13 Tried-and-Tested DEI Initiatives To Implement [In 2024]
DEI initiatives (diversity, equity and inclusion) are essential to creating a modern and equitable employee experience, and younger generations are more actively seeking to work with organizations who take DEI seriously and build it into their culture. But successfully establishing diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace also has many business benefits, which is why DEI initiatives are now included in many organization’s business strategies.
According to McKinsey, companies with the most diverse executive teams are more likely to outperform peers on profitability by 36%. However, although most employees believe their employer puts an emphasis on DEI, one in five say there is no one demonstrating its importance through action in the business, while 75% of employees claim that the current DEI programs in place at their organization deliver no personal benefits.
In this article we will explore DEI initiatives, why they matter for both employees and the overall business, real-life examples of DEI programs at companies, and successful DEI initiatives to consider implementing in your organization.
Contents
What are DEI initiatives?
The business case for DEI initiatives
3 Companies with successful DEI initiatives
13 Successful DEI initiatives to consider
How to implement DEI initiatives
What are DEI initiatives?
DEI initiatives focus on implementing diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. By prioritizing DEI, a more equitable and inclusive work environment can be fostered for everyone. But effective DEI initiatives require much more than simply making a statement on social media saying that you stand for diversity and inclusion. It’s about how people in the workplace, particularly leaders and managers, behave each day, what they say and do, what they promote, and who they recruit.
DEI initiatives provide strategies and systems that are based on the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion. This means that hires have a range of social identities, and systems ensure that everyone has equal access to them and that all voices are heard within the workplace. Essentially, it’s about building a work environment that benefits all employees, regardless of gender, background, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or mental and physical ability.
DEI initiatives include diverse recruitment practices, DEI training and mentorship programs, employee resource groups, financial wellness programs, diverse leadership-building initiatives, and more.
The business case for DEI initiatives
McKinsey has found that companies who prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace are stronger and also likely to financially outperform other companies over time.
There are many reasons for this.
- Firstly, it reduces recruitment bias, which can promote a diverse culture with new perspectives, ideas, and innovation, improving employee engagement.
- Secondly, DEI initiatives create a workplace where employees feel heard, respected, and feel a sense of belonging, boosting engagement, performance and retention rates. Initiatives that prioritize employee wellness can also boost employees’ mental health and satisfaction, which can contribute to better performance, improved customer relationships, and a boost to your ROI.
- Thirdly, the right DEI programs can boost your employer brand, which can help you attract top talent to your organization and also increase employee performance and retention rates.
A survey by CNBC found that almost 80% of workers state they wish to work for a business that values workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion. Companies with effective DEI initiatives will have a strong chance of attracting and retaining this wide pool of talent, especially candidates who come from underrepresented/minority backgrounds and have experienced exclusion or discrimination in other workplaces.
3 Companies with successful DEI initiatives
1. Salesforce
In 2015, Salesforce became the first US company to conduct an equal pay audit, leading to US$3m in salary adjustments. Since then, the company has embarked on a number of DEI initiatives to create a more diverse and inclusive workplace for its employees.
In 2020, Salesforce set up a Racial Equality and Justice Task Force led by senior executives and comprised of entry-level employees. The task force aimed to drive systemic change by listening to those affected, setting goals and tracking relevant metrics, and creating new programs and processes as part of the solution.
They have also publicly pledged new equity initiatives including that by 2023, 50% of its US workforce will be comprised of underrepresented groups (women, Black, Latinx, Indigenous, multiracial, disabled, and LGBTQ+ employees).
Salesforce relies heavily on data to identify gaps, trends, and opportunities to improve diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. HR uses an equity dashboard (powered by Tableau) to see real-time data on representation, attrition, and promotions by race and gender. They have also established an Equality Advisory Board that meets quarterly to address trends in the equality data.
Over the past year, Salesforce has launched employee-led Equality Groups to support employees from underrepresented groups. They also launched an online learning course called Trailhead, which provides employees and leaders with tools to drive inclusion in the workplace.
Between July 2020 and 2022, hires of minorities were up by 8.8% in the US, and hires of women were up across the globe by 3.5%. Over 50% of their US employees are now made up of underrepresented groups. They aim to reach 40% of women employees globally by the end of 2026.
2. Google
Google has taken a number of steps and launched many new programs and policies over the past few years to improve its DEI workplace initiatives.
