, mean the same thing. It articulates (though somewhat abstractly) that diversity is about ‘representation’, and inclusion is about ‘involvement’. They are really different things, and it’s important to help people understand that. It’s not just about having people from different social backgrounds in your organisation, but about supporting, nurturing, and facilitating their progression within the workspace. Myers says that embracing inclusion requires “the institution to fully integrate its understanding of and appreciation for the diverse cultures and backgrounds of its employees.”

Let’s look at an example of women in tech industries. A large percentage of women drop out of the IT industry in their mid-30s, mainly because women do not get the support from their managers/organisations to continue after a parental break. As a result, women refrain or hesitate from taking a break/sabbatical after a long-running engagement or starting a family because they know that once they come back, things would have changed at a much quicker pace than they could keep up with. For all we know, they might not feel included during conversations, as their peers might not consider the fact that they have just come back and need to be briefed about what has been going on around or what they could do to get up to speed. If employers are unable to help women keep up with the pace and address their blockers, it will not help – no matter how well they advocate for women in tech (or any industry for that matter).

Some immediate responses to the example above come to mind. Perhaps initiatives such as getting leadership to start working themselves flexibly. e.g., working from home and encouraging others to do the same to maintain a work-life balance; using flexible working hours to accommodate family needs and commitments; ensure employees are aware of their rights with regards to flexible work; institutionalising regular communications to all employees at monthly catch-ups, conferences and one on one conversations discussing the benefit of flexible work; providing employees time, resources and space to upskill themselves; any training which would enable them to get acclimated to the market changing trends and ensuring employees are aware of coaching and mentoring programs that will help them hit the ground running could improve the ways in which women in the workplace feel included.

But such efforts that help organisations move from just being ‘diverse’ to ensuring inclusion is a big shift. In order to do this, a lot of organizational cultural training is required. Myers highlights the significant way unconscious biases and blind spots operate in our unconscious mind. She says, “our brains are highly habitual. Our brains start reaching conclusions without immediately telling us that it’s doing so. It’s looking for things that go together” (In my next blog, I unpack the idea of unconscious bias, how it operates, not just in the workspace, but outside our working lives).

More importantly, Myer’s phrase about how diversity and inclusion are connected is not the end goal. We must take her phrase one step further and examine ‘who is doing the asking’ and ‘who is doing the dancing’. Very often, it’s a specific group that controls the ‘dance floor’ that others dance on. The person has to be invited by someone else. The person has to be asked to dance by someone else. You may be included, but someone else has the decision rights on whether and when that will happen.

What seems to me to be a better vision for DE&I is to create a sense where marginalized or underrepresented peoples are no longer dependent on an offer of brief ‘inclusion’ but where they are equally able to be ‘party planners’ within the organisation. In other words, we should be striving for ‘belonging’ so that people are being asked for inputs on the music, food, and decorations of the party. You don’t have to wait for someone to ask you to dance. You can determine who you dance with. You have as much a right to influence the playlist as anyone else – even if your music choices might be different than anyone else’s. ‘Belonging’ is not just a ‘nice thing’ to have, it is truly the point at which we start to see real benefits when it comes to team and business performance and the return on investment (ROI) in DE&I.

At the end of the day, representation and inclusion matter and it’s great that workplaces are beginning to recognise the value of diversity in ensuring a better workforce, brand image, reputation, innovation, and generating profits. But, organizations must commit to going all the way and proactively invest in tools needed to create organization-wide accountability, redesign working models, and change cultures to become not just inclusive but belonging-oriented, if there is to be any real transformation.

In the next blog, I unpack unconscious bias and how it affects DE&I efforts in the organisation. Do let us know your thoughts on DE&I or share experiences around it in the comments section.

#asktherightquestion #diversityandinclusion #organisationalaccountability

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