Is it possible now for any organization to run with a single generation, With the same race, same gender, or same educational background? It is merely impossible. In this current scenario where an organization is run only with the expertise and contributions of a multigenerational workforce including different gender, race, and caste, the operation of an organization with just a single attribute. The work culture of any organization has been influenced by these three trends: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, an elongated form of DEI.
No one has even imagined that the outbreak of the most disastrous pandemic COVID-19 would bring such tremendous transformations in the work culture of the organization introducing remote work culture, freelancing, online meetings, digital payments, and many more. These changes significantly introduced the DEI trends. For example, the protests held against racism regarding the death of George Floyd during the Covid-19 lockdown, the economic recession, and other systematic inequalities and injustices were grappled by the world and the world embraced DEI trends more than before.
The strategies and initiatives for DEI in the organization lead to the employees appreciating their work values and company modules as the result of the creation of an equal and inclusive workforce. The feeling of being appreciated pushes the employees to dedicate their contribution more towards company growth and productivity.
In an organization, Diversity refers to the enrollment of people belonging to various backgrounds, races, gender, caste, etc, and providing them the equal opportunities same as all.
Equity represents providing not only equal opportunities but fair treatment to every human resource of the organization. Equity varies from equality as equity considers a person’s unique conditions and the opportunities and treatments for each person are adjusted so that the end consequences may be the same.
Inclusion is all about respecting the opinions of all the staff and providing fair treatment irrespective of diversified backgrounds. It is about embracing them with fair opportunities and enabling them to make dedicated contributions to the organization.
Diversity may be of different forms such as:
With the amalgamation of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the greatest impacts occur in the organization. With the evolving landscape of work culture, organizations must understand and respond to the changes. The DEI movement acknowledges and provides assistance to the distinct attributes of every human resource ranging from marginalized to disabled people so that they can strive and thrive more. DEI has been one of the progressive ideas for molding organizational values in a progressive and right way. DEI involves strategic business advantage with the participation of a multigenerational workforce and the elimination of bias in the workplace.
What advantages can organizations realize from Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion?
A diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce is the spice of organizational life. With the various backgrounds emerge various innovative ideas, dedications, opinions, and challenges too including personal and professional experiences. With the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic all around the globe, the DEI trends have reached their peak level. And every organization has included the DEI strategy as the business plan for organizational growth and higher employee performance.
1. Diverse backgrounds mean different professional voices
The workforce from The Silent Generation of 1928s to Gen Z participation in the organization concerns different professional and life experiences, voices, and skill sets. Coming from different generations, they contribute to the organization with their diversified ideas and knowledge despite belonging to several gender, age, and ethnicity which the organization can take as strategies that cater to organizational growth.
The workplace consists of marginalized groups, trans people, underrepresented communities, and many more. Discrimination takes place in the workplace regarding minor issues targeting these groups and providing workplace opportunities like promotions, transfers, and rewards to only high-class people. But with the DEI trends, strict actions are taken in order to create an equitable and balanced environment in the workplace thus minimizing these biases for a truly inclusive workforce.
3. Transparency in Organizational Goals
With the concept of an inclusive workforce in the organization, the business leaders and all the employees of any organization can communicate without any uncomfortable situations and carry on honest conversations with each other about organizational goals, vision, mission, and suggestions and feedback for upcoming strategies to implementation. This culture sets transparency in the targeted goals and the DEI initiatives inspire every staff to share ideas, solutions, and recommendations thus creating a discrimination-free workplace and they feel appreciated and valued too.
4. Equipping for a Systematic Change
Plans and policies are made to make the workplace a safe hub for any employees of the organization. There are various grim realities regarding discrimination around the globe. Organizations can set a benchmark as revolutionary attempts to introduce the much-required systematic changes in society so that everybody in society may feel the need for such changes that make the organization established as a good company to work with. It further enhances the branding of the company too.
5. Drives employees’ motivation and satisfaction
Employees feel motivated to work in organizations where they are valued and acknowledged despite their gender, physical ability, and other backgrounds. Such employees dedicate their full efforts to making the organization reach its goals and objectives. Furthermore, the social image of the organization is also addressed as the best one amongst the clients, customers, and other important shareholders.
Diversity means distinct backgrounds, equity referring to fair treatment for the same end results, and inclusion representing the welcome of the opinions and dedication of the people despite their backgrounds, these initiatives not only give license to the organization to introduce itself as an employee-friendly organization but also improves the organizational performance with the diversified people bringing multiple perspectives at the table for the ideas and solutions. With the changing landscape of work culture, every person in the universe supports and raises voices for DEI in not only a specific organization but in every nook and corner of the world.
With these initiatives, the HR Department has to fulfill the responsibilities of initiating gender-neutral restrooms, providing health benefits, orientation programs for people with disabilities, promoting openness, unequivocal support to the underrepresented staff, ensuring the representativeness of diversified talent, and many more.
Fair and transparent opportunities are what everyone expects and these DEI initiatives will always be in trend as the strategy for the stalwart performance of employees and the whole organization.