Following on from part 1 in our EDI blog series, part 2 looks at some of the strategies organisations can deploy to embed equality, diversity, and inclusion in their culture, for a more engaged, motivated, and productive workforce.
Here are five strategies to consider:
Instilling a focus on EDI from the CEO or Managing Director through the rest of the organisation roots its significance within the workplace. The CEO is typically viewed as the ultimate authority within an organisation. When they champion EDI initiatives, it sends a powerful message throughout the company that these values are not just important but are integral to the company’s mission and culture.
CEOs and Managing Directors should lead by example through their words, actions, and decisions. They can set clear expectations regarding EDI through company-wide communications, inclusion in organisational values and policies, and regular reinforcement of EDI principles.
Ensuring your day-to-day business activities and overall organisational strategy promotes equality, diversity, and inclusion, your employees will be more likely to feel valued and respected. This, in turn, leads to higher levels of employee engagement, satisfaction, and morale, as employees feel a sense of belonging and purpose within the organisation.
As an example, Channel 4 announced a strategy to “shift focus to authentic portrayal and representation, allowing audiences to recognise themselves on-screen”.
Another way of achieving this is to increase awareness of religious beliefs and practices that are important to your workforce. Regularly promote inclusive events and activities such as Black History Month, Mental Health Awareness Week, LGBTQ+ History Month, and many more.
As much as EDI initiatives must be promoted from the C-Suite down, it’s as important for mid-level leaders to also drive that same focus.
This can be achieved by giving each functional or business unit leader formal accountability for achieving two sets of diversity and inclusion results within their area of the business:
Bias, whether conscious or unconscious, should be mitigated where possible, and investigating existing talent management policies and processes to understand any that could limit opportunity is a great way to do this. For example, is your recruitment process undertaken by a single individual or a diverse panel of multiple people? Are policies such as pay, dress code, grievance, and family-friendly policies influenced by bias or could they limit opportunity for some colleagues?
Although there’s no legal requirement to have a written EDI policy, it’s good practice to produce one to demonstrate how seriously your organisation takes its legal and moral obligations toward being a diverse employer. It can also encourage employees to treat others equally.
Any EDI policy or strategy will have greater buy-in and sustainability if it’s developed in collaboration with the lived experience of staff and middle managers who have been discriminated against in the past.
For employees, EDI training is a great way to raise awareness and start to embed inclusive attitudes across the organisation.
For leaders and managers, coaching on how to personalise interactions with their teams so they’re more likely to create psychological safety is another initiative to consider. Coaching can also help leaders make equitable decisions regarding the processes they control, including pay, performance measurement, promotions, and work assignments.
To watch our recent webinar on why employers must get equality, diversity, and inclusion right and how to achieve this, you can access the link here.
If you need support with any aspect of EDI, from policy creation to training, get in touch with one of our HR team today.
