SHRM Diversity, Equity

& Inclusion
Competency

**This information is from SHRM Learning System. I do not own the rights to this.
Diversity
• Is described as “the similarities and differences between individuals,
accounting for all aspects of one’s personality and individual identity.”
Within any given population, these aspects of personality and identity may
take differing forms. This means that the application of diversity may vary
from organization to organization and country to country.
• Some organizations look to expand their application of diversity into new
areas in a growing list of identity groups: race, religion, gender, culture,
ethnic background, age, thought (which refers to the unique perspectives an
individual brings), and so on. Others may change how they view the whole
concept of diversity. They may move from viewing diversity defensively—as
a matter of legal or ethical compliance—to viewing it strategically—as a
valuable asset that an organization can use to compete.
Legacy Diversity
• Generally, traits that are easily recognizable and visible, such as
external physical characteristics. Culture, ethnicity/race, nationality,
gender, physical attributes, age, and language are all examples of
legacy diversity traits.
Experiential Diversity
• Diversity based on lived experiences, for example, where an
employee grew up, where they went to school, and other life
experiences (family, hobbies, interests). Employees with similar or
shared experiences can form connections and work well together. At
the same time, these bonds can result in the formation of cliques,
which can have an exclusionary effect in some cases.
Thought Diversity
• Diversity based on different perspectives, resulting from education
and socioeconomic background. Introducing thought diversity can
help guard against “group think,” inject new insights into decision
making, and help identify prime candidates to tackle urgent problems
and issues.
Inclusion
• “The extent to which each person in an organization feels welcomed, respected,
supported, and valued.” An inclusive organization is one in which all members feel
involved and empowered to contribute, and the organization works to sustain this
state. The organization actively seeks out and welcomes diverse perspectives.
• Inclusiveness happens only when an organization has created a culture and an
environment in which the talents, skills, and perspectives of everyone in the
organization are recognized and appreciated. By fostering and nurturing such an
environment, the organization will encourage collaboration and flexibility and
create a more fair working environment.
• Attracting talent is a strategic benefit of inclusion (along with recruitment and
retention), as people will want to work for a company that makes them feel
included and valued. Or, put another way, diversity is the byproduct of effective
inclusion.
Equity
• Equity asks, “How do we ensure that everyone has the same ability to
contribute to their fullest potential?”
Equality vs Equity
• Equality refers to a state of fairness—all employees are provided with
equal rights and opportunities within the organization and are treated
fairly. Equity, however, refers to the promotion of fairness and justice
via the organizational structure—that is, the organization identifies
ways to acknowledge specific demographic needs and challenges and
incorporates them into its DE&I decision making.
Benefits and Characteristics of DE&I
• Improved creativity and innovation
• Recruitment and retention
• Market strengths
• Branding
• Global integration and local differentiation
• increased revenue
Multigenerational Workplace
• Different generations bring different skill sets and perspectives, each
of which can provide value.
• Partnering employees from different generations can help generate
innovative and creative solutions and ideas.
• Provides opportunities for cross-generational learning and mentoring
and knowledge transfer.
• Different generations require different engagement strategies
(benefits, career path opportunities, management style).
Multicultural Workplace
• Multicultural organizations have access to greater diversity of thought
and experience and can therefore benefit from more innovation and
creativity in decision making.
• Can gain valuable insights into other cultures for the purpose of
market expansion and finding and appealing to new customers.
• Opportunities to appeal to diverse talent and customers.
Multilingual Workplace
• Multilingual environments can help foster greater diversity, equity, and
