5 Important Steps to Take After Googling “Workplace Diversity and Inclusion”

After the senseless death of George Floyd, many experienced a social awakening.

This shift in public consciousness led people and organizations alike to take a closer look at issues of diversity and inclusion (D&I) in their own lives and workplaces. For many, this translated into learning more about D & I with the help of the internet.

In fact, when looking at search engine inquiries, our research shows that there has been a massive spike in popularity for information about diversity and engagement and its application within businesses and organizations.

For example, the key terms "benefits of diversity and inclusion" and "diversity and inclusion best practices" increased in popularity by 350% and 300% respectively since March 2020. This indicates that more and more businesses are looking to increase their knowledge and proficiency around these issues.

Furthermore, search terms such as "diversity and inclusion certification" have also experienced a significant spike. A 550% increase in search engine popularity. This is probably another indication of organizations' growing commitment to D&I initiatives as they seek to train their HR professionals and managers in these practices.

So perhaps you are one of these HR professionals or managers, and after a quick Google search, you have just finished learning about diversity and inclusion in the workplace. You feel anxious. You feel overwhelmed. But you are starting to understand why this is important for your employees and organization.

But the question is: What now?

Should you start hiring as many “diverse” employees as possible? Should you schedule a “diversity training” STAT? Or should you just think about it later and get back to watching The Crown, when you are supposed to be working from home? - No judgment here! Quarantine fatigue is real. Plus who doesn't love all of those 80's sweaters Princess Di is rocking this season?...

In this post, I will show you the three most important steps to take after dipping your toe into the world of workplace diversity and inclusion.

With these steps, you will be able to create the appropriate frame of mind necessary to engage in D&I practices and provide a plan that will help create actual and sustainable change.

Step #1 - Pause, and Breathe

Improving your organization's diversity and inclusion practices will be arduous and messy work. As you embark on these efforts, know that this is an ongoing process and that you are going to mess up. Probably a lot, and that's okay!- In fact, it still happens to me, a Queer, Women of Color with ten years of social justice experience.

Therefore, as you begin your approach to improving diversity and inclusion within your organization, try to address these efforts with as much thought and care as you would any other change management project. This means that instead of rushing in and trying to change everything at once, you take the time to create a robust plan that is broken into small actionable steps. Steps that should ultimately add up to a greater and sustainable shift in your organization's culture.

However, since D&I is a human-oriented practice, it's naturally more nuanced than any other project. Therefore, it is important to remember that no matter how carefully you plan, issues are bound to arise.

It is likely that as you propose these changes and recruit others in your efforts, you will say or do the wrong thing. This may lead to feelings of embarrassment and may make you want to give up.

In all honestly messing up is going to suck, but it is part of the process. So take a deep breath, sit with your mistakes, learn from them, and keep going. Feeling guilt or bad about yourself or the privilege you hold won't change a thing. Doing the work will, and that is what really matters.

Step #2 - Gather Input

Before creating your plan or moving forward with any strategy, speak with your employees.

This will allow you to get a better understanding of what support systems they need to feel included in the workplace. - Including the voices and ideas of the stakeholders that will be affected the most by any organizational change is just best practice. It will also help foster trust in your efforts.

As you gather information about their experiences and discomforts in the workplace, it is important not to "explain away" any concerns or invalidating encounters they may have had. In this step, your only job is to listen, support, and gather their thoughts on possible solutions.

Also, make sure to pay attention to verbal and nonverbal cues that can help you determine if your employees are comfortable with having this conversation in the first place. Depending on your organization's culture, employees may not feel like they can speak freely about their concerns. This is especially true for employees who experience microaggressions and other forms of discrimination in the workplace.

If you feel like they are unable to communicate openly, you should spend some time creating a psychologically safe environment where people are able to express their concerns and feel listened to. This too will be an ongoing process but will have a great positive impact on your diversity and inclusion efforts.

