
I recently spoke at the CIPR’s Annual Conference on the topic of creating inclusive workplace cultures. For the last four years I have a voice (IHAV) has been championing DEI across the public affairs sector and we’ve heard lots of firsthand accounts, from people at all levels of seniority, what makes them feel like they can thrive in their workplace.
I must admit, to me it seems common sense that inclusive workplaces will attract and retain talent and be more productive. Yet I know all too well that many still need convincing that DEI is good for business and not just a nice to have in order to be labelled a ‘good’ employer. So here we go:
1. McKinsey & Company: Diversity Wins – How Inclusion Matters. This report assesses the results of a survey of over 1,000 companies across 15 countries and concludes that companies in the top quartile for ethnic diversity in executive teams were 36% more likely to have above-average profitability.
2. Boston Consulting Group (BCG): How Diverse Leadership Teams Boost Innovation. This report assesses the results of a survey of over 1,700 companies across 8 countries and concludes that firms with gender-diverse leadership are 21% more likely to report above-average financial performance and saw on average 19% higher revenue growth through ‘innovation’.
These are just two of a plethora of research studies that demonstrate a link between DEI and business performance and profitability. I have included a table of other research studies below rather than dwelling on this point as I am assuming most people reading this are already convinced that inclusion matters.
Creating an inclusive workplace culture isn’t just about policies and practices. It must be embedded as a core value across an organisation. The World Economic Forum has identified five steps to success when it comes to DEI initiatives. These are:
1. Develop a nuanced understanding of the root causes of the lack of diversity within your organisation. This can be achieved through employee surveys, focus groups and interviews. Insight from your employees will help you to articulate the case for change and to develop a company-specific DEI strategy that is clearly linked to your values and business outcomes.
2. Set a meaningful definition of success that includes measurable goals. This will help to get everyone on the same page, prioritise actions and demonstrate progress.
3. Visible buy-in from all levels of seniority. CEOs and senior leaders need to make DEI a core business priority, act as role models and be held accountable for outcomes, not just inputs or activities. Middle management resistance is one of the most common reasons for DEI initiative failure as they may resist change or practices that require additional effort. Therefore senior buy-in is crucial for creating consistent accountability across all teams.
4. Company-specific solutions. When developing specific solutions such as training, mentoring, introducing ‘employee resource groups’, changes to your recruitment or annual appraisal processes it is important to engage your employees from the out-set, so they feel heard and a sense of ownership and equipped to take the actions forward. It hopefully goes without saying that you should put in place solutions that are based on the data and insight you’ve gathered from across the organisation.
5. Track progress and create accountability. Measuring progress of the key performance indicators (KPIs) allows leaders to monitor progress and, if needed, adjust the approach to increase impact and accurately allocate resources. Linking these to overall business goals also helps to ensure that DEI is discussed at Board-level.
At the heart of these is that creating an inclusive workplace culture is everyone’s responsibility. A term that is gaining traction and helps to communicate this shared responsibility is ‘allyship’. Allyship is the active, intentional support of marginalised or underrepresented groups by those who may not share that specific identity.
It plays a powerful role in creating inclusive workplace cultures, where individuals feel seen, respected, and supported because the responsibility for speaking up is shared with those who are not marginalised or underrepresented. The concept of allyship extends beyond passive sympathy; it involves a commitment to learning, advocating, and acting in ways that foster equity and challenge systemic barriers by both employees and employers.
Beyond a comprehensive DEI Strategy that incorporates the five elements outlined above employers can create the environment for allyship and be corporate allies by:
• Capturing information on allegations of bullying, harassment or biases and tracking the outcome of investigations into these allegations making sure they’re raised at C-Suite and Board level.
• Use inclusive language throughout all of their internal and external communications.
• Provide allyship training (or similar e.g. active bystander).
• Create a ‘Speak Up’ culture and facilitate open conversations on both internal factors and external events that may impact underrepresented employees. A recent example is that colleagues of colour may not have felt safe travelling to and from work during the riots by right wing protestors across England.
• Strengthen the voice of underrepresented employees for example through Employee Resource Groups.
Individual employees can also take three simple steps to become effective allies:
1. Educate yourself about different types of discrimination and biases so that you avoid them and spot them, be prepared to update your learning over time as our understanding of inclusivity evolves; and educate yourself about different ways that you can be an effective ally as different circumstances will call for different responses. This will entail independent research and listening to others to understand their lived experiences.
2. Engage even though you may feel uncomfortable, and you will not get it right every time. This does not necessarily mean intervening, it could be listening to the experiences of other colleagues and changing your behaviour accordingly, or checking in with a colleague after witnessing a situation that may have been discriminatory or uncomfortable for them. The key is holding yourself accountable for taking action to create an inclusive workplace and learning from your mistakes.
3. Empower by amplifying the voice of others, for example, inviting them into the conversation during a meeting or putting them forward for a speaking opportunity; and by creating a safe environment for people to speak up if something happens that they perceive as discriminatory.
If you want to confidentially discuss your DEI Strategy and initiatives with IHAV we’d be delighted to share our insights with you. We can also support by a speaking to your team about allyship and helping you to recruit interns and entry-level roles from our diverse talent pool.
Further resources on allyship:Business in the Community: Let’s Talk about Race Toolkit
Diverse Educators: Inclusive Allyship Toolkit
Kommentare