Diversity & Inclusion in the workplace: beyond inclusive recruitment

Today, the values and priorities of new generations are redefining social norms. Diversity and Inclusion have become essential pillars of organizational success and sustainability. But beyond inclusive recruitment, what do these values really mean? Why are they so crucial in the professional environment? In this article, discover how diversity and inclusion can become an essential component of an organization’s culture and performance.

HR Strategy

By Julie CENAC

Senior HRIS Consultant at SQORUS

Before delving into the topics of Inclusion and Diversity (also known as DEI for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) in the workplace, let’s revisit the basics.

What are diversity and inclusion?

Diversity

Diversity is the representation of varied profiles (representative of the society) within a company. We’re talking about diversity of : gender identity, age, ethnic, social or cultural origin, religion, sexual orientation, cognitive (neurodiversity), etc.

Inclusion

Inclusion is about creating an environment in which people feel comfortable, physically and psychologically safe, comfortable and treated as equals. It focuses on interactions and making diversity work.

We can sum up the nuance between these 2 notions by quoting Vernā Myers, (VP, Inclusion Strategy at Netflix) “Diversity is being invited to the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance“. Or Caroline Chavier, CEO of The Allyance, if you want to bring them back to the business world: ” Diversity is a recruitment issue, while inclusion is a management, HR and cultural issue”.

Although the concept has been around for many years now, the subject of diversity and inclusion is becoming increasingly important in companies.

The rise of diversity and inclusion

In the era of the #Metoo or Black Lives Matter movements, to name just a few, and the awakening of consciousness that accompanies them, establishing and promoting a DEI policy has become essential. Any company that aims to attract talent and enhance its market image must work on this imperatively.

Indeed, for Millenials and Generation Z in particular, a company’s commitment to inclusion & diversity is a very important factor (today, 4 out of 5 young people would work for a company that shares the same commitments and values). GenZ gives priority to values and will not go into companies that do not reflect this.

Companies are well aware of this, and almost all of them with varying degrees of ambition and almost all of them have embarked on D&I policies.

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Diversity and inclusion: pitfalls to avoid

However, we must be careful not to presuppose that diversity implies inclusion or not to take a superficial or quantitative view of the subject. Indeed, as Robin J. Ely and David A. Thomas point out in their Harvard Business Review article, “Increasing the number of historically underrepresented people in the workforce does not automatically translate into beneficial effects.”

Another example is Pete Stone, author of a report on inclusion in organizations for the AFMD, who points out that “it’s not enough to have women on a Council to be inclusive, you have to give them a voice and listen to them“. It’s a fact that hiring individuals from minority backgrounds in order to promote diversity, but without giving them any real commitment or weight in the company’s decisions, has a name: Diversity Washing.

And while many surveys highlight workplace diversity as a performance driver, diversity washing will have the opposite effect.: loss of trust, deterioration of image, flight of talent…

Inclusive recruitment is therefore a good starting point, but not sufficient to create real coherence between the rhetoric and reality of an inclusive company.

In France, more managers than in other countries tend to consider D&I as a “purely HR topic“; yet, to be successful, it must be driven by managers and their exemplarity in this area. And to make this possible, it’s essential that top management gets to grips with the subject and supports human resources. It’s a project that requires a long-term vision and a major investment.

Diversity and inclusion: the foundations of a good strategy

Implementing a D&I strategy shouldn’t be purely quantitative or financial. It has to be human and ethic focused, and involve everyone. It must be part of the company’s culture and values, and visible on a daily basis.

Here are some important points to bear in mind:

Trust

To this day, many employees report feeling uncomfortable and unsure about broaching the subject of diversity. Employees need to feel free to speak out, express their views, and show their vulnerability, so that all issues can be addressed and dealt with.

This ensures that no one is left out. It’s important to reach out to employees, listen to them and get them involved. But we also need to take into account their feedback on what works well and can be rolled out more widely, and what doesn’t work so well and needs to be stopped or adjusted.

Full management involvement

For a culture fully imbued with the subject, it is important that learning and action take place at both individual AND collective levels, in order to bring about systemic change (deconstruction and reconstruction may sometimes be necessary, and encouraging managers to learn and read about discrimination is important).

Implement concrete actions

Initiatives to raise awareness and provide training, as well as concrete sanctions against discrimination, must accompany the approach. These measures must of course be accompanied by impact monitoring and adjustments if necessary.

Accept a wide range of styles and points of view

Everyone must be able to feel comfortable enough to be themselves without fear of judgment or negative consequences, otherwise self-censorship will prevail over the multiplicity of ideas and points of view that make up the richness of diversity.

The feedback given to each individual must relate to the real expectations of the job or assigned tasks, and not to the individuals themselves, at the risk of conveying the message that they must always be attentive to how others perceive them.

These different styles and points of view, when respected and welcomed, serve learning and enable the enrichment of ideas, innovations and therefore performance.

The continuing challenges of diversity and inclusion in the workplace

While the benefits of diversity and inclusion are undeniable, it’s essential to recognize the persistent challenges organizations can face when trying to implement effective D&I policies:

Resistance to change

Resistance to change is common, as the introduction of diversity and inclusion policies can disrupt existing structures and work habits.

Moreover, some organizations may have deeply-rooted corporate cultures that are resistant to change. Cultural adaptation can be a long and demanding process.

Measuring impact

Measuring the real impact of diversity and inclusion policies can be complex. It is often difficult to quantify tangible short-term results.

This is partly due to the subjective nature of cultural change, and the difficulty of isolating the specific effects of D&I initiatives from the many factors influencing the company.

To meet this challenge, companies need to combine quantitative and qualitative data, keep up to date with best measurement practices, and commit to ongoing, long-term monitoring. Despite these obstacles, impact measurement is becoming an essential part of strategic diversity and inclusion management, as it enables progress to be quantified and the benefits of these initiatives to be maximized.

Continuous traning

Awareness of diversity and inclusion must be constantly nurtured.

While initial awareness programs are essential for introducing employees to diversity concepts, they are not enough to maintain an inclusive culture over the long term.

Organizations must invest in ongoing training to maintain their inclusive culture.

This training must use a variety of pedagogical tools and be adapted to individual needs. It must also be integrated into employees’ professional development to ensure that it is not perceived as a separate task, but as an essential component of the corporate culture.

Conclusion on diversity & inclusion in the workplace

To sum up, while quotas and incentives (sanctions, regulations, etc.) certainly helped to get things started (particularly in terms of gender diversity), they are not sufficient on their own to produce a major change in mentality, management or strategy.

While we can see that companies have taken a stronger grip on the subject in recent years, with the arrival of Diversity Directors or entire departments dedicated to the subject, we can nevertheless hope that they will disappear. It would be a sign that diversity and inclusion were so deeply rooted in the culture, that everyone could be its ambassador.

SQORUS is here to help you with this. Do not hesitate to contact us to discuss this with our experts.