Since the pandemic disrupted our lives—particularly our work lives– in ways we could never have imagined, new concerns replaced the annoyances of rush hour commuting and cleaning the office refrigerator. Working from home demanded a seismic shift in our behaviors and attitudes. Zoom cocktail hours gave way to Zoom fatigue. As we adjusted to the new work environment, some of the things we noticed in the past but never really questioned above a ‘hmmm…’ started to occur to us. And among those things were diversity, equity, and inclusion. So, where do we start? A good place to start is demystifying the annoying acronym: DE&I—diversity, equity, and inclusion. These issues aren’t particularly new, but like so many things, such as employee productivity, collaboration, and trust, the pandemic put them in the spotlight. The questions surfaced when employees were no longer in an environment where it was easier to maintain the status quo than to question it. Maybe because innovation was harder to generate or because on the video calls that defined our work life for almost two years, the fact that some people dominated the conversation became more painfully obvious. Or maybe because seeing the group in Brady Bunch squares meant that people noticed that their teams lacked diversity and fresh voices. Or perhaps the awareness of the need for empathy created an a-ha moment that people in critical but low-paying jobs were quitting because they realized they were not being paid what they were worth—certainly not what they were worth to operational continuity. And these insights are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Let’s see what lies below the surface. We can start by defining terms.
Diversity: the term diversity cuts a wide swath across categories. Categories like race, ethnicity, the differently abled, sexual orientation, gender, and religion, to name a few. If you could look at that Zoom call or an in-person meeting and notice that no one “looks different,” you just might have a diversity problem. A fact about diversity to bear in mind: it is quantifiable. Suppose your Brady Bunch looks like, well, the original Brady Bunch. In that case, you probably need to consider that you are not representing society on a macro level—and that what comes out of your collaborations doesn’t necessarily resonate with contemporary culture or contemporary markets.
Equity: when we talk about equity, we are talking about the fact that people are not treated equally or fairly. “Equally” and “fairly” do not mean that everyone is treated the same. For instance, are educational opportunities leading to advancement open to everyone? Is there a pay scale that is not biased in favor of one group or another? Are your systems equitable? Your industry, no matter what it is, is competitive. Affording training to keep everyone updated—including the youngest and oldest members of your team—is simply smart.
Inclusion: inclusion describes the work environment. Do your team members feel that their contributions and suggestions are valued? (The sentence, “We tried that, and it doesn’t work,” has no place in a group discussion.) Do you appreciate that diversity leads to sharing a wide variety of experiences and insights, leading to new solutions? And just as diversity is quantifiable, inclusion is qualifiable. Attitudes—our own included– are easy to spot. If the same person is shot down every time the team leader asks for input, you probably have an inclusion problem. The make-up of the group or the team where diversity is noticeable- i.e., race, ethnicity, the differently abled, sexual orientation, gender, and religion—provides a richness of experience, insight, and competitive positioning. Diversity fosters a better company culture as well as being good for business. Here are some basic questions:
- Are the holidays your company celebrates only Christian holidays?
- Has your company adapted to encourage hiring the differently abled?
- Do you notice gender-based expectations regarding who makes the coffee or who will get the football tickets?
- How do your events take into account dietary preferences or those mandated by religion?
- How do you respond to disparaging remarks about gender fluidity or the sexual orientation of your colleagues?
- When interviewing potential vendors and partners, do you limit your selection to those who make you feel comfortable because they reinforce your opinions? Or do you search for a fresh, diverse approach to the work?
These are the easy questions. Some questions are a little more difficult. Please download our workbook if you want to dig deeper into these issues.