inclusion and therefore more innovation and creativity.
• Multilingual environments can attract top talent and new customers.
• Multilingual employees can provide opportunities for organizational growth
and are able to bridge certain gaps in understanding and communication
(with customers, vendors, other employees).
• Multilingual employees can help provide language support in-house—for
example, in customer service or with overseas branches and offices.
• Encouraging multilingualism can also benefit the workforce, as they acquire
new skills and ways of thinking, which in turn can help engagement and
retention.
Multitalented Workplace
• Multitalented workforces are flexible and able to adapt to fast-paced,
changing situations and work environments.
• Multitalented workforces can be more collaborative, which can
enhance team building and engagement.
• Can lead to challenges with retention if multitalented employees feel
dissatisfied or unchallenged.
Multigendered Workplace
• Gender diversity leads to more innovative thinking and encourages
diverse idea exchange.
• Multigendered organizations are able to attract top talent (especially
top non-male candidates).
• Can signify a forward-thinking organization and leadership, which can
attract more and diverse customers.
Three reasons for a strategic
approach
• Priority
• Complexity
• Resistance
Six Basic Steps for DE&I Goals
• Educate your leaders
• Form an inclusion council
• Celebrate employee differences
• Listen to employees
• Hold more-effective meetings
• Communicate goals and measure progress
Factors that are critical to overall
success
• Leadership buy-in.
• Executive sponsorship.
• Employee resource groups.
• Allyship.
• Unconscious bias training.
• Mentorship.
• Psychological safety.
• Using preferred gender pronouns.
Leadership Buy-In
• DE&I can gain commitment at an organization’s highest level only if it can
demonstrate its ability to play a critical role in achieving core business goals. A DE&I
advocate must delve beyond general truths about the benefits of broadened
perspectives and diversity of thought to create a business case linked specifically to
the organization’s unique mission, vision, and business objectives. This may simply be
a matter of applying diversity’s general benefits to an organization’s specific situation
and challenges. For example, to make the business case for DE&I, an organization
facing staffing challenges tied to an aging workforce will require diversity initiatives
that can find and attract skilled younger workers—and/or better retain its older,
experienced workers. Similarly, an expanding organization must understand the needs
and priorities of the cultures that are its expansion targets. DE&I efforts to bring
members of these cultures into the workforce, and especially into decision-making
positions, is a matter of business strategy, not just diversity strategy.
Executive Sponsorship
• Without executive-level leadership serving as role models and
advocates, DE&I cannot become a priority or demand resources. This
must be a real, active, and long-term commitment for the effort to
succeed—not a public relations statement or a symbolic gesture but a
highly visible and ongoing advocacy for a detailed program and a
commitment to specific resources and actions. Executives may
sponsor specific initiatives, such as an employee resource group, even
if they are not primarily responsible for the entire DE&I initiative.
Employee Resource Group (ERG)
• Known as an affinity group or network group, is a voluntary group for employees who
share a particular diversity dimension (race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc.).
Depending on how it is organized—and how actively the parent company participates—
an ERG can serve many roles, from social network and support group, to career
development resource, to organizational think tank, to advocacy group. It can be a
channel for mentoring and educational programs, a way to provide diversity council
input, and a resource for new hires.
• One critical element of ERGs is that they are self-selecting. By joining an ERG, an
employee chooses to focus on one of many diversity dimensions that comprise their
identity. An employee may join an ERG for positive reasons—as an opportunity to make
a unique contribution to the organization or to pursue an avenue of growth. Or there
may be a negative impetus—it is the part of their identity that they feel is least
accepted or understood by the organization. Either way, joining the ERG can in itself be
empowering.
Employee Resource Group Criteria

