What is Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion?
It is a phrase that describes what organizations need to consider creating an environment that welcomes, and includes, all identities. We know this as DEI. Forward thinking organizations are now making DEI part of their overall strategy not assuming awareness will happen on their own.
According to Independent Sector, a national membership organization that brings together a diverse community of changemakers with a mission to foster a sense of belonging, leaders are uncertain about the steps needed to turn dialogue – and intention – into action. Many organizations have the desire to increase diversity, but the reality of an environment that enables people of different backgrounds to succeed isn’t translating to success.
DEI has always been an important, albeit not often spoken about, initiative and a number of events in the past few years have brought societal awareness forward. Events such as the #metoo movement, Black Lives Matter, and Every Child Matters after the discovery of unmarked children’s graves at residential schools. It is no longer a “nice to have” workplace program, but rather a necessary part of organizational culture, carefully woven into policies, procedures and day-to-day interactions.
What we Know:
- Boston Consulting Group found that diverse management boosts revenue by 19%
- Deloitte found that diverse companies enjoy 2.3 times higher cash flow per employee
- Deloitte also found a diverse workplace has 30% better team performance results0
- McKinsey found that 43% of companies with diverse boards noticed higher profits
- According to Glassdoor, 69% of executives rate diversity and inclusion as an important issue
In December 2020, the Federal Government announced its 50 – 30 Challenge that asked Canadian organizations to aspire to gender parity on boards and senior management as well as 30% representation on boards and senior management of other underrepresented groups, including Aboriginal peoples, racialized persons, people living with disabilities (including invisible and episodic disabilities) and members of the LGBTQ2 community. Unfortunately, there are no accountability measures and therefore reported changes do not appear to exist.
Did you know that you can invest in training for your employees and pay only one-third of the training costs? Learn more about it here.
Employer Considerations
Employers now need to blend this topic into their corporate strategy and create a sense of belonging for all into the organizational setting. Everyone thrives with a sense of belonging; this must be part of a cultural renovation to ensure diversity is embraced and gender norms, salary discrepancies and past biases are non-existent.
In addition to implementing an all-inclusive training protocol, employers must action an intentional strategy for improvement by:
- Evaluating the reality of gender, race, pay equity and inclusion competencies as they exist currently
- Involving the entire workforce by communicating a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative to ask for ideas from employees at all levels
- Educating Leadership, Human Resources and hiring mangers to include an audit of existing direct reports and what opportunity exists to create DEI
- Creating strategies on attracting, and promoting/hiring diverse talent
- Ensuring mandatory employee education courses are offered, internally or externally, as part of a regular awareness training requirement
- Creating an ongoing steering committee/s to continue forward-thinking and ongoing cultural changes supporting DEI
- Ensuring representation is evident in staffing, product offering, marketing, and suppliers
- Uncover community opportunities where the industry in which the organization exists can offer mentorship to visible minorities or higher-risk youth
- Developing a dashboard of Key performance Indicators (KPI’s) to measure and evaluate DEI, over a specific time period
- Evaluating entrances and exits for accessibility by wheelchair, or scooter, including ramps and door buttons.
- Gender neutral washrooms and washrooms for wheelchair accessibility
Why Workplace is Training Recommended (strongly)
We all learn our biases and inconsideration somewhere and likely enter the workforce with our pre-conceived notions already formed. It is only as a collective group, at school and at work, that we can learn together how to better understand, and react, to the differences we all have, whether visible or not.
Consider the collusion and collaboration, the patience and understanding, and the acceptance and appreciation of a workplace that supports:
- Ethnicity
- People with disabilities
- Gender diversity
- Gender equity
- Gender identity
- Inclusive language
- Cultural holidays and celebrations
- Intergeneration
X5 Management has partnered with The Canadian Diversity Initiative and are pleased to offer diversity and inclusion training online. We’re proud of the quality of our diversity and inclusion courses that we have bundled, for ease of learning. We know this self-directed and effective training will supply the learning needed to help any team better understand the importance of an effective workplace that supports Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The Certificate of Successful Completion will create a sense of accomplishment, too.
X5 Management will be able to provide each employer a dashboard for tracking training enrollment dates and successful completion dates for each module. Each employer can decide reasonable deadlines of completion so that employees are trained in a contained period. New employees can be added to the employer dashboard at any time. This DEI tracking resource will ensure training efforts are aligned with expectations, and the training is consistently being taken with minimal follow-up.
Training Solutions like DEI help businesses improve communication, teamwork, customer service, and more. See more of our tailored training solutions here!
Available X5 Management DEI Online Training Courses:
Respect and Inclusion in the Workplace
Safety Services Canada works to provides employers and employees with the knowledge and training necessary to work safely. They endorse this course as a key educational component of occupational health and safety training. Diversity encompasses all of the ways that we are different from each other, including factors like ethnicity, culture, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, and sexual identity. In a respectful, inclusive workplace, diversity is valued, and individuals feel safe and appreciated. This course explores both acceptable and unacceptable workplace attitudes and behaviors. Participants learn how to identify situations involving discrimination, harassment, or bullying, and how to respond appropriately. Interactive exercises help learners gain practical insights into ways to build and support a more inclusive workplace environment.
Unconscious Bias in the Workplace
Unconscious biases affect everyone. In the workplace, these biases can undermine logical decision-making and create an unfair playing field, where some people have advantages over others. This course shows common types of unconscious bias, examines the negative effects on individuals and organizations, and provides practical tips for mitigating those effects. Interactive exercises help to reinforce key concepts and give opportunities for participants to consider their own biases and explore ways to overcome them, and support a more respectful, inclusive workplace culture.
Canadian Indigenous Culture Training – Truth and Reconciliation
This course was created by The Indigenous Leadership Development Institute of Canada as a core training tool for organizations working with Indigenous Peoples. Participants learn about the diverse histories of Canada’s Indigenous Peoples and the challenges and opportunities they face today. Content aligns with the Truth & Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action (2015). This training helps participants gain understanding of the Indigenous perspective on key issues and developments, including: the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal-Crown relations.
LGBTQ2+ Diversity and Inclusion Training for Workplaces
The Canadian LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce created this introductory course as a foundational step for organizations seeking to create an LGBT+ inclusive workplace culture. Participants learn about the history, current issues, and terminology associated with LGBT+ identities, and the challenges faced by LGBT+ individuals in the workplace. Interactive exercises offer opportunities for learners to evaluate the existing workplace environment and explore ways to support an inclusive culture where everyone feels safe, respected, and valued.
The entrepreneurship your employees engage in can boost your company’s opportunities amid tough economic conditions, much like the ones many businesses face today.
Positive attitudes come after letting go of the past and welcoming what’s to come. This takes courage, doing things a little differently. Ditching the conventional opens up limitless possibilities. Try to aim beyond the competitive landscape, trends move fast, and you have to be faster.
“We all share something in common as human beings: a deep desire to belong”
– Perrine Farque, author
It is time for all decision-makers to recognize the importance of DEI, and ensure thorough and comprehensive programs and initiatives are implemented for the wellbeing of the entire workforce. The value shared cannot be measured, but the gains will be felt. It really is an organizational priority for today’s culture.