For example, they aim to build psychological safety by fostering an environment that promotes listening, learning, and contributing without fear of failure, aiming to reach diversity’s full potential. The #ItsUpToMe platform encourages leaders to make DEI goals a personal commitment. DEI experts and HR specialists have developed a proven tool called Objectives and Key Results (OKR), collaborating with ERG employee representatives to drive meaningful impact. Progress and goals are tracked as part of a biannual performance review.
Google was also one of the first tech companies to publish an annual diversity report which transparently shares where they stand, the challenges they face, and the progress they’re making toward solving inequalities.
3. Slack
In an effort to improve their DEI initiatives, Slack has taken to sourcing candidates from untraditional programmer pipelines including all-women coding camps and programs that focus on training Black & Latino programmers (like Code2040).
They have partnered with Paradigm (a leader in diversity consulting) to analyze employee feedback (through engagement surveys, focus groups, and exit interviews) and better understand individual experiences of underrepresented groups at their workplace so that they can retain their diverse talent.
3. Intel
In 2019, Intel achieved global gender pay equity and reached its goal of $1B in annual spending with diverse suppliers. In 2021, the Intel Foundation co-launched the “Million Girls Moonshot” which aims to provide girls and their families with more engineering and computer science learning opportunities and spark the next generation of scientists, inventors, engineers, and entrepreneurs.
Intel also has over 45 ERGs and Leadership Councils organized around race, gender, origin, parenthood, education, faith, and more. These aim to improve employee connection and create a sense of belonging for all employees.
Intel’s RISE strategy comprises numerous goals for where the company wants to be by 2030. They have committed to increasing the representation of women and underrepresented groups in their leadership teams and technical positions. In May each year, the company published a comprehensive report on its efforts and performance in DEI initiatives.
13 Successful DEI initiatives to consider
Here are some successful DEI initiatives HR can consider implementing within their organization to improve the diversity, equity and inclusion of the workplace.
1. Diverse hiring practices
Implement strategies to attract diverse candidates, such as partnering with diverse recruitment agencies and attending job fairs and conferences focused on underrepresented communities.
Intel recognized the importance of having a diverse workforce that reflects its customers and the global community. They set specific diversity goals to increase the representation of women, African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans in their workforce.
Intel also collaborated with external organizations, such as the National Society of Black Engineers and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, to actively recruit diverse talent. They participated in career fairs and events targeted at underrepresented groups to expand their talent pool.
Action plan
- Conduct a thorough review of existing hiring practices and identify potential biases.
- Establish diversity goals and metrics for hiring.
- Train recruiters and hiring managers on unconscious bias and inclusive interviewing techniques.
- Create diverse interview panels to mitigate bias.
- Implement blind resume screening processes to focus on skills and qualifications.
- Regularly evaluate and refine hiring practices to ensure ongoing improvement.
2. Promote pay equity
Data and analytics can be used to identify patterns for salaries and promotions. This can inform you whether all underrepresented groups and genders are compensated equally or if any discrepancies need fixing. Your data can also provide insights into the departments involved in the largest inequities so that you can take action to promote and achieve pay equity.
At the end of the fiscal year in 2021, Starbucks achieved a median pay ratio in the US for women and BIPOC of 100% and is committed to achieving gender pay equity globally. Starbucks has three in-house pay equity principles: equal footing, transparency, and accountability – which it uses to hold itself accountable and achieve its pay equity goals.
They also use an offer standards calculator to determine start pay and do not ask new employees for compensation history. They also offer paid sick leave and family/medical leave in addition to ten free days of childcare or eldercare for certain partners who have caretaking responsibilities (which predominantly affects women).
Action plan
- Leverage data and analytics to identify salary and promotion patterns and discrepancies
- Decide on action needed to achieve pay equity
- Establish pay equity goals
- Consider implementing an offer standards calculator
- Provide pay ranges to employees if requested
- Regularly monitor salary data
- Evaluate and refine pay equity practices.
3. Mentorship for underrepresented groups
Mentorship is the relationship between a more experienced and less experienced employee, where the former offers guidance to help them develop in their career. Companies that encourage mentorship and sponsorship often have happier employees who stay at the organization longer.
Research has shown that effective mentorship programs for underrepresented groups (Black, Hispanic, and Asian American women, and Hispanic and Asian-American men at manager levels) can boost representation. ERGs can facilitate formal mentorships, but organizations can also create an environment where these connections are supported informally.
Research by the Center for Talent Innovation (CTI) found that women of color with mentors are 81% more likely to be satisfied with their career progression than those without mentors.