Finally, educate yourself on common issues that employees with minority identities face in the workplace. Although it is necessary to gather input from your own employees, it is best to come to these conversations having at least a basic understanding of these issues.

Step #3 - Draft a Plan

Based on these steps, you and your stakeholders can begin to identify an action plan that will help to create a truly inclusive workplace. Keep in mind that these practices should go beyond simply hiring more "diverse" employees or holding yearly diversity training. In fact, your plan should include deep-level diversity initiatives incorporated at every level of your organization. These can range from creating a work environment where everyone's ideas and thoughts are taken seriously to reassessing your salary and promotion policies to ensure that everyone is being properly awarded for their levels of experience and efforts.

Your plan should also be intersectional and equitable. For example, when hosting your yearly sexual harassment training, make sure to spend some time addressing what these experiences may look like for your Queer and Trans employees. And when celebrating pride month, make sure to include the experienced of your LGBTQ+ employees of color and those with visible and invisible disabilities.

These are a few examples, but the take away is that inclusion and diversity should be part of everything your company does.

Finally, make sure that your plan includes a process that facilitates the sharing of concerns by your employees. As well as a policy on how to deal with cases of marginalization and discrimination. -Remember, no amount of initiatives will produce actual change if discrimination goes unchecked, and there is no accountability.

Step #4 - Foster Buy-in

By now, you should have spent many hours gathering information and creating a sound D&I plan. However, before implementing your strategy, it is crucial to foster buy-in from your organization's leaders and influencers. These are the people who will lead the charge by adopting and being examples of a more inclusive culture.

Of course, your organization's leaders should be among this group of people. However, it is also important to recruit those who show leadership skills or are well trusted by other employees despite their official role in the organization.

When approaching your potential candidates, try to determine ahead of time which types of arguments will sway them the most. Will they be motivated to act after learning about the difficulties their employees face? Or will an economical argument for diversity and inclusion provide more sway? Perhaps, it is a little bit of both.

Additionally, be able to provide them with a clear description of what is necessary from them in order to make these change efforts stick. As well as reminders of what motivated them to act in the first place.

As leadership and influencers adopt new behaviors and make decisions to improve D&I in the workplace, other employees will follow suit. Those who don't will most likely opt out of the new work-culture and find a job elsewhere. - Although unfortunate, it is the reality of any type of organizational cultural shift.

Although it is recommended to foster buy-in before implementing your diversity and inclusion strategy, this step can be put in progress while you complete steps #1 through #3.

Step #5 -Anchor D&I into the Organization's Culture

As mentioned earlier, the implementation of diversity and inclusion initiatives is a journey rather than a destination. This means that the work will never be done, but it will always be worth it.

However, the efforts can become more sustainable and easier to manage by anchoring them into the organization's culture.

Two key strategies that can be used to do this anchoring are constantly communicating "wins" and making sure that this new approach is championed by the next generation of organizational leaders.

As these efforts begin to gain ground, you will notice that the organization will experience several positive outcomes. Therefore make sure to keep track of these changes.

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Has turnover decreased? Has innovation and profit increased? Are people happier in the workplace? Is all of this largely due to the organization's new D&I efforts? If so, share that information in meetings, your newsletter, and anywhere you can think off.

To make sure that the approach is sustained as your organization changes leadership, work with your board to create a succession plan that emphasizes the importance that new leaders champion these efforts. Although this is easier said than done, including these stakeholders in D&I efforts from the beginning can make this challenge a bit easier.

These steps can help create significant change and build a more inclusive work environment. At the end of the day, it is not about checking off diversity and inclusion from your list. Instead, it is about providing ALL of your employees with dignity and the respect and psychological safety they deserve.

Now I want to hear from you! Put these steps into place and tell me what you took away from this experience.

Learn how to create a more inclusive work environment for your employees by checking our Ultimate Guide to Queer and Trans Inclusion in the Workplace.