Criteria for Effective Employee Resource Groups

•Whether groups have formal charters •If the groups’ success is measured through retention,
•Percentage of employees in at least one group engagement, talent development, and other
•Racial/gender breakdown of groups contributions to business (focus groups, client
•Percentage of top executives who are sponsors of interactions, marketing ideas)
groups •If resource group leaders have rotational positions on
•Whether groups are used for recruitment, executive diversity councils
onboarding of new employees, talent development,
marketing, mentoring, and diversity training
Allyship
• Allies can be relied on to model empathy and be ambassadors for
change, advocating for people who are underrepresented in small
ways and working to correct uneven opportunities that those
underrepresented people are receiving.
• These allies likely are unable to directly promote others but may help
shine the spotlight on or mentor others. Small actions that open
doors and help others advance their careers over time can have long-
term effects for those individuals. However, allies must cautious to
not assume or act as though other individuals are helpless and must
consistently attempt to provide the small boosts as they are able.
Allyship cannot be a one-and-done action.
Unconscious Bias Training
• Unconscious bias training is designed to illustrate the biases that an
individual may hold and how those may influence their attitudes and
behavior and thus decision making, despite the individual not being
aware of the biases. The goal of the training is to help reduce or
remove inequalities through this education by empowering
individuals to avoid the biases when making decisions.
• As with other training efforts, it is important to follow through and
assess the results. Feedback must be gathered on an ongoing basis to
assess if the training is working and how it can continue to be
effective over time. One important question to ask is “Is the
organization achieving behavioral change?”
Mentorship
• Mentorship can be formal or informal. Formal programs may be set up with
specific goals in mind, for example, to prepare underrepresented individuals
for promotion to leadership roles within the organization. Specific goals like
this may help an organization achieve its DE&I and other strategic goals.
Informal programs may be used to generally increase visibility throughout
the organization, increasing opportunities for underrepresented individuals.
• Mentorship may be seen as closely related to allyship. Individuals engaging
in allyship may chose to use mentoring as part of their efforts. Mentorship
may focus on career progression opportunities or filling specific
representation voids in an organization, where allyship may work toward
eliminating individual and systemic barriers that create an imbalance in
opportunity generally.
Psychological Safety
• Psychological safety refers generally to an individual feeling that they
are able to speak up, question, ask for help, and admit mistakes. This
safety makes individuals feel valued and allows them to freely
contribute to a diverse and inclusive environment.
• This psychological safety also leads to increased ease of collaboration,
especially when engaged in learning sharing, error reporting, and
innovation initiatives that are crucial to a company’s success.
Using Preferred Gender Pronouns
• Gender pronouns, such as “him” and “her,” are increasingly being
phased out by organizations and replaced with gender-neutral pronouns
such as (but not limited to) “they,” “their,” and “them.” The
nomenclature used continues to evolve, but organizations that stay
abreast of changes and use them in their organization can create feelings
of inclusiveness among non-binary individuals (those who do not
identify as male or female). This may include those who are transgender,
gender fluid, between gender, genderqueer, or third gender. (Note that
this is distinct from sexual orientation.) The term transgender is often
used as an umbrella term to describe the other terms listed, though
individuals may prefer to be recognized using a specific term.
Evolution and Integration of
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• It is important to integrate DE&I initiatives as fully as possible into
standard organization operations. For example, diversity training
becomes part of standard supervisory training rather than a stand-
alone topic, efforts to attract a more diverse workforce become a
standard element of normal recruitment procedures, and so on. That
is, to succeed, DE&I strategy should become integral to the
organization’s sense of “the way we do business” and “who we are.”
• That doesn’t mean, however, than the initiatives are no longer
measured, revised, and reevaluated. As with any other core strategy,
continual reexamination and adjustment of both tactics and overall
strategic goals are essential to any success.
Conscious Bias
• Results in intentional behavior and may manifest in the form of
physical and verbal harassment or other deliberate actions such as
exclusion. Because of the awareness of conscious bias, it is more
easily identified and thus may be easier to remedy at both an
individual and systemic level.
Unconscious Bias
• May not result in overt and deliberate action, but it still informs decision-making
processes and behaviors, though an individual or organization isn’t aware of it
• It is pervasive and universal—meaning that everyone has some form of unconscious bias.
• Though the actions resulting from it are often small, the impacts to inclusiveness and
fairness may still be large.
• Though everyone has some form of unconscious bias and may exhibit bias at the same
levels, the effects of it are felt differently by different groups.
• Unconscious bias extends from the individual level to the systemic level.
• Organizations are unable to operate fully in the marketplace due to the impacts of
unconscious bias.
• The effects of unconscious bias may be reduced at both the systemic and individual
levels.
Forms of Bias
Bias Definition
Gender-based discrimination Assumptions based on an individual’s gender
Gender identity bias Assumptions based on an individual’s gender identity
Sexual orientation bias Assumptions based on an individual’s sexual
orientation
Racism (including systemic) Assumptions based on an individual’s race and/or
ethnicity
Stereotypes Generalizations about members of a group or social
category (including nationality, sexuality, etc.) with
regard to their qualities and characteristics
Ageism Assumptions based on an individual’s age
Ingroup/outgroup bias Assumptions made based on group-level similarities
or differences (gender, race, interests, etc.)
Affinity bias Assumptions made based on shared or similar
experiences (education, home town, etc.)
Social comparison bias Assumptions made based on perceived social group
Extroversion/introversion bias Assumptions made based on employee’s personality
—for example, quieter employees seen as
unengaged or less talented or louder employees
seen as difficult or overcompensating

