Keep Moving Forward with EDI at Your Organization

As the nation has devoted more attention to racial and social injustice, that lens has also turned to inequalities and disparities in the workplace. Organizations have reacted, clamoring to increase and improve their diversity efforts. After the flurry of activity, now might be the time you ask yourself, what do I do now? 

Keep moving forward! 

And we want to help in any way we can. Earlier this year, we outlined a 3-step process for taking EDI to the next level. We wanted to reshare it as it might particularly resonate with you now. The method of creating an action plan might help to energize your efforts.

Part of your action plan might include diverse hiring. An inclusive and diverse workforce that reflects new and differing views leads to innovation. Research by Deloitte reported, "Organizations with inclusive cultures are six times more innovative and agile, eight times as likely to achieve better business results, and twice as likely to meet or exceed financial targets than organizations with less diversity in the workplace."

Innovation leads to better services, ideas, and products, increasing the market share and revenue. A study by Boston Consulting Group showed that diverse companies produced 45% more of their total revenue from innovation. They also had a 19% greater overall financial performance than their non-diverse counterparts.

As you begin to recruit, see our list of 7 things to avoid and what to do instead, or create and use a hiring philosophy, demonstrating to potential candidates that your organization is committed to diversity and inclusion.

When reviewing your hiring procedure, think about the 3 As to optimize your
hiring process:

• Access. Are your job opportunities distributed in a way that's available to diverse populations? What is your outreach? What schools, programs, clubs, groups, cities, and towns are you visiting? Attracting diverse talent means reaching out to diverse environments and posting your positions in areas heavily trafficked by diverse populations. 
  
  
• Awareness. Are the populations you're targeting aware of your opportunities, and, more importantly, are they aware that your organization prioritizes inclusivity and diversity? A study from 2016 highlighted that 64% of millennial workers wouldn't take a job if a company didn't have strong corporate social responsibility values, and 83% would be more loyal to a company that helped them contribute to social and environmental issues. 
  
  
• Application. The application and the process are essential. Is the application's language, job descriptions, or company website inclusive? Or is it written in a way that appears, or is biased, thus discouraging the diverse talent the company needs?

Finally, DeEtta Jones & Associates would be honored to partner with you to foster EDI efforts at your organization. Join the Essentials of Cultural Competence and learn how to enhance your cultural competence and engage in ways that increase your organization's overall EDI capacity. Or, register for the Inclusive Manager's Toolkit program and gain the inclusive and practical tools for maximizing workforce performance.

Not ready for a program yet? Download the complimentary inclusive onboarding checklist to see how you can optimize your onboarding process for new hires.

Let’s move forward together,
The DJA Team