Amer Sports

In this day and age, everyone should be familiar with the concept of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI); if you haven't, then you've been living under a rock; after all, this concept has been around since the 1960s, following the introduction of affirmative action and new employment legislation around employment equity. So, one would think that after almost 65 years, we'd have a handle on how to implement, support, and promote DEI in our organizations, but that simply isn't the case.

What exactly is DEI, and why do we find it so difficult to do it right? Let's break it down and look at each term individually. Diversity means your organization employs individuals from various cultures, backgrounds, religions, ages, genders, etc. Equity in the workplace is the idea that all employees are provided with fair and equal opportunities based on their individual needs– this can include salary, benefits, work projects, scope of responsibility, promotions, professional development, etc. And finally, inclusion means that everyone in the diverse mix feels involved, valued, respected, and fairly treated.

As a human resources professional, I understand the benefits of DEI and how it can improve the workplace. It’s been proven that organizations that embrace DEI culture experience several benefits, such as having a larger labor pool to recruit from, improving corporate brand and reputation, stimulating creativity and innovation, improving engagement and retention, and increasing productivity. These are all wonderful things, don't you think? Shouldn't we all want to reap the benefits that diversity, equity and inclusion can bring to our businesses? Unfortunately, despite knowing these benefits, a lot of organizations struggle to implement DEI initiatives, or if they do, they don't do it well.

I could go on and on about the positive impacts that a comprehensive and authentic DEI program can have on the success of an organization, but instead of seeing this from a business perspective, I want to focus instead on the human aspect and the perspective of the job seeker and existing employees. 

"As a human resources professional, I understand the benefits of DEI and how it can improve the workplace."

I am the proud mother of a young adult that identifies as non-binary and bi-sexual, and nothing drove home the importance of DEI in the workplace more than when my youngest child was searching for work after graduating from university. Looking for work during the height of the pandemic was challenging for most job seekers, and for those who don't conform to conservative societal norms, it can be even more challenging as biases can lead to roadblocks to employment and engagement.

As a job seeker, it's almost impossible to know whether an organization values and promotes a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion within their organization unless they've made considerable effort to publicize it through their advertising campaigns, website design and content, and recruitment processes. Even then, just because they market themselves as valuing these things and have corporate policies and programs that promote them doesn't mean that they actively walk the walk, so to speak. So, a job seeker really isn't going to know an organization's culture until they are embedded in it.

After searching for a couple of months, my youngest finally landed a part-time position at a well-known retail store. While not their dream job, they were happy to have finally landed a job during Covid. However, it was during the onboarding process that they got their first indication that the retailer may not value or support DEI. The employment forms they were given to fill out only had two options under gender: male and female. As non-binary, they don't identify as either of the options provided and feel disappointed that they were forced to conform to society's gender norms. More importantly, they felt like they had to hide who they were as people for fear of how others would react or treat them. 

A few months later, they landed a 2^nd part-time job at another big-name retail chain and were excited to see on the employee forms that they had the ability to identify themselves as they truly were, and the company provided name tags that included a spot for pronouns! For the first time, they felt like it was safe to be themselves at work and that the company valued and supported them. That feeling didn't last long as, not long after, they started to receive comments and questions about their name tag and physical appearance – not from their employer or co-workers, but from the store's customers. Sometimes, it’s someone who is respectful but curious; other times, they are downright rude, dismissive, and intolerant – some even refuse to be helped by them. On the surface, the organization seemed to embrace DEI in the workplace, but they have done little to try to protect their employees from being exposed to intolerance and abuse by their customers. It wasn't long before they stopped wearing their name tag – hoping to avoid uncomfortable customer interactions. When it was brought to management’s attention what they had been experiencing in the workplace, management’s response was to advise them to change their name tag and their outward appearance if they wanted to avoid the unpleasant interactions; in other words – pretend to be something you’re not in order to be accepted. Clearly, this organization is sending mixed messages about valuing diversity, equity and inclusion.

Whether your organization already embraces DEI in the workplace or not, it's recommended to analyze to see what's working and what isn't, assess existing DEI initiatives to gauge their effectiveness and identify areas for improvement. Ask yourself:

• Does your organization have a policy regarding DEI in the workplace?

• Do your recruitment and hiring policies and procedures support DEI?

• Are candidates able to properly identify their gender?

• Is the language in the hiring and onboarding documents gender-neutral?

• Does the organization provide DEI, Workplace Harassment, and/or sensitivity training to employees on a routine basis?

• Does the organization recognize and/or support religious holidays or festivals for employees from other cultural or religious backgrounds?

• Does the organization include images depicting diversity and inclusion in their print and digital marketing and on their internal and external websites?

• For businesses that deal with the public – is there a statement or policy prominently displayed in the workplace supporting DEI with a statement about unacceptable behavior from its patrons?

• Does the management team, i.e., executives, managers, and supervisors, actively support and promote a culture of DEI on a daily basis?

• Is your workplace designed to be accessible to those with disabilities?

• Is there a policy regarding accommodations in the workplace?

• Has your organization designated a Leader or established a committee that deals with improving DEI culture?

By answering these questions, you will better understand the DEI culture in your organization and how it could be improved. 

As a parent, I want my children to have positive work experiences where they feel seen and valued for their diverse skills and experiences. A place where they are heard and their feelings and opinions are considered, where they feel safe and supported and are free from judgment and intolerance.   As an HR professional, I want to ensure that I am promoting and supporting DEI in my own workplace, improving my recruitment strategies to ensure I am attracting candidates from all walks of life, providing training to staff that promotes understanding, tolerance and sensitivity, encourage new ideas and initiatives to be shared and supported, keep challenging the status quo and continue to push for the advancement of a culture that thrives on diversity, equity and inclusion for all.