Neurodiversity bias Assumptions made based on whether an employee is

neurotypical or neurodivergent
Microaggressions Subtle, common, and quick insults and behaviors
that convey negative or hostile messaging toward
certain marginalized people and groups
Gender-Based Discrimination
• Gender-based discrimination often manifests through both conscious and unconscious
assumptions about individuals of different genders. For example, women may face more
difficulty in exhibiting effective leadership due to the preconceived notions of their peers.
This may occur consciously, where an individual refuses to respect the authority of their
manager due to their gender, or unconsciously, where an individual doesn’t recognize the
credibility of the information presented by a member of one gender but does when similar
information is presented by an equivalently (or less) qualified member of another gender.
• Though it is often reported or assumed to be due to work/life balance issues or issues
relating to child care, it is more often because of the corporate culture. It’s easier to explain
the issue as work/life balance, particularly when the employee is already disillusioned or
disengaged. Work/life balance is an important issue (and cause for leaving) for both genders,
which should be focused on. But it’s more important to focus on inclusiveness across gender
lines and creating a positive environment where all contributions are valued.
Gender Identity Bias
• Gender identity bias refers to bias that occurs due to the gender that an individual identifies with.
As referenced elsewhere, this may include transgender, gender fluid, between gender,
genderqueer, or third gender. Organizations may need to address different types of conscious and
unconscious bias relating to terminology used in systems and documentation and with
organizational partners, bathroom access (and comfort in using a preferred bathroom), and
confusion on the proper way to address transgender individuals (for example, communicating and
enforcing use of proper pronouns and preferred names, which may change as an individual
transitions). Individuals may exhibit conscious bias by deliberately misgendering or misnaming an
individual.
• Gender identity is often grouped with sexual orientation (for example, the commonly used
acronym LGBT includes sexual orientations—lesbian, gay, and bisexual—with transgender). This
may partially be due to stereotypes regarding the supposed desires of gay and lesbian individuals
to be a member of the other sex. However, gender identity and sexual orientation are distinct
concepts. An individual who is transitioning from male to female may be attracted to members of
either gender or to members of multiple genders, and that attraction is unrelated to their
expression of gender identity.
Sexual Orientation Bias
• To understand sexual orientation bias, it first must be accepted that sexual
orientation refers to purely sexual behavior. It more broadly refers to romantic
relationships, which are a basic component of the sense of self for an individual.
This is shown in family structures and life changes such as getting engaged or
married. It also arises in the case of after-hours events to which team members
are invited and are expected to bring significant others. When individuals are
unable to freely share such core concepts of who they are, trust, teamwork, and
relationship-building efforts may be affected.
• Though some employees may hold religious beliefs with regard to the morality of
a certain sexual orientation, that does not give them the right to limit or exclude
others on that basis in the workplace, much akin to how members of two
different, non-congruent religions would be expected to treat each other equally
and fairly.
Racism (Including Systemic)
• Racism comes in many shapes and forms, but at a high level, it leads to an
advantage to a certain set of individuals on the basis of race that results in and is
sustained by a combination of psychological and sociopolitical factors. Different
forms of racism include individual, internalized, and systemic:
• Individual racism is the personal belief that an individual’s race is superior to
another.
• Internalized racism occurs when a member of a race accepts negative messaging
regarding their self-value and abilities due to their race.
• Systemic racism, also called institutionalized racism, occurs when an organization
(which may include government functions) imposes a set of philosophies,
policies, and procedures that have either the intent or the effect of system-wide
discriminatory treatment of a group of people due to their race.
Stereotypes
• Stereotypes are generalizations about members of a group or social
category with regard to their qualities and characteristics. These lead
to more rapid and simple perceptions and judgments that are often
exaggerated, negative, and resistant to change even in the face of
information that goes against the stereotype.
• Stereotypes may lead to stereotype threat, where individuals that are
subjected to stereotypes regarding substandard performance are
influenced to conform to those stereotypes, resulting in substandard
performance compared to their capability.
Ageism
• Ageism occurs when bias exists due to an individual’s age or membership in a
generation in the workplace. Multiple generations exist in the workforce at any given
time. The characteristics of these generations impacts how an organization functions
across many levels, from benefits offerings to career advancement. However, when an
individual or an organization makes assumptions about the qualities that another
individual has due to their age, it can harm inclusiveness and productivity. Stereotypes
may indicate that individuals of a certain age are more prone to think outside the box,
which could reduce the ability of an organization to solve problems by causing behavior
that ignores potential contributors or makes potential contributors feel as though they
are not valued or welcomed to contribute.
• These types of feelings can drive members of certain age groups to associate more
closely with other age groups, which can reinforce stereotypes and biases and generate
feelings of mistrust and judgment and lead to misunderstandings between groups.
Ingroup/Outgroup Bias
• Unlike some other forms of bias discussed here, ingroup/outgroup bias
originates at the group level, not the individual level. This bias may occur
along with other dimensions of diversity, such as gender or race. Ingroup bias
tends to be the more strongly represented experience, so in a male-
dominated workplace, males would be considered the ingroup.
• Members of the outgroup are typically more aware of the difference in
experience between the two groups, as they often have to overcome barriers
that affect only them, while the ingroup is less likely to perceive the existence
of those barriers. Many of these barriers or bias examples may exist as
microaggressions (addressed below), but they add up to create an entirely
