Creating A Culture Of Inclusivity That Thrives

Employment barriers are beginning to break down

To flourish in 2022 and beyond, companies must place diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at the center of everything they do – from decision-making to board composition. It is more important than ever for companies to work towards making sure they have diverse representation throughout the entire organization, from the CEO to managers to entry-level team members to attract and retain top talent and achieve their business goals. Employee empathy and productivity flourish in an inclusive setting, where different cultural understandings and ideas for business breakthroughs can thrive. However, without actionable and widespread efforts, many companies will see their DEI efforts fall short.

However, what are some of the primary drivers for achieving success? In my experience, it is actively implementing inclusivity at work (and making sure those values are reflected at the leadership level). Then, the remaining employee base will be able to follow suit and culture will emerge, where inclusivity is a core value of the organization, for which they work. 

The State of Inclusion at Work

A recent study from Heidrick & Struggles shows that 82% of the world’s largest organizations have focused on culture as a priority in the past three years, and “increasing employee engagement” and “improving diversity and inclusion” are two of the top three goals behind this focus.
 
Culture Amp’s 2022 Workplace DEI Report found that even though 60% of companies do not currently have any DEI specialist roles, 40% said they are investing in building out the specialized expertise needed to build successful equity and inclusion programs. These roles also tend to be new, according to the research, with 80% of DEI roles being hired in the last 18 months. This indicates that most companies are still at the beginning of their change journeys and additional progress is yet to come.
 
Surely, this momentum is encouraging. It shows us that employment barriers are beginning to break down. It proves that companies are committed to making an actionable change when it comes to hiring talent that is representative of the world we live in today: diverse, full of differences in opinions, backgrounds, beliefs, knowledge and experiences. All of these differences have long been understood to contribute to above-average returns and increased business performance, which will undoubtedly bring major benefits to our global economy in the years to come. 

Practical Ways to Promote Inclusion

Beyond greater business performance, workplace inclusivity is an iron-clad value proposition for today’s businesses. With the global race for talent as a backdrop, taking ownership of inclusive principles will determine winning and losing companies. To attract and retain top talent, businesses must focus on creating a culture that benefits everyone, anywhere.
 
Companies can take practical steps to create a global, scalable platform that drives a sense of belonging and inclusion for every single employee – regardless of their gender, ethnicity, cultural experience, location or job function.

Create and Promote a DEI Policy

Etching DEI policies in stone is one of the primary ways companies can leapfrog other businesses in their inclusion efforts, setting themselves apart from the competition. A DEI policy can serve as one holistic approach to hiring, empowering and retaining a diverse workforce and should be woven into the larger strategic plan of an organization. For a global workforce, specifically, having a clearly-defined DEI policy in place is critical to display one’s true intentions and stance on a variety of global diversity issues, such as tolerance of racial, gender and cultural biases. SHRM details the steps to create a DEI plan, which includes four main phases: benchmarking data collection and analysis; strategy design to match business objectives; implementation of the initiative; and evaluation and continuing audit of the plan.

Implement a Strategic Inclusion Plan

In a 2020 study by industry analyst and thought leader Josh Bersin, 75% of companies surveyed do not include DEI in leadership development or overall learning and development. Roughly 80% of companies with DEI initiatives are just going through the motions and not holding themselves accountable, according to the report.

It helps to analyze the high-performing companies that have seemingly “done things right” by living out their DEI values for decades and not just focusing on checking the proverbial boxes. According to the same report from Josh Bersin, the highest performing companies included Accenture, ADP, AstraZeneca, IBM, Johnson & Johnson and Target. Through analyzing the inclusion strategies at these companies, the researchers found that “listening, hearing and acting” are critical, as companies that do so are 12x more likely to engage and retain employees; 8.4x more likely to inspire a sense of belonging; and 8.5x are more likely to satisfy and retain customers.

Take a Regular Pulse of Employee Sentiment 

Giving employees the opportunity to provide regular feedback is a crucial step in making sure a company’s DEI initiatives are having the desired impact. Internal employee surveys provide a window into what is working and what needs to be addressed. This helps make employees part of the process and provides invaluable internal data for creating action plans and next steps.  This data can help craft both immediately implementable plans and inform next-generation programs like creating internship programs that focus on diversity.   
   
Companies that focus on creating an inclusive working environment for their employees that is reflective of the diverse world we live in, can help ensure all of their team members feel valued and heard and as a result, will be the ones that find the most success.

Richa Gupta is CHRO at Globalization Partners. Gupta brings over 20 years of robust technology human resources experience, with a focus on managing HR for global, complex organizations that are undergoing transformations and defining industries. Previously, Richa held senior leadership roles at GE, PayPal and, most recently, as Chief People Officer at health tech platform Castlight Health.  Connect Richa Gupta