A diversity and inclusion policy is being implemented in more and more companies. It serves three purposes and is referred to as a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) policy. Encourage the creation of a friendly, inclusive, and harassment-free workplace. Show internal and external stakeholders the principles and standards that your organization upholds. Establish the progressive, forward-thinking, and dynamic nature of your organization.
Why is it important?
Instead of homogeneity and groupthink, which can result in competitive advantages, diversity of ideas, backgrounds, experiences, and talents encourages more idea sharing and innovation.
Feeling included and content at work can boost morale and productivity among employees, which can help retention rates.
Companies that make their diversity initiatives known may attract a wider range of candidates.
Companies having a diverse management team may be more sensitive to and aware of concerns related to harassment and discrimination. This may help these incidents be found and resolved more quickly.
Company’s commitment to diversity
A company’s diversity, equity, and inclusivity statement is an overview of what diversity and inclusivity mean to the company. DE&I is an aspirational goal of the company. They do not include any target. Since every business is unique, your definition of diversity and inclusion should take into account the culture, strategic vision, and values of your organisation. It shouldn’t be a carbon copy of the DE&I statement of another corporation. The company should make sure that the language of your policy is understood consistently by all parties involved in your firm. It should include clauses like What does your organisation mean by diversity, what is inclusivity/ is it an environment in which all employees are treated fairly despite their diverse natures, what kind of diversity does the firm promote. Some common grounds of diversity can be:Â
- Race
- Gender
- National origin
- Ethnicity
- Religion
- Sexual orientation
- Disability
- Age
- Marital status
Purpose of the policy
After you’ve defined the fundamental guidelines for the policy, you should explain why your business is putting one into place. Consider these issues:
- What benefit does a DE&I coverage offer your company?
- What benefits is your organisation anticipating as a result of a DE&I policy?
How do you want all workers to feel when they report to work? Many companies state that they want to provide their staff the freedom to be themselves at work, confident in speaking out and contributing fully to the team, knowing that their ideas will be taken into account.
In a broader sense, how do you want all of your stakeholders to feel when they deal with your company?
Where is it to be stated
DE&I statement should be given in the employee handbook. It should be a standalone policy so that employees realize the importance of the policy. It should also be equal in status to any other organizational policy. Remember that a handbook is internal and written for employees. In particular, job candidates, who are external stakeholders, are very interested in DE&I policies. These audiences frequently interact with businesses for the first time online. Because of this, you might make your DE&I policy available on your business’ website under the employment or recruiting tabs.
Implementing a diversity, equity and inclusivity policy is one of the core elements of a business. Among other advantages, it can improve your company’s reputation and culture, draw in a larger talent pool, and facilitate greater business performance all around. It also helps your business meet the needs of a fast expanding sector of the labour market, which is equally crucial. Although a DE&I policy should be high level, short, and relatively brief, it should nevertheless include several fundamental topics.