different cultural experience. Minor slights, exclusions, and inconveniences
can lead to a member of the outgroup feeling unwanted or unvalued.
Affinity Bias
• Affinity bias exists because individuals tend to relate more to
experiences that are similar to their own. For example, a hiring
manager who went to a certain university may consciously or
unconsciously prefer candidates who went to the same university,
downplaying or devaluing deficiencies that such candidates may have
in comparison to other, more objectively qualified candidates who
went to a different university. This is harmful to diversity, equity, and
inclusion over time, as it can eliminate the existence of additional
perspectives, encourage “group think,” and lead to the creation of
additional ingroups and outgroups.
Social Comparison Bias
• Social comparison exists when individuals compare themselves with other
individuals or use their membership in a particular group (compared to another
group) as a way to evaluate themselves.
• In the workplace, individuals will often try to assess their position within groups
or departments or the organization at large, and it can lead to feelings of
inclusion or exclusion. Consistently feeling as though they are treated differently
or are of lower status can decrease engagement and lead to reluctance to
involve themselves and offer their insights.
• On the other hand, due to the pressures involved in the comparison, the
individuals may be more likely to look at themselves and own group in a positive
light, which can lead to feelings of superiority over another individual or group
and conscious or subconscious attempts to achieve or maintain that superiority.
Extroversion/Introversion Bias
• Introversion/extroversion bias refers to how the method through
which individuals handle social interaction and stimulation is
interpreted by others in the workplace. Introverts tend to prefer quiet
environments, with extroverts preferring the opposite. However,
workplaces tend to be biased toward extroverts, which may result in
the loss of benefits that introverts can bring to the table.
• Intentional inclusion of both introverts and extroverts is the best
option. Particularly when it comes to communication styles between
managers and employees, balance is important. It can be difficult for
either to adjust to the other’s preferences, so mindful and open
discussions of preferences are crucial to success.
Neurodiversity Bias
• Also called diversity of thought or cognitive diversity, refers to a workforce that approaches
problems in a variety of conceptual ways. Different conceptual thought approaches may stem from
other dimensions of diversity and includes individuals who have atypical brain structure, which
may manifest as attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),
and anything categorized as existing on the autism spectrum (autism spectrum disorder, or ASD).
Individuals with atypical brain structures may be referred to as neuroatypical or neurodivergent.
• Creating an inclusive environment that embraces neurodiversity can lead to innovation and can
prevent “group think.” However, the complexities of all of these different thought processes can
make inclusivity difficult—particularly when it comes to hiring these individuals. Individuals with
ASD, ADD or ADHD may struggle to succeed in traditional interview situations. They may also find
it difficult to engage in traditional meeting environments due to sensory sensitivities or difficulty
processing speech, particularly when multiple individuals are talking at the same time.
• Incorporating job previews and job simulations, sharing meeting agendas ahead of time to allow
for questions or suggestions, and providing alternate means to engage in a meeting such as virtual
representation, captioning, and chat functionality can help overcome some of those barriers.
Microaggressions
• Microaggressions are subtle insults (verbal, nonverbal, and/or visual) that occur
quickly and are not out of the ordinary and that convey negative or hostile
messaging to individuals due to their association or membership with a
marginalized group.
• In the workplace, these may be behavioral (through actions), environmental
(arising from a lack of representation or diversity), or verbal. Examples of these
may include a joke that plays on a stereotype of a group or invalidation or lack of
recognition of another individual’s ideas or identity. Though individual
micoaggressions may not seem particularly harmful, noticeable, or egregious,
particularly to those not on the receiving end of them, they can be additive and
greatly harm feelings of inclusivity. They may be difficult to address, as they do
not meet typical conceptions of harassment and may be explained away
(honestly or dishonestly) as unintentional.
Imposter Syndrome
• Impostor syndrome is typified by the feeling that success is due to
luck, not hard work or skill. This can lead individuals to feeling unfit
for their current role and as though they have fooled others into
believing that they are more competent than they really are. It can be
episodic (as opposed to lifelong), and most people will encounter it at
some point in their lives. It may affect those in the neurodiverse
community as well.
• Individuals experiencing impostor syndrome may sell themselves
short and not perform at the level they are capable of. They may be
reluctant to step into the spotlight for fear that they will be exposed if
they do.
Covering
• Covering is a defensive behavior that occurs when an organization recruits a diverse workforce
but, consciously or otherwise, promotes assimilation rather than inclusion. The subtle (if
unintended) message to recruits is “you are welcome despite of who you are, not because of
who you are.”
• Covering affects workers’ behavior along four dimensions:
• Appearance. Adjusting their attire, grooming, and mannerisms to “blend in.”
• Affiliation. Avoiding behaviors associated with their identity group (culture, ethnic minority,
sexual orientation, etc.).
• Advocacy. Avoiding engaging in advocacy on behalf of their identity group.
• Association. Avoiding associating with members of their identity group.
• Beyond the psychological costs to the individuals who engage in covering, this represents a
tremendous loss to the organization. The unique perspectives and insights these employees can
offer as members of a particular identity group—a key value that a diverse organization can
leverage—are instead suppressed.
Cultural Taxation
• Cultural taxation refers to the additional workload generated for
members of an underrepresented group due to their requested
participation in DE&I efforts. Most of this work is unpaid, and it can
represent a major additional source of work and stress. In many
circumstances, if an individual does not participate, their identity
group could be entirely unrepresented. This can make it difficult for
the individual to say no, even if they don’t have the time or additional
resources to focus on the DE&I effort, leading to burnout.
Workplace Solution – Caregiver
options

