DEI Archives - Dover Staffing

Over the last few years, we’ve seen many companies start to take diversity and inclusion in the workplace more seriously. Of course, we all know why these values are so important to address and implement in the workforce — but why is the focus so crucial now more than ever?

With the power of the internet to make knowledge more widely available and the ability to view mass media from all over the world, people are starting to see through companies who “talk” a lot, but don’t necessarily “walk the talk.” On June 17, 2021, Dover Staffing hosted a webinar to explore this topic by taking a deep dive into the priorities, opportunities, and challenges that diversity creates for the workplace.

To facilitate this timely conversation, we heard from our host, Sanquinetta Dover, Founder and CEO of DoverSolutions; panelist Ingrid Watkins, CEO and Chief Diversity Strategist at IW Consulting Group; panelist Veronica Maldonado Torres, President and CEO of the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; panelist Adam Moore, VP, Director of Supplier Diversity for Truist Bank; and moderator Roz Lewis, President and CEO at The Greater Women’s Business Council.

How can diversity give companies a competitive advantage?

More and more companies are seeing how diversity drives better results and more purpose-driven employees. Companies must understand that being intentional with hearing from different employee perspectives is crucial to creating game changing products and services. Seeing through the lens of diversity creates a sustainable, growing enterprise and is instrumental in talent search as well.

Diversity and inclusion are also key in branding in today’s day and age. We are learning that younger generations are not brand loyal like their parents are or once were. Young people today are more driven to purchase from companies with a strong Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) presence, and the power of social media matters a lot to them. Adam stressed that DE&I “can’t just be a banner or flag on the wall.” A company winning in diversity and inclusion is a company that is winning in authenticity.

What should organizations do to leverage the power of diversity in their workforce?

The first step is to create a culture of diversity. Having different viewpoints and diverse people at the decision-making table is critical for an organization. For example, noted Veronica, steps should include “creating business resource groups and places of education for the non-diverse groups of the organization to get to know each other and learn.” Education for everyone in the organization is a crucial part of building that culture.

When we talk about diversity and inclusion within the workforce, which groups are we including?

Roz shared how the pandemic gave everyone, individuals and companies alike, time to sit back and think about their current state and how they can improve. Companies must think about how they create spaces within their structure for everyone, and how they are measuring success. Victoria also touched on the topics of neurodiversity and disability, and how companies have been and should start to think about incorporating neurodiverse and differently abled employees into their culture. She challenges companies to think about how they can “win together” by empowering their employees with resources to succeed — which also results in more success for the business.

Socioeconomics adds an additional level of complexity to efforts to create equity, as its impact is not always visible or known at various stages of the employee journey, such as the application process. Over the pandemic, disparities between wealthier and lower income consumers increased. As a result, employers have a renewed and heightened responsibility to think about equity and how they ensure access to essentials like personal development opportunities and promotions are within everyone’s reach.

How can we change our recruiting and talent development processes to better attract and engage diverse individuals?

“In order to identify diverse talent,” stated Ingrid, “you have to go where they are.” This can mean reaching out to various cultural associations to find talent as well as building relationships with organizations like Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Diversity should be as much a corporate strategy as marketing, sales, and business development are. When diversity is not a top priority, it is destined to fail. Implementing practices such as goals to measure success and compliance checklists are a great way to ensure progress.

What do we mean by diversity, equity, and inclusion?

Employers tend to focus on these terms when it comes to hiring, but truly adopting the principles of DE&I means so much more. Equality is about treating everyone the same, whereas equity is focused on making sure everyone is treated fairly by taking into account their privilege or lack thereof. It is important for companies to ensure that their pay scale and policies for how they assess, grade, and pay employees is fair. It’s all about equal footing.

What are two steps employers can take to build a diverse, equal, and inclusive workforce and culture?

When employers put together a talent strategy, they should focus on eliminating bias throughout the employee life cycle, i.e. recruiting, interviewing, hiring process, belonging, and development. This attentiveness should occur over the course of the professional’s career with the company as well. The first step towards creating a true diverse and inclusive environment is committing to action.

The Dover philosophy takes a human-focused, global approach to problem solving by creating business solutions that enhance the modern workplace. Together, DoverSolutions, DoverStaffing, and the Dover Training Institute are able to address workforce development challenges on multiple levels. To find talent, click here, fill out your information, and one of our recruitment specialists will be in touch. To find a career, click here to see available positions in Atlanta.

Image credits: Photo by Rawpixel on Freepik.