Action plan
- Create an environment where mentorship and sponsorship are supported and encouraged
- Conduct surveys to determine if any of your employees are actively seeking a mentor at work, and help them find one
- Create ERGs for underrepresented groups to facilitate formal mentorships
4. Talent development programs for underrepresented employees
Talent development programs cover various topics from career pathways and development, goal setting, strategic thinking, influence in the workplace and more.
Outreach launched a 9-month program called RISE (Recognize, Inspire, Support, Engage) that aims to support underrepresented women in sales leadership. Its success has led to this model being used for black employees and will eventually be rolled out to BIPOC employees.
Action plan
- Set goals for your talent development program
- Create a strategy and plan to roll it out (to a pilot group at first)
- Monitor the progress through anonymous employee feedback
- Roll it out to all underrepresented groups
- Continue to improve your talent development program
5. Interview your diverse employees
One of the best DEI initiatives HR departments should implement is interviewing their diverse employees. Send out surveys, conduct interviews and focus groups to find out their main concerns, what diversity means to them, and what they’d like to see implemented in the future. Ask permission to use their quotes and photos or video them and share them on your company website and social platforms. The more authentic this is, the better.
An example of this is at Chevron where employees discuss what diversity means to them and why they love being part of a diverse team.
Action plan
- Create a survey to send out to your diverse employees
- Arrange focus groups and interviews with diverse employees
- Share the positive feedback on your website and social channels
- Take on any constructive criticism or ideas for improvement
- Create strategies to improve DEI in the workplace
6. Start employee resource groups
Employee resource groups (ERGs) help to bring people together who share certain social identities including gender, race, parenthood, faith, sexual orientation, etc. Your ERGs should all be inclusive and open for any of your full-time employees to join.
An example of this is Estée Lauder, which currently has 30 ERGs with over 4,500 participants. This includes groups for women, families, veterans, and more.
Action plan
- Create a diverse range of ERGs
- Promote your ERGs and ensure candidates, new hires, and current employees are aware of them and how to join
- Monitor all ERGs to make sure they are inclusive and match your company values
7. Provide DEI training across levels
DEI training that is role-specific can help all employees identify where they may be bringing bias into the workplace and how they can better support the DEI goals of the company. DEI training can range from inclusive leadership and mitigating bias during the recruitment process to how DEI is linked to innovation and more.
Action plan
- Ask employees what DEI training they feel they could benefit from
- Use data and analytics to determine where the organization needs to improve most in regard to DEI
- Create a strategy for DEI training at all levels that address these issues (entry through to leadership)
- Plan how to execute this strategy (e.g., in-person training for leaders and web-based training for everyone else)
- Monitor the effectiveness of DEI training and continue to make improvements.
8. Financial wellness programs
DEI initiatives also include creating an environment where all employees feel safe and free from physical and mental health concerns, including financial stress. Employees from underrepresented groups and disparate communities are more likely to experience financial stress and have different levels of financial education and relationships with money.
A financial wellness program could support those employees experiencing financial stress by connecting them with a financial advisor, offering training or courses on managing money, or including health insurance (or health savings or spending accounts) as part of your benefits packages. This will demonstrate to your employees that you care about their wellbeing and help them be more productive at work.
Action plan
- Re-look at your benefits and compensation packages and see if you can improve your offering to boost your employee’s wellbeing
- Include questions about personal finances on your next employee survey to gain a better understanding of how many employees are suffering from financial stress
- Consider offering financial advice and/or training to employees experiencing financial stress.
9. Create a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion
Another important DEI initiative for all organizations is to create a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. Without the right culture, any other DEI initiatives will likely fall flat. The key to building this culture is ensuring every employee feels a sense of community and belonging. There are many ways to do this.
For example, promote transparency and involve your employees in key decisions. Regularly ask them for feedback and take action on the results to show them that their opinions matter. Create an environment where employees feel they can speak up without fear of repercussions, and ensure everyone is listened to.
This is one of the primary reasons why Google, Gartner and Microsoft—have identified psychological safety as the key element to building an environment where employees are listened to and can learn and contribute without fear of failure.
Action plan
- Assess the current culture based on diversity, equity and inclusion
- Use your findings to create a strategy to improve the overall culture at all levels
- Be transparent with employees
- Involve employees in decision making
- Create safe spaces where employees feel they can share concerns and feel listened to
- Allow employees space spaces to fail in the name of learning and innovation
- Ask employees for feedback regularly and take action on your findings.
10. Pay attention to your language
Language matters, so think about how inclusive your language currently is. This includes job descriptions, website copy, social media communications, company emails, training materials, presentations, and meetings.