Caregiver options Includes resources that help Enables employees to contribute

manage responsibilities associated more fully to the organization and
with caring for children, the elderly, balance life and work. Helps
and other relatives who need prevent unnecessary losses of
support. May include legal perspective and contributes to a
assistance for estate planning and diverse culture, especially where
guardianship, referral services for certain dimensions of diversity are
child and elder care services, more likely to be impacted by
flexible work schedules, and caregiving requirements.
returnships.
Workplace Solution – Workplace
Flexibility Policies

Workplace flexibility policies Includes flexible work schedules, Enables employees to balance
remote or hybrid work, and other family obligations, educational
nontraditional working pursuits, and other needs. Can
arrangements. prove attractive to certain sets of
generational workers.
Workplace Solutions – Paid Leave
Options

Paid leave options Examples may include vacation, Leave programs may help attract
sick leave, personal leave, personal more diverse sets of workers along
time off, sabbaticals, and paid many different dimensions of
family leave. diversity. Gender-neutral parental
leave helps promote gender
equality and reduce gender-based
wage and career achievement gaps.
Workplace Solutions – Tuition Reimbursement
Programs & Student loan Assistance

Tuition reimbursement programs Programs that help reimburse the Helps contribute to neurodiversity
and student loan assistance cost of continuing education, in the workplace while assisting
including college tuition and underrepresented groups to close
certification programs. May also educational gaps.
include student loan repayment
assistance.
Workplace Solutions – Inclusive
Events Calendars

Inclusive events calendars Organizational calendars that Helps avoid ingroup/outgroup

celebrate important holidays for all issues arising from predominantly
groups throughout the year. represented groups and allows
members of underrepresented
groups to celebrate and share their
cultural traditions.
Workplace Solutions – Lactation
Rooms

