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At Confetti, we believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace brings a better employee experience and a richer work environment. We put together this blog to help you assess your current inclusivity efforts and create a more diverse and inclusive work culture!
Diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace have been an increasingly hot topic in recent years. But we want to challenge you to think of it as something bigger than a hot-button topic.
Instead, think of an inclusive workplace culture as the key to making all of your employees feel valued, respected, and cared for.
COVID-19 has widened the already large equity, diversity, inclusion, and pay gap between white employees and people of color.
Did you know 44% of Black and 61% of Hispanic individuals experienced job and wage loss throughout the pandemic? For that reason alone, this is an important issue to address (and continue to reassess) within your company.
Companies that champion diversity and inclusion aren't just uplifting communities of marginalized people. They're opening up the company to…
Now, let’s talk a little bit more about what it looks like to create a culture of equity and diversity in the workplace.
As leaders in your company, you are responsible for spearheading the creation of an inclusive culture. We always say that company culture starts from the top, and inclusivity efforts are no different.
Here are a few ways that managers can step further into their role and champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace!
It’s no longer enough to simply talk about cultural shifts and inclusive behavior. It’s time to open up the floor to making genuine connections with your employees on a personal level so that they can feel more comfortable approaching you in times of concern and celebration.
In simpler terms, you gotta create a workplace that reflects the values you already have!
The only way to create a truly inclusive workplace is to create a culture of trust, caring, and empathy within your leaders, your company, and your team.
There are many unique identities that make up your workplace. One way that you can help everyone feel seen and heard is by creating events and initiatives that celebrate different cultures, gender identities, and sexualities. This can include celebrations and events surrounding:
Education initiatives are another way to help people from different backgrounds understand and appreciate one another.
Most people are familiar with standard corporate DE&I training. But try approaching learning with a fun, engaging approach. Engaging culture-based classes like Exploring AAPI Art or Black Women in Cinema are sure to be a hit.
These classes and trainings turn a topic that can sometimes feel repetitive or empty into a rich, rewarding, and fun cultural event.
Inclusion in your organization isn’t just about acknowledging people’s differences. It’s about finding ways to make genuine, human-to-human connections.
Holidays and bonding activities are fantastic, but they’re empty if companies aren't working hard to make every single employee feel valued, respected, and an equal part of the team.
⭐️ Instead of making an employee feel othered for their differences, focus on their strengths as a leader, human, and friend.
You’ve heard it from us before, and you’ll almost certainly hear it again–company culture and employee experience start from the top.
Companies should ensure that leaders and employees are aligned on the matters of inclusion and equity. Statistics show that employees want transparency in your company’s equity initiatives.
🚨 If your team doesn’t see that you are actively on the same page, you risk losing them.
Recruiting in companies plays a huge role in inclusion and diversity, but it goes well beyond hiring people of color.
Targeted recruitment is about actively seeking out diverse, qualified candidates who can bring a fresh perspective to your organization and hiring the right people for the role regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or physical ability, and not letting preconceived notions or internal biases cloud your hiring judgment.
💡 Your HR department and recruiters should be well-trained in diversity and finding the right candidates for your organization. Here are some questions to consider when creating an even playing field for diverse candidates:
Internally, companies should also examine how they’re retaining their employees for the long term. If you have a disproportionate amount of diverse team members leaving, then it’s time to address these issues. If you are having retention issues, here are some questions to ask yourself:
It can feel shameful for companies to have to address these issues, but tackling them head-on now is better than waiting and seeing them grow larger.
One thing that is often overlooked is accessibility in your operations. Make sure that your internal operations and even your physical offices and facilities are accessible and available to all of your employees.
Your staff should be provided the tools that they need to excel at their jobs. An employee resource gap in terms of your internal operations can hold back team members that would otherwise be thriving in their positions.
💡 Here are a few operational changes/methods that can be implemented for a more accessible workplace:
Employee feedback is essential to an inclusive workforce. Your employees need multiple ways to give feedback to their team leaders and HR personnel. They also need the opportunity to do so anonymously, without fear of pushback from anyone in the company.
It’s a great idea to approach this from multiple angles so that everyone feels comfortable giving their feedback. Consider having both one on one options and performing company-wide check-ins.
⭐️ Before you can create a culture of true inclusion and open dialogue, you have to follow through on community ideas. This allows your employees to understand that you take them and their issues seriously.
The goal is to create a culture where people understand that they work in an inclusive environment and will not be reprimanded for speaking out against people or actions that make them feel uncomfortable or discriminated against. Microaggressions are more common than you would like to think.
As leaders, the best thing that we can do is swiftly and tactfully address issues as they arise, and adjust company culture in an effort to make sure that they don’t happen again.
At Confetti, we are champions of your inclusion activities. 💪 We are strong believers in and supporters of our audience’s initiatives around workplace equity.
And we know it’s important to you, too. That’s why we’ve amped up our efforts to give you the diversity and inclusion activities you need to help your inclusion initiatives blossom. 🙌
We recently launched our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Collection, home to a wide range of educational and engaging experiences. To show our commitment to ours (and your) DEI efforts, we’ve also ensured each event is created and run by individuals who represent the community they teach about.
Book it under 5 minutes directly on our platform or reach out to [email protected] today to learn more!
