DEI Tips and Best Practices for a Healthy, Inclusive Workplace

Editor's Note: We recently updated this post with new insights.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are fundamental for prioritizing employee wellbeing and achieving long-lasting success. With a strong DEI strategy in place that supports each employee on an individual, equitable basis, organizations stand to experience benefits such as increased employee engagement, the ability to attract (and retain) more talent, and heightened productivity.

But how does fostering a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion actually impact the wellbeing of organizations? And how might putting DEI above other goals and initiatives skyrocket organizational success?

Let’s take a look at the importance of a foundational DEI strategy, impactful goals to set ahead of building your own, and how to implement them effectively in your workplace.

By implementing a strong DEI strategy, organizations are better equipped to optimize employee experience and benefit from:

• Decreased turnover. When employees are happy at their jobs, they’re inherently more likely to stick around longer. Research from Eagle Hill Consulting revealed that over half of job seekers say that a diverse workforce is critical when considering an offer of employment. In particular, 77% of Gen Z and 63% of millennial applicants view an organization's commitment to DEI as a top requirement when choosing where to work.
• Improved profitability. Studies show that organizations in the top quarter for gender diversity and racial/ethnic diversity are more likely to outperform their peers than in years previous.

Before these or any other benefits can be realized, however, a solid plan of action, and people responsible for maintaining it, must be put in place.

According to Harvard Business Review, only 12% of DEI leaders have a team under them dedicated to DEI work. This alone shows a pressing lack of DEI leadership and subsequent lack of organization around diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and calls for heightened attention, strategy, and goals within organizations.

Setting goals for your DEI initiatives and tracking your progress enables you to monitor which areas are successful and which require improvement.

Knowing exactly where to start can be tricky, but there are some key challenges that many organizations face across the board, including:

• Not enough diversity in leadership. According to McKinsey’s 2022 Women in the Workplace report, only one in four C-suite leaders are female, and only one in 20 are women of color.
• Lack of mature, strategic, and goal-centric DEI programs in workplaces. Less than half of surveyed organizations believe that their DEI programs have reached an “advanced” or mature stage, according to the HR Institute.

Taking a closer look at challenges within organizations that hinder employers from meeting DEI goals, it is important to evade common DEI program barriers, such as:

• Lack of goals or metrics that gauge program efficiency
• Inadequate training on DEI leadership, implicit and unconscious bias, microaggressions, etc.
• Little to no buy-in from leadership
• Inflexible budgetary restrictions
• Cultural resistance

With these challenges in mind, how can you build a strong DEI strategy that’s attentive, sustainable, and beneficial for your organization's goals? 

Through communication, internal goal setting, and measuring the effectiveness of your DEI efforts, you can set your employees and your organization up for success. If you’re unsure where to start, here are some proven DEI strategies and goals to set you on the right track.

Making a fundamental change for the better in your workplace culture is the overarching goal of DEI. Through all of these tips, it's critical to maintain a focus on the end goal of improving your workplace environment.

Implementing policies, procedures, and best practices in the workplace that celebrate diversity, provide equitable benefits, and foster inclusion equip organizations for future success. Not only does it empower previously underrepresented employees to thrive and grow in their careers, but it also benefits your organization by improving morale and engagement, boosting retention, and enhancing productivity across the board.

Is your team or organization struggling to start the tough conversations around DEI? Do you feel like you aren’t doing enough to ensure that your employees feel seen, safe, and respected at work? Reach out to our team to discover how you can enact lasting change.