Diversity and Inclusion Strategy Guide

What is a Diversity and Inclusion Strategy?

A Diversity and Inclusion Strategy is a written document outlining an organisation’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). A DEI strategy should include an organisation’s aims, objectives, and the practical steps they plan to take to ensure staff, clients, volunteers, and customers receive fair and equal treatment.

A Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategy can uncover problematic areas and reveal appropriate ways to incorporate better practices. It’s also important for meeting legal duties relating to protected characteristics, as laid out in the Equality Act 2010.

For instance, employers must provide Reasonable Adjustments in the workplace for all neurodivergent individuals. This could look like allowing for different working patterns, providing organisation-wide assistive technology, or giving staff allowances during staff meetings or events. Such interventions must be carefully planned and a Diversity and Inclusion Strategy can enable better analysis and planning in this area.

Why is It Important to Have a Diversity and Inclusion Strategy?

Current studies show over 80% of business execs think diversity initiatives are critical to business strategy. Plus, more than 60% expect DEI to become more important in the future. Best practice around diversity and inclusion isn’t a one-time fix. It takes continual effort, a solid understanding of each protected characteristic, and an appreciation for intersectionality. 

More Positive and Happier Work Environments

When staff feel accepted for who they are, and have their differences accommodated, they’ll be more motivated to bring their full capabilities to work. This can result in better results, higher productivity, and happier working environments. 

Toxic work environments can arise when misunderstandings happen due to a lack of awareness. But when staff feel safe to disclose their differences at work, it can dissolve these barriers. And this can lead to more harmonious and happier working atmospheres.    

Increased Productivity and Output

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is an important strategic area for all organisations. Prioritising DEI leads to significant improvements across the board, with studies showing inclusive teams are over 30% more productive while boosting their decision-making, increasing cash flow per employee, and increasing financial outperformance over competitors.

Improved Employer Branding

A Diversity and Inclusion Strategy is also useful for organisations to showcase their commitment to building respectful, inclusive cultures. This is a vital way to increase employer branding and attract talent who’s looking to work in a safe and inclusive workspace.  

Better Creativity and Innovation

There’s a direct correlation between higher rates of workplace diversity and better creativity. When teams include people from a variety of backgrounds–with different viewpoints and experiences to draw from–it can result in new or revolutionary ideas. And these may lead to competitive advantages. 

How to Create a Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

So how can workplace leaders go about designing their own Diversity and Inclusion Strategy? Here’s a bulleted list of key aspects to consider: 

• Acknowledge the benefits of diversity: Many examples showcase the benefits of better diversity at work. For instance, greater racial and ethnic diversity in a company’s top quartile boosts financial outperformance by 35%. 
• Listen to your employees: Staff are often the most valuable source of data for understanding how to approach DEI. Staff surveys can help you understand what they think and feel about coming to work and help you adapt to suit them.  
• Challenge biases and acknowledge intersectionality: Unconscious bias is prevalent and this may be especially acute with intersectionality, where individuals have ‘double or triple layered’ characteristics such as being a black woman with ADHD.  
• Embed DEI as part of your core company values: Company values should reflect a sense of inclusion, acceptance, and diversity that runs through every aspect of operations.
• Use more inclusive language: Encouraging staff to use more inclusive language that embraces and celebrates individual differences, can increase revenues by 20%. 
• Include accessibility in your D&I initiatives: Offering live captioning during company meetings or providing dictation tools for those who prefer dictation are small steps that make a big inclusion impact.
• Leverage tools to track effectiveness: Getting a strategy written up is one thing. But making recommended changes and implementing new practices is another. Using data tracking and project management tools can help stay on track to reach your goals.
• Take advantage of workplace equity technology: Deploying communication platforms, data analytics, and Assistive Technology can boost accessibility and inclusion rates by 20%.   
• Apply the Five-Stage Maturity Model: Organisational psychologist and professor Ella Washington identified five stages of DEI maturity after working with hundreds of companies on DEI. Many firms have taken this approach to identify how well they’re doing and created their bespoke version, like consulting firm Wilson and Associates. 

Diversity and Inclusion Strategy Examples

Workplace leaders need to apply a holistic but fit-for-purpose approach to achieve functional DEI in the workplace. Gaining the benefits relies on constant monitoring and nurturance, with a strong idea of what works and what doesn’t. To understand how a Diversity and Inclusion Strategy works in practice, let’s run through some examples of how others found success.  

Coaching, Mentoring, and Buddy Systems

An effective strategy for building workplace engagement while creating safer work environments is setting up one-to-one relationships between staff. They could start with HR or People leads working in a coaching capacity, helping individuals with neurodivergence make the most of their skills at work. For instance, insurance firm Willis Towers Watson set up a dedicated ASD programme in 2016. The programme includes dedicated mentoring arrangements and a Neurodiversity Council sponsored by their CEO. 

Bespoke Training Programmes

Proctor and Gamble (P&G) is one of the world’s largest advertisers. They aim to cut out unconscious bias and promote workplace equality. One way they’re doing this is by developing a bespoke training programme called ‘Be Equal’. This sets out a framework for inclusive, accountable leadership. The programme also aims to create equal and equitable environments that end bias and promote better accessibility.  

Employee Resource Groups

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) help to form strategies around a particular protected characteristic. A good example of this is the German-based firm SAP. Their Autism at Work ERG led to the development of an Autism Inclusion Network. And this has led to a more inclusive workplace and better acceptance of neurodivergence at work. 

Change at a Leadership Level

Involving senior leadership or board members can affect positive change. For instance, Chairman, President, and CEO of Adobe, Shantanu Narayen is a member of the Valuable 500. Their mission is to promote the empowerment of disabled workers and increase opportunity. Through the group, Shantanu is accountable for increasing hires from the disability community and investing in partnerships with DisabilityIN and Project Hired. He also oversees the AccessAdobe employee network and collaborates with the Centre for Inclusive Design.