It’s plain to see that the more diverse, equitable, and inclusive a place of work is, the better it is for everyone. And it’s good for business, too — companies that focus on diversity efforts consistently experience higher production numbers and higher rates of employee satisfaction.
Let’s take a look at four things you can do at your office to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion:
Measure your workplace’s progress.
What good is implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts if you don’t measure it as you go along? It’s important to measure the effectiveness of your company’s efforts and then act on that data. Try surveying employees to get their thoughts on how DEI efforts are going, and if they’re making a difference. And you’ll want to keep track of any incidents regarding DEI to measure their frequency over time.
Include diversity training in your company’s wider efforts.
Training sessions are only a small part of the bigger picture when it comes to DEI. In fact, holding one diversity training session and calling it a day is likely to backfire — it can leave employees feeling alienated and forgotten. Make sure that training efforts are included alongside things like inclusive job postings, accountability systems within the ranks of your company, and designated diversity advocates for the hiring process.
Evaluate employees on inclusion efforts.
Consider the fact that training workers on topics they know they won’t be evaluated on doesn’t often work. If an employee knows that they’ll be evaluated on their DEI efforts, on the other hand, it’s much more likely to stick. And it doesn’t have to be a huge undertaking. Simply let employees know that their next quarterly or yearly evaluation will include a component of their personal DEI efforts. That simple step will make employees take the training much more seriously.
Make sure it starts at the top.
Keep in mind that a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce starts at the top of your company and trickles down. There should be diversity, inclusion, and equity in the management structure itself, and the people in those roles must lead by example to champion DEI efforts at every turn. When’s it’s a priority to leadership, it’s a priority to the whole company.
Ready to step up your hiring game and make your organization more inclusive? We can help. Contact High Profile at 972-991-7900 or visit us online to find out how we can be of service.