Why Consider DEI?
It is important to reflect on why the conversation around DEI is still so relevant to organisations and why it should be or remain a priority, and something that is embedded within an organisation’s philosophy, policies, processes and practices. When thinking about the WHY of DEI it might be helpful to break it down into three different elements: the moral case; the business case; the compliance case.
The moral case – simply put, this is the right thing to do.
It is the right thing to do to treat all people with kindness, respect and compassion no matter who they are or where they are from, and it is clear that fostering a sense of belonging for people in your team is a vital part of their experience at work.
Additionally there is a lot of research suggesting the link between levels of well-being, engagement, positive culture, and inclusion and belonging. A model that brings this to light really clearly is Meyer’s minority stress model (2003) – this looked at the ways in which those who identify with a minoritised social category experience depression and suicidal ideation.
Meyer’s Minority stress model, (1995)
The business case – Having a sharp focus on diversity, equity and inclusion is a key part of long-term organisational strategy which brings significant business benefits to companies and organisations, including:
- Higher productivity, efficiency, innovation and engagement from people who feel they are included and belong in their company
- Improved retention of existing staff and increased ability to attract the best talent
- Reduced recruitment costs and reduced costs from losing too many valued people
- Better decision-making avoiding ‘group think’
- Greater ability to understand diverse customer groups and enhanced ability to engage and market to diverse customer groups
- Reduced corporate reputational risk from having a committed and engaged workforce who feel included and that they belong at the company
- Increased net promoter scores from employees
The compliance case – there are legal obligations, and these should be a baseline. This should be what all organisations are doing as the very minimum and should what anyone who is focusing on DEI should have a basic awareness of.
The Equality act (2010) brought together a huge number of different pieces of legislation under one act and protected people with the following nine characteristics:
- Age
- Faith or religion
- Marriage or Civil Partnership
- Pregnancy or maternity
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
- Gender reassignment
- Disability
- Race and Ethnicity
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equality-act-2010-guidance
Of course, members are not expected to read the equality act from start to finish but there should be an awareness that members of your team with any one or more of these characteristics will be protected from discrimination of any kind by law.
To read more about the different types of discrimination, please have a read of the following article: https://www.gov.uk/discrimination-your-rights
