Over the last few decades, the modern workplace has undergone a major shift. That shift has been most visible in the diversity that has arisen within the workforce. The workplace is no longer a homogenous space where mostly cisgender heterosexual men are encountered. There has been a visible increase in diverse groups entering the workspace. Therefore, addressing this shift within the organizational setup has become the need of the hour. This is where the awareness of diversity and the need for inclusion of all groups at work comes into play, hence leading to the rise of DEIB initiatives. 

Understanding DEIB — A socio-historical context 

At the outset the acronym, DEIB tries to encapsulate the basic foundations on which healthy, safe and sustainable workplaces should be built. DEIB stands for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.  

Diversity – Diversity alludes to the differences of sociocultural and economic experiences that employees come with. This difference can show up as a diversity of race, ethnicity, ability, religion, gender, sexuality, caste, geographical location, and other factors.  

Equity – Once we acknowledge the natural differences that exist in society, the gaps in accommodating the needs of different groups also becomes visible. Equity speaks to taking affirmative action to address the unique needs of different groups within the organization. 

Inclusion – The practice of inclusion refers to having systems that actively seek to include different groups in the larger organizational culture and policies, instead of alienating them.  

Belonging – Belonging is about understanding the need for psychological and emotional safety within an organizational framework. It is the last frontier of the DEIB praxis, where equitable structures lead to employees feeling affirmed and empowered within the organization.  

To better understand the significance of the words within the workplace context we must briefly look at the fascinating history behind the evolution of this acronym. 

In 1960s America, when the civil rights movement was at its peak, the conversation at the workplace shifted to racial inequity. These conversations around racial justice led to programs that would raise awareness around the racial diversity that was present at the workplace. Conversations around discrimination and inequity naturally brought the need for equitable work practices to the forefront of these programs.  

Through the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s as the peoples’ movements gained momentum, they reflected in the expansion of scope in what were initially called DI (Diversity and Inclusion) initiatives. The feminist movement foregrounded the need for gender justice at the workplace, the disability rights movement demanded for accessibility at the infrastructural level and the LGBTQIA+ movement called attention to the lack of acceptance that queer and trans folx faced when it came to employment. 

Therefore, to acknowledge the needs of all marginalized groups and accommodate them at the workplace the D&I initiative slowly evolved into the DEI trainings of the early 2000s. The final piece of the puzzle came together, after the 2020 pandemic hit across the globe. The need for mental health awareness grew exponentially, and the need of supporting the employee at work was brought into focus. Thus, the need for belonging and having a semblance of psychological safety at work was included in training programs, thus leading to our current understanding of DEIB programs. 

Exploring the Need for a DEIB Program and its Benefits 

Having a diverse workforce leads to the need for rethinking the larger organizational culture. As leadership we need to reflect on: 

Does the leadership of an organization reflect the diversity that is being seen at the entry level workforce?  

Does the architectural design of the workspace accommodate the needs of disabled employees?  

Do queer and trans employees feel safe to embody their authentic expression within the larger organizational culture? 

There is a need to bring people up to speed when it comes to the tenets of diversity and inclusion. It goes a long way towards building a culture of professional behaviour that is rooted in an acceptance of diversity, understanding and unlearning inherent biases and mutual respect.  

To address these aspects and more, a robust DEIB program comes in handy. When properly integrated into the policies and culture of a workspace, DEIB initiatives can offer multiple benefits to an organization.  

1. An organization thrives on how well it can adapt with the ever-evolving trends of its industry. A DEIB program can equip HR leaders or managers to look at a diverse demographic while hiring talent. Engaging a diverse talent pool can encourage a varied set of perspectives, experiences and skill sets to come in. This in turn enhances the cognitive wealth of an organization and allows it to become cognizant of different approaches to problem solving and build new sets of competencies, eventually leading to overall growth.  

2. Further, an organization that can accommodate the differences in approach amongst its employees fosters an increase in creative thinking and promotes productivity. 

3. A DEIB program can equip organizations to make employees feel valued and heard. This can organically lead to employees feeling job satisfaction. The engagement and motivation levels of employees improve leading to greater retention of talent within the organization. 

4. Organizations which are aligned to DEIB ideals experience higher levels of employee loyalty which translates to employee retention and creates a positive and inclusive brand voice. Which makes them a desirable prospect for potential hires. 

5. Organizations with an inclusive cultural environment often attract collaborations and opportunities from external stakeholders, who view them as a competent and equitable brand to work with. 