Lactation rooms Lactation rooms are dedicated, Improved productivity, reduced

private spaces for women who are absenteeism, improved children’s
nursing to express breast milk health. Helps reduce gender gaps in
during the day. These may be the workplace due to work/life
required by law. balance.
Workplace Solutions – Quiet or
Prayer Rooms

Quiet or prayer rooms Quiet or prayer rooms are Improved spiritual and mental well-
dedicated spaces where individuals being. Helps neurodivergent
may escape the loudness of the individuals who are sensitive to
workspace and/or engage in their noise and allows employees to be
private religious practices during their authentic selves at work with
the day. They are not specific to respect to their religious beliefs.
any religion.
Workplace Solutions – Braille and
Screen Readers

Braille and screen readers Braille is a system of raised dots Creates an inclusive environment
that allow vision-impaired for individuals who are vision-
individuals to read using their impaired to participate fully in the
fingertips. A screen reader is an workplace.
interface that helps vision-impaired
individuals read content displayed
on a screen and navigate computer
menus and programs.
Workplace Solution – Closed
Captioning

Closed captioning Closed captioning displays on- Helps those who are hearing-
screen text matching the audio impaired or are neurotypical
component of digital content. engage and understand content
Technology now provides the more fully. This may also be
ability for this to be done in live preferred by individuals not
time through artificial intelligence. included in those groups depending
on their learning style and
preferences.
Workplace Solutions – Wheelchair
Ramps

Wheelchair ramps Wheelchair ramps provide mobility Allows individuals with reduced
for wheelchair-bound individuals to mobility to engage and move
access areas that are at a different around the workplace. Additional
elevation. These may be required accommodations on this front may
by law. include wheelchair-accessible
water fountains, bathrooms, and
work surfaces.
Workplace Solutions – Gender-
Neutral Restrooms

Gender-neutral restrooms Gender-neutral restrooms are This provides individuals with the
available for anyone to use, ability to be authentic in regard to
regardless of their gender identity. their gender identity, providing a
These may be individual units more comfortable working
(designed for a single person at a environment.
time) or multi-use units (with
facilities for use by several
individuals at once). Multi-use units
must include stalls with a high
degree of privacy to be considered
gender-neutral.
Employee Surveys
• Employee surveys are used in many areas, including for employee
engagement purposes. From a DE&I perspective, organizations can use
demographic data from survey respondents (while maintaining personal
anonymity) in order to gauge whether they are succeeding in their efforts
to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. Comparing the
different response levels across different dimensions of diversity can
indicate areas where the organization is having success in DE&I efforts and
areas that should be improved.
• While diversity can be more easily examined (for example, by collecting
data related to racial, gender, and other diversity metrics), inclusion is more
qualitative. The only way you can gather data on it is to ask people if they
feel included.
Overall DE&I Efforts/Cultures
• Do respondents believe leadership encourages inclusion? Do
management actions show that diversity is important to them? Does
the organization foster an inclusive and comfortable work
environment? Does management demonstrate commitment to
meeting needs of members with disabilities or other issues?
Hiring and Recruitment
• Does the organization take active measures to seek a diverse
candidate pool? Will job candidates see/meet a diverse range of
people on their first visit to the organization? Are diverse job
applicants treated the same as others?
Career Development
• Are employees of different backgrounds encouraged to apply for
promotions? Are all employees treated fairly in the internal
promotion process? Do you believe all employees have a career path
at the organization?
Personal Experiences
• Has your experience led you to feel included? Have you had difficulty
getting to know colleagues from different backgrounds?
Policies and Procedures
• Do the organization’s policies and procedures encourage diversity,
equity, and inclusion? Are you aware of the organization’s DE&I
policies and procedures? Do you believe the organization will take
appropriate action to respond to discrimination against its
employees? Has the organization provided appropriate diversity
training opportunities?
Suggestions and Comments
• Surveys should also provide space for respondents to give suggestions
and other feedback.
Importance of Metrics
• Clear metrics and continual evaluation of results are critical to a DE&I
initiative. They enable course correction by providing feedback as to
the success or failure of initiative elements. And they provide
credibility, demonstrating the initiative’s impact on the organization’s
competitive strategy.
Process Measures and Results
Measures
• Process measures assess “how we did, what went well, what didn’t
and why,” for example, the number of employees participating in a
mentoring program and their feedback on the experience.
• Results measures assess the difference it made to the organization,
for example, was there a decrease in turnover and how much did that
save the organization?
DE&I Metrics

