An inclusive culture is a priority for most companies today, and it’s something job candidates are looking for. But DEI is a topic that demands authenticity. Overstating the reality of your diversity progress can backfire. It’s one of those areas where it’s important to show it before you say it.
As you’re communicating diversity and inclusion at your company, keep in mind that most organizations aren’t quite there yet, and there’s no need to pretend that yours is. Being on a journey towards a more inclusive culture, and making it a priority in your business, is a realistic place to be.
How far along is your organization in making a truly inclusive culture a reality? See these five tests for authenticity:
If your board is almost exclusively white men, then it’s fair to say you’re not quite there with the goal of an inclusive culture. For encouraging signs, take a look at the management levels below the C-suite. If you see a range of diversity across managers — such as women, people of color, people with disabilities, and those who identify as other than cisgender, then that’s good news for inclusivity.
Including same-sex partners is a good start, but healthcare policies that cover diverse needs like gender affirmation surgery, fertility treatments, surrogacy and other family-building benefits can be indicators of a more inclusive culture. Covering mental health care, substance abuse treatment, weight loss injections and even acupuncture also signal a higher awareness of diverse needs across the employee population.
A diverse workforce might include a number of different faith traditions. An inclusive culture offers flexible policies to accomodate that. Do your Muslim employees feel comfortable observing their prayer schedule during the workday? Are Catholic employees able to adjust their schedules to attend Ash Wednesday or Good Friday services? If you have offices in India, do you avoid booking meetings on Gandhi Jayanti?
Sometimes Employee Resource Groups are little more than membership lists of people representing a certain segment of the population. But when ERGs have frequent meetings, events and ongoing communications, they help bring an inclusive culture to life. Being able to share challenges and solutions can provide valuable support for employees who may not look (or feel) like everybody else at work.
Forced diversity in stock photography can ring false, but whenever you shoot employee photography or video, work to include a diverse representation of your people. On the other hand, avoid making any employee the token something, like always showing that one hijab-wearing engineer or the one manager in a wheelchair. Hopefully, you have a range of diverse employees to feature.