For example, instead of using “he or she” in your job descriptions, consider saying “they” or “the candidate.” Instead of saying “guys” when addressing a team, say “team.” Images are equally important. If your website is full of images of middle-aged white men, it’s time to give it a makeover and include a wider variety of images.
Action plan
- Review your current job descriptions, website copy, email and social media communications, etc and see how you can make your language more inclusive
- Hire a freelance writer or copywriter, or get help from your in-house marketing team to update your company website, email and social media copy, and re-work job postings
- Train managers on inclusive language to ensure they conduct meetings and presentations accordingly
- Continue to monitor the company language used.
11. Flexible holidays
Holidays like Christmas and Easter have become the norm in the US, Europe, and Australia, but these are Christian holidays, and not everyone celebrates them. Therefore, forcing everyone to take leave around Christmas or giving everyone “Good Friday” off as a treat when they usually work on this day will not benefit all of your employees.
Some organizations are trying to acknowledge and celebrate a diverse range of holidays that go beyond the typical, Euro-centric ones, but it’s not always possible to do so. You could consider offering flexible holidays to your employees so they can take leave when they want. This could be for their birthday, during the school holidays so they can spend more time with their kids, or for some other spiritual celebration.
Spain also recently passed the first paid period leave for women experiencing particularly painful menstruation. This is just the start of a conversation that is long overdue with regards to women’s health and equity in the workplace. Even if a woman doesn’t technically have “disabling” periods, she will be tired during menstruation and have lower energy levels than her male colleagues – something which more and more organizations need to start addressing worldwide.
Action plan
- Review the organization’s approach to paid holidays
- Give your employees the flexibility to take a holiday when they need it most
- If certain holidays are celebrated (e.g., through a Christmas party), consider how you can celebrate other holidays or make these holidays more inclusive, e.g., a “Winter party”
- Consider your approach to menstruation and how you can make the workplace more equitable for women with periods.
12. Host inclusive social events
Another way to implement DEI initiatives in the workplace is to ensure that social events consider and include everyone. For example, if a manager organizes a team lunch at the best steakhouse in town, that will not be ideal for vegan or vegetarian employees and can leave them feeling excluded.
Choosing a restaurant with a range of meat and plant-based options would suit everyone. Another example is if you host a party or event where alcoholic drinks are served, there should also be non-alcoholic options for anyone who does not want to drink alcohol.
Choices like this seem small, but they matter much more than you might think and can go a long way to help everyone feel included.
Action plan
- Reassess all social events on the calendar and brainstorm how these can be more inclusive for everyone
- Ask for suggestions and feedback from employees
- Make any changes needed
- Ensure managers and team leaders are briefed on how to host inclusive social events with their teams
- Continue to monitor and improve your social events.
13. Measure DEI initiatives’ success
The final strategy for DEI initiatives is to make sure you measure everything you launch so that you can track your progress. Establish some key DEI metrics and benchmarks that will help you see where you are in relation to your goal. An HR dashboard can help you manage this, and generate customized reports.
Provide progress updates to leadership and all employees, and consider going public with your results to hold yourself more accountable. Continue to make improvements and work toward creating a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace for all.
Action plan
- Establish what your goals are
- Set KPIs to help you track progress toward your goals
- Monitor and analyze these metrics in an HR dashboard to gage your success
- Relay your results to all employees
- Continue to make improvements and adjust your goals.
How to implement DEI initiatives
The first step is to ask your employees what they want and which initiatives matter most to them. Consider the needs of all your underrepresented groups and prioritize accordingly. You can also suggest some ideas from this list and see which ones resonate most with your workplace and which ones they deem most valuable.
Set deadlines for new policies and training requirements so that the organization holds itself accountable and delivers on its promises. Communicate with leaders and managers to gain buy-in and ensure the entire workplace is on the same page. This will be vital in securing the funding necessary for your DEI initiatives. Once in place, hold managers responsible for enforcing new policies and tracking KPIs to measure effectiveness within their own departments.
Key takeaways
- DEI initiatives aim to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment for all employees no matter what gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, background, faith, or mental and physical ability they may have.
- Research has found that companies who prioritize DEI in the workplace perform better financially and are stronger, and also have more engaged employees who perform better and are likely to stay longer.
- More and more organizations – including Google, Salesforce, Intel, Starbucks, Slack – are prioritizing DEI in the workplace and publicly publishing their findings and goals for transparency.
- Some successful DEI initiatives to consider implementing in your workplace include diverse hiring practices, mentorship programs, employee resource groups, DEI training for all levels, flexible holidays and inclusive social events.
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