Fundamentally defining DEI:
Diversity = numerical representation. Hiring diverse groups of people.
Equity= quite simple: Equal access and opportunity provided to person from non-marginalized communities
Inclusion= creating and making sure that the workplace culture is a positive environment. Where people feel like they have a voice and access to opportunities.
What does it take to create a positive corporate culture? Empowerment and inclusivity.
Nowadays, more so than ever before, organizations are placing emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion, or as we have come to know and use the acronym, D.E.I.
Companies are putting the needs of their people first, they are finally realizing that it is essential to not just talk about DEI, but actually moving past the “intention to create new opportunities for diverse talent and committing to changing their ways of working on a fundamental level, their business outlook, and lastly, changing their processes, but inciting ACTION behind the intent.
During this movement, company executives should seriously consider recruiting chief diversity and inclusion officers that will play a critical role in leveling the playing field for diverse professionals and reinventing or reshaping today’s workforce. This is more than just bring in people from different backgrounds and different life experiences. You must consider the fact that there needs to be some structural changes as well. For example, anyone that is from a “marginalized” group is promoted to a position of leadership, faces receiving that “extra scrutiny” regarding their ability to perform the new role.
They are constantly being scrutinized for the ways that they will fail, instead of looking for how they succeed. There is always a possibility that a candidate will fail in the new role, but they should be provided with the equal access to resources that will ensure their success, rather than failure. The ones that may be proven to be remarkable may be one that hails from the so-called underrepresented group.
Therefore, it is imperative that the companies that are committed to doing this work, exercise proactivity and hire the right DEI officers and continue to define strategies, set goals to create diversity, equity, and inclusion. destroy the proverbial elephant in the room.
REACH is A non-profit, 501c(3), committed to providing DEI education and training seminars, webinars, and sharing cultural experiences, while assisting organizations through transformational growth, since 1976.
Sister affiliate, Diverse Talent, an executive search and placement firm committed to bridging the gap of diversity in the workplace, and to dismantle the notion that a diverse professional pipeline issue exist.