The essential ingredients of successful, impactful DEIB Training Program 

Before organizations can reap the benefits of an inclusive and accessible work environment, they have to be careful while opting for DEIB training. A well-rounded DEIB training program must have the following components: 

1. Addressing privilege and power dynamics – A holistic DEIB training will ground its participants in a sociohistorical understanding of the DEIB movement. It will look at the society around it and establish a clear framework of the differential power dynamics within it. A DEIB training will be incomplete without an understanding of privilege and how the presence or lack of it can deeply alter any individual’s lived experience. 

2. Foregrounding the unique realities of protected groups – The next step after an understanding of privilege becomes looking at the unique challenges that marginalized groups face. Looking at the historical context and present realities of protected groups and how the social discrimination they face can show up in covert and overt manners within the context of the workplace. 

3. Exploring Unconscious Bias – While looking at the sociocultural context of privilege and marginalization is one aspect of a DEIB training, the other more personal facet of it is looking at unconscious bias. An incisive DEIB initiative will delve into the nature of unconscious bias and how it can hinder the culture of cohesion within a workplace. It will further equip its participants to recognize and address unconscious bias with accountability and compassion. 

4. Promoting inclusive communication and language – The natural progression from the recognition of discrimination within the workplace leads to adopting a culture of affirming and inclusive communication at the workplace. Inclusive communication should reflect at various levels of organizational culture; from being embraced within organizational policies, to daily workplace communication, to addressing external stakeholders. 

5. Interactive Training Methods – DEIB work calls for an ample amount of self-introspection, and to help facilitate that process DEIB trainers should adopt engaging training methods. This should include real-life scenarios and examples that help participants grasp the practical fallout of the conceptual frameworks of power, privilege and marginalization. To further stimulate learning, DEIB trainers must create a space that encourages open dialogue and feedback from all participants. 

6. Adopting practical DEIB strategies – To complete the DEIB training, organizations must be equipped with a practical set of strategies that they can adopt while integrating DEIB into their work culture. These strategies can vary from rewriting to company policies to accommodate the needs of protected groups, creating support groups for employees, to incorporating a robust understanding of laws that pertain to the rights of protected groups within the workplace. Finally, there should be a clear roadmap that trainers should incorporate in their sessions that help organizations map their DEIB progress and the effectiveness of their initiatives. 

What are the Challenges to incorporating DEIB? 

The advantages of adopting a DEIB lens are many, yet there can be certain challenges that can waylay a DEIB program from being fully adopted within an organization. Since, the inception of the very first “Diversity programs” there has been a resistance to embracing the possibilities of DEIB programs.  

While beneficial the concepts of DEIB require a revamping of not only organizational frameworks but also individual worldviews and perspectives. From a psychological perspective, a resistance to change old ways of thinking are natural and to be expected. However, the journey of human society is a story of evolution and a capacity within human beings to adapt to change. So while the progress of DEIB initiatives have been slow but once integrated their impact has been clear.  

It is important to note here that for any lasting change to take place DEIB programs have to be adopted at the leadership level. While grassroot employee involvement can lead to steady but slow progress, the effects of DEIB programs are immediate when the upper management of a company embraces it. 

To that end, it is significant to remember that the road to a successful DEIB framework is an ongoing process. To incorporate DEIB into the infrastructure of an organization, there needs to be sustained action, accountability and consistent follow-ups. It is also imperative that DEIB programs account for the lens of intersectionality while looking at removing barriers and providing accommodations to protected groups. Otherwise, there will be gaps in catering to the unique needs of employees whose identity might overlap within marginalized spaces. 

DEIB – The cutting edge of cultural innovation at the workplace 

When DEIB policies are clearly outlined and continuously integrated within organizational culture, their effect is palpable. Studies show that companies that adopt diversity when it comes to their workforce have greater financial returns. Companies that adopt other tangents of inclusion like racial equity also report a hike in employee performance. Furthermore, studies suggest that organizations which are known for their inclusive policies attract more business collaborations, as well as prospective employees.  

As organizations evolve with the changing times, so will the demographics of the workforce they attract. Any workplace that employs individuals will need to have necessary conversations around safety, inclusivity and accessibility and channels of growth within the organization are available to all.  

When all voices are included the overall output of an organization naturally flourishes. So does, the inner health of the organization. 

What is often overlooked within the conversation around DEIB is that the beauty of undertaking DEIB measures lies in the fact that it uplifts working conditions not just for marginalized identities but for all employees across the board. This inevitably translates into better productivity and financial performance. Therefore, adopting a DEIB initiative becomes a natural step that all organizations must take to strengthen their foundations and deepen their cultural competency. 

Written by Usri Basistha, reviewed by Rosanna Rodrigues