Diversity and Inclusivity: How companies are getting it wrong?

Diversity and inclusivity (D&I) have been found to carry benefits such as boosting employee engagement, productivity, and even profitability, there are still so many companies that get it wrong. All too often, companies want to incorporate D&I without any prior research, fixate on impossible goals, and/or rush for easy fixes.

In the article below, we’ll look at the common D&I mistakes businesses make—and how to fix them.

Neglecting data

 It’s tempting to start instituting D&I-focused policies as soon as you can but this would be counter-productive. For example, building a gender-neutral bathroom may be a good idea but it’s possible there are other practices that are more beneficial for your employees.

Employers should collect data from tools such as employee satisfaction surveys. The sufficient collection of qualitative data will detect room for improvement and help protect against unconscious bias. Data can indicate the progress a company has made towards its goals and is relevant to a number of diversity targets, including age, disability, ethnicity, and gender.

Making data-driven decisions can even broaden the scope of the D&I conversations at your company, moving it from more common themes like gender diversity to accommodating neurodiversity, various disabilities, different religions, and more.

Uninvolved senior leadership

Leaders need to go beyond the occasional speech or training in order to make their impact felt on D&I.

There needs to be a real effort from leaders to connect with communities they want to include.  For instance, it would be beneficial to look for tie-ups with businesses that sponsor marginalized communities.

It would also help to reiterate to senior leadership the long-term business benefits of D&I such as increasing morale, encouraging a positive paradigm shift, and increased productivity.

Ignoring expertise

D&I isn’t a matter of just recruiting people from different backgrounds. Experts in D&I can help by advising ways to craft policies and systems for embedding D&I at every level, whether it be rank-and-file employees or executives.

If you engage with D&I experts, do not try to take shortcuts with their advice. Remember that they’re experts for a reason.

Fortunately, firms such as Q2 are easy partners to work with. With a team composed of headhunters with years of experience in recruiting, who themselves possess diverse backgrounds. At Q2, we focus on putting the right person in the right seat, regardless of who they are.

Not being flexible

There is no “one size fits all” approach to D&I, so it’s paramount that businesses are flexible in their practice. D&I plans should have adjustments dependent on the people involved. With the core idea being D&I being about fair & equal treatment, it is essential that the plan is adaptable to different needs.

Overall, though there are many mistakes to make when implementing D&I in business, the good news is there is also an abundance of solutions available. Businesses should not be turned off by the work needed by D&I—instead, they should treat it as a welcome challenge that will only pay off dividends in the long run.