Building a diverse culture at the workplace is more than just diverse hiring; creating an inclusive culture is what counts.

Building a diverse and inclusive workplace is a journey. It takes time, effort, commitment and a tremendous amount of tenacity to embed diversity and inclusion as a part of an organisation’s culture. Unfortunately, organisations make it their mission to achieve it all in a year and run it as an initiative, a programme eventually falling into a trap to make it successful. Organisations take a myopic view and become a part of the plot to build a diverse and inclusive workplace.

D, E & I is the HR’s Responsibility

A 2016 article in the Economic Times, “Diversity Fatigue”, suggested that 12 most terrific words in the English language are “I am from Human Resources & I am here to organise a Diversity workshop.” Diversity and Inclusion is not the responsibility of the HR function. It is important for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) to be led, communicated and practised from the top by the leaders and not the HR. Everything from hiring to building awareness, running awareness programmes around DEI become the HR’s agenda. However, HR also takes it on their shoulders by hiring a DEI lead in the organisation who is an owner of making it a success in the organisation.

Glassdoor recently reported that June 2021 saw a mammoth 50 per cent increase in DEI job openings. But, bringing in a DEI lead can be just another form of tokenistic hiring, say Leyya Sattar and Roshni Goyate, co-founders of The Other Box. They say that unless the DEI lead has “buy-in from senior leadership, budget and influence, it will be a superficial, surface-level action and ultimately a waste of money”. Building and sustaining a diverse and inclusive workplace should become a part of the organisation’s ecosystem through a strong sponsorship of leaders.

Hitting Diversity numbers as a business target

Organisations like to believe that they have hit the bull’s eye by taking on big diversity hiring targets. For example, hiring 10% more women as compared to the previous year, hiring people with disability, hiring more millennials and Gen Z as well as welcoming people from the LGBTQ+ community. Diversity is achieved in silos through such hiring numbers, but thoughtful consideration of making an inclusive, open workplace remains amiss.

Therefore, the hiring numbers remain to be a struggle every year because engaging and retaining diversity remains a consistent challenge for organisations. Liz Johnson, Founder of the Ability People and Podium, explains that diverse hiring does not automatically translate into an inclusive culture.

Training as a quick fix

A report by management consultant Korn Ferry suggests that the common mistakes committed by organisations include:– 

•  Assuming the root cause of a D&I problem without research

•  Going for easy fixes

•  Promising the impossible 

Focusing on diversity representation rather than the talent pipeline Diversity and Inclusion training works as a ‘tick in the box’ activity.

Organisations run mandatory programmes which do not mean that they will always have a lasting effect and result in long-term behavioural changes. DEI training has several objectives varying from sensitization to awareness, giving knowledge, dissemination of information and the long run behavioural change. Supervisors are key anchors to integrate DEI practices and policies within a corporate culture.

Accountability: A Big Gap?

Policy measures adopted by the Indian government and SEBI (Security Exchange Board of India) have led to an increment in the number of women Board members in India from 5% in 2013 to a moderate 15 % in 2019*. There has always been a noise to have more women in the boardroom. However, accountability among the top leadership is absent while identifying and strengthening women leaders to build representation in the boardroom.

Diversity, equity and inclusion needs strategic planning, and unfortunately, organisations rush into execution without establishing an infrastructure or ecosystem. It is important that diversity, equity and inclusion is embedded in the organisational culture and values so that every individual lives it every day. You need a strong foundation and this should be the core of everything that the organisation does.

DEI can be strengthened in the organisation through robust and conducive policies to ensure that the organisation is able to create a safe and open workplace for all kinds of people. The employees of the organisation experience equity during their interactions with each other as well as with the organisation as a whole. The policies will enable organisations to make DEI a core part of the values and purpose of the organisation making it sustainable as well as a way of life.

It is also important to build strong ownership and accountability among the senior leadership team and create a steering committee that takes initiatives and champions DEI and makes it an intrinsic part of their business to build conviction of significant contribution of DEI in the business and beyond. Organisations should also focus on identifying the need to focus on the gaps when it comes to any form of training required within the organisation. Every DEI training may have a different goal. Some may require them to sensitise supervisors to hire in an unbiased manner while some might be for people on how to conduct themselves with inclusion, training to hire people with disability or LGBTQ+. It is important to prioritise and understand what is important. Many a time, organisations aspire to replicate best practices without understanding the nuances of their own eco system hence fail to fit in and eventually sustain the best practice.

Last but not the least, women taking leadership roles has always been a debate, however, there is a lot of ground work required to make it a reality. The belief of the organisation in their women leaders and to have relevant capability programmes emphasizing the needs of different cohorts as well as addressing their capability needs is extremely important. It is critical for organisations to build a strong talent pipeline to address the issue of more women being present in the boardroom. Well, capability programs may not be the answer. The solution may be something else. An enriching experience, a life changing exposure or stretched assignment, shadowing it can be any other way of developing women leaders within the organisation.

DEI needs a strong sense of purpose as well as relentless passion to make it a movement in the organisation to live, feel and celebrate every day.

Reference:

* - https://www.scconline.com/blog/ post/2021/05/20/women-in-indianboardrooms-moving-beyond-tokenism