Gender diversity Examines the composition of the Can help organizations identify if
workforce broken down along the hiring practices, including job
gender diversity dimension. postings and interview practices,
are equitable across gender lines.
DE&I Metrics

Race diversity Examines the composition of the Can help organizations identify if
workforce broken down along the hiring practices, including job
racial diversity dimension. postings and interview practices,
are equitable across racial lines.
DE&I Metrics

SHRM Empathy Index Assesses inclusion in the workplace The SHRM Empathy Index was
using five different components, formed in recognition that DE&I is
each scored from 0 to 100: not possible without a focus on
•Belonging empathy in the workplace. The
•Inclusion Empathy Index is designed to be
•Openness used to quickly assess inclusion,
•Conflict Management enabling organizations to monitor
•Non-Discriminatory Practices progress along this crucial DE&I
aspect.
DE&I Metrics

Retention rates for diverse Examines the average turnover rate Helps organizations determine if
employees and length of employment for DE&I initiatives, compensation, and
employees broken down along other retention efforts are working
various or multiple diversity as intended for given diversity
dimensions. groups.
DE&I Metrics

Diversity of external stakeholders Examines if there is a diversity of Helps organizations establish

thought among those who are appropriate and effective DE&I
helping to establish and drive the initiatives; provides better insight
organization’s direction. into diversity needs (of employees,
customers, etc.).
Diversity of Employees at All
Organizational Levels
• Examination of the diversity of employees at all organizational levels is
crucial to understanding the effectiveness of DE&I programs, especially
those designed to eliminate bias from the hiring and promotional process
and those designed to prepare diverse candidates for leadership roles.
• This will indicate if groups are underrepresented or overrepresented at
different levels. For example, an organization that emphasizes diversity in
leadership roles should make sure that leaders are diverse across
multiple levels in a meaningful way. Having a diverse executive suite is
wonderful, but if all members of the director level of an organization
share the same race and gender characteristics, the organization is
probably not achieving its goals.
Pay Measures
• Measuring pay disparities between members of different groups, such
as those grouped along gender or racial dimensions, can indicate
widespread pay inequity in a workforce or an opportunity gap that
inhibits career growth for certain groups. Three useful tools in this
area include pay audits, pay equity reports, and pay transparency.
Pay Audits
• Pay audits analyze pay information across the organization to
determine if particular sets of individuals are paid less or more on
average than others. These audits can be conducted on an ongoing
basis to identify pay gaps and address them and determine the results
of efforts to reduce such gaps across the organization.
Pay Equity Reports
• Pay equity reports disclose the results of a pay audit. Pay equity refers to the salary
paid to similar positions examined through the lens of one (or more) dimensions of
diversity. Equitable pay exists when positions with similar responsibilities are paid
the same. For example, a marketing department at a large organization may have 30
marketing specialists. Between these similar positions, pay should be roughly
similar between groups. If the male specialists average several thousands more in
salary than the female specialists, an inequitable pay situation may exist across
gender lines.
• In many cases, pay discrimination between diversity dimensions is forbidden by law,
or governments may require reporting to generate demographic data and
determine if action should be taken. Organizations may also use these reports to
highlight bias in promotional processes and ensure that individuals have equitable
opportunity to advance their career no matter what diversity groups they belong to.
Pay Transparency
• Pay transparency is important in the pursuit of pay equity. Pay
transparency, which from an organizational perspective includes publishing
pay scales, helps employees feel that their pay is equitable throughout the
workforce without having to directly compare salaries with each other.
• Evidence has shown that the practice of publishing pay scales helps
minimize the pay gap between certain groups and can serve as a
recruitment tool when organizations are looking to hire external
candidates for positions. It can also help reinforce to employees that the
organization is serious about achieving pay equity, undercutting potential
notions that an organization may be seeking to benefit from a lack of pay
equity by saving on labor costs while falsely claiming they are working
toward that goal.