People often talk about the need for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in business, but they don’t always understand how to make meaningful progress in this area. Sometimes, management does not know where to begin, so they do not begin at all. If you and your colleagues want to transform your organizational culture, you need to understand the DEI terms and set concrete goals for progress.

What Do Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Mean?

You may wonder, “Why can’t we all just get along?” The answer to that question is long and complex, but you do not have to understand the world’s history to make progress at your company. Simply understanding the following terms will help.

Diversity – The presence of differences among your employees, including psychological, physical, and social ones. To have a diverse workplace, you need to have a variety of social and cultural characteristics present.
Equity – This term means everyone is given the same treatment and opportunities. Some groups do not achieve equity because of conscious or unconscious bias.
Inclusion – Inclusion means everyone feels welcome in the larger group. Acceptance is key to inclusion.

These are separate constructs, but they work together to create a fair, productive, and even happy workplace when made a priority in organizational development.

What Is the Combined Power of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion?

Realistically, you can have a diverse workplace without inclusion. That means your employees can be of different races, nationalities, genders, physical ability, etc., but your corporation still treats some employees as “less than.” For instance, you can have a diverse staff but the majority of your workforce excludes some individuals or subgroups. These excluded groups do not feel welcomed or appreciated.

You can have diversity without equity as well. If you pay your female employees less than the male employees, then your corporation is inequitable. If you promote some racial groups less often than others, your workplace lacks equity.

However, when all three elements are present in your company, you will notice fewer conflicts, more cooperation, and better staff morale. When employees are accepted and even rewarded for being themselves, they give more to the company, secure in the knowledge that management and their peers will appreciate and reward their work.

As Saleema Vellani, Chief Innovation Strategist of Innovazing said, “Empathy is the engine of innovation.” When you have empathy, you are able to learn from others with very different backgrounds, which improves creativity. Diversity enhances innovation and innovation solidifies diversity and inclusion.

What Are the Goals of a More Diverse, Equitable & Inclusive Workplace?

Achieving DEI means setting attainable goals and continuing to work toward those goals. In short, set the goals and then take concrete action to effect positive workforce development. Too often, this conversation gets lost in abstractions. Your goals for a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace should:

Identify Opportunities – Your company’s management has to take stock of where you are and where you need to go. That may mean some uncomfortable introspection and a truthful look at current policies, values, and culture. Once you know where you are, you can list specific actions to achieve change.
Emphasize Equity – All three aspects of DEI are essential, but without equity, can the other two areas exist? Determine what fair opportunity is for different groups and work to identify barriers to it in your company.
Unleash Diversity – You can have a diverse workforce and never unleash the power of that diversity. You need to encourage different perspectives and challenge assumptions. An empowered and diverse workplace will value all perspectives.
Become Inclusive – As a leader, you need to be inclusive in your thinking and your behavior. If you do not set the expectation, you cannot expect your employees to embrace the concept.

What Does a More Diverse, Equitable & Inclusive Workplace Look Like?

Can you tell if a workplace is DEI just by looking? Well, you can certainly tell if it’s diverse, although not all cultural and social differences are visually apparent. You can still see if women and different races are represented in your workforce. Are there differently abled people present? You can also judge inclusion to some degree if you are present at a management meeting and distinct groups have representation. Equity is tougher to judge without taking a deep dive into the paperwork. Your workplace equity proof lies in yearly salary, management opportunities, and actual promotions.

How Does Creating a DEI Organization Improve the Performance of My Team and Affect the Organization?

You may worry that transforming your company into a DEI culture may negatively affect production and the bottom line. Studies show that this fear is simply not warranted. In fact, DEI can bring the following benefits:

Improved Financial Performance – Ethnically diverse companies outproduce national industry medians.
Enhanced Recruitment Ability – Excellent prospects want to work for diverse companies. Make DEI part of your talent strategy.
Improved Employee Engagement – Employees, especially millennials, are more engaged when they believe in their company’s DEI efforts.
Growth – Diverse companies are much more likely to capture new markets and increase market share.

Doing the right thing is better for employees and your company, not just ethically but financially as well.

Final Thoughts

It is not enough to talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion in your workplace. You need to embrace action over abstractions. Set specific goals and identify several concrete steps you can take now to transform your corporate culture. Your company will become a better DEI workplace step by step as long as you make it a priority.

For help with talent strategy and staffing needs, contact Dover Staffing Solutions, a full-service staffing firm that cares about business integrity and professional customer service. We work with corporate, government, and nonprofit clients. For more information, contact us today by filling out our brief online form or calling 770-434-3040.

Image credits: Photo on Freepik.

Tag Archive for: DEI

Diversity is Not Just a Discussion