Defining Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Diversity Executive Recruiters | Diversity Executive Search Firm

      Defining Diversity Equity and Inclusion

      Diversity and inclusion are more than just policies. Equitable employers can outperform their competitors by considering the unique needs and perspectives of all of their team members. As a result, employees can have deeper trust and loyalty to their employers in a diverse and inclusive workplace.

      Typically, a diverse and inclusive workplace is one where everyone, regardless of their background and culture and what they do for the business, feels equally involved in all of the areas of the company.

      So, how diverse is your staff? To get better eyes on that and really dig into diversity issues, ask and answer these questions:

      • Are you promoting diversity recruitment for all of your departments and under your leadership?
      • Do you have a workplace for 50% of the employees are females, but none of them are managers?
      • Do you have a good representation of the employees of color, but all are working in the same department?

      These are all the questions that can reveal the degree to which your workplace is (or is not) diverse and inclusive.

      How to Promote Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace

      There are several ways to promote diversity and inclusion in your workspace, including by:

      1. Stopping unconscious biases
      2. Communicating important managing bias
      3. Promoting pay equity
      4. Developing a Training Program
      5. Acknowledging Holidays of all Cultures

      Here is a closer look at each of the diversity recruiting strategies that organizations can use to foster more inclusive workplaces.

      1. Stopping unconscious biases

      It is important to understand bias to diversity and build awareness for stepping towards real change. There are a couple of different forms of bias, with unconscious bias being among the most prominent.

      Unconscious bias:

      • Includes the associations and feelings of bias that are hidden beneath the surface
      • Are not aligned with open and declared beliefs
      • Are essential to be mindful of and work on

      The best way to start it’s to help employees by understanding how individuals are impacted by unconscious bias. Every employee should be encouraged to review, analyze, and question their personal assumptions.

      2. Communicating important managing bias

      Humbleness toward the culture is another way to manage the bias and encourage an inclusive environment in the workplace. So, this concept is about:

      • Staying humble about cultural differences
      • Understanding that no one is an expert
      • Respecting and embracing other people’s experiences and realities
      • Working towards greater competency when it comes to cultural bias

      3. Promoting pay equity

      Managers need to play reasonable and offer fair opportunities to every employee. Organizations that are willing to do so can manage the analytics to identify which employees are underpaid for the same roles and responsibilities. Getting insights on pay gaps existing in the team can help the managers to work on the trends that can be there where certain employee groups like people of color are being underpaid.

      4. Developing a Training Program

       A diversity training program can be carried out, which can help the employees to understand the impact of cultural differences in work and interaction. This training covers all aspects from time concept to communication styles to deal with the conflict and self-identification.

      5. Acknowledging Holidays of all Cultures

      Building awareness for diversity and promoting inclusivity require an acknowledgment of the religious and cultural holidays of all employees. It is better that in daily meetings or the team call, asking the people how they are going to celebrate their cultural holiday.

      Employees should be aware of religious and cultural holiday celebrations. Being respectful on such days for scheduling the meetings and understanding the employee’s different needs can bring inclusivity to your work environment.

      What Is Diversity, Equity & Inclusion?

      Diversity is known as the presence of differences within an organization. It can mean differences in ethnicity, race, gender, age, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic class.

      Equity is the act of making sure that all the programs and processes are fair, impartial and providing equal opportunities and outcomes to every employee.

      Inclusion is the practice of making sure that people at your workplace feel that they belong. It means that every employee should feel comfortable within the organization when it comes to bringing their best.

      Why Diversity & Inclusion Is Important?

      There are many reasons why diversity and inclusion are crucial in a modern workplace. Some of the most important reasons include that diversity recruiting and inclusive workplaces:

      1. Are ethical and welcoming
      2. Can outperform their competitors that are not diverse
      3. Are more attractive to talent and C-suite candidates

      Here is a closer look at each of these factors works with diversity recruiting.

      1. Diversity recruiting is ethical & it’s the right thing to do.

      There are many distinctions and which nation is becoming more diverse. It has been seen that the share of the white population fell to 15% over the last decade. There are different groups that are categorized as minorities, and they may reach the majority status in the coming years. Among the college-educated workforce, more than 50% are women.

      But it’s not just about numbers, as statistics can help in getting the bigger picture. But it is fair to be caring about diversity and inclusion in the workplace. It should not be a policy but a core value as it is culture, not a club.

      2. Diverse businesses perform better.

      A lot of research has been done to confirm that the companies that have diversity and inclusion in their workforce financially outperform their competitors.

      Companies with female representation among the executives have been showing more performance over the last decade. Also, the companies that include ethnic and cultural diversity have outperformed the other companies.

      3. Diversity & inclusivity boost employee engagement while attracting top-level executive talent.

      Finding and hiring talent is not an easier task nowadays, and job-seeking people consider the company’s commitment to diversity and inclusivity while applying for the job. More than 75% of job seekers look for a diverse workplace as an important factor. Every one in three job-seeking people does not apply to the companies that have a lack of diversity.

      So simply, it can be said that companies that are not committed to diversity and inclusivity do not attract a larger portion of the workforce. The companies cannot afford to cut themselves off from such a significant number of people to hire.

      It has been seen that the employees that work in an inclusive environment are more engaged in their work and demonstrate better for their organization, and they have greater intent to stay there. The same goes with respect to race, particularly with the engaged employees that are not very interested in leaving the organization regardless of their race.

      So, it is good to support the unique attributes and contribution of people from all the groups to grow the company in the long term.

      National Diversity Recruiting Firm | Diversity & Inclusion Recruiters

      Top Executive Search Firm | Diversity Recruiting | Cowen Partners
      Diversity Recruiting & Search | Diversity Equity & Inclusion

      Our hands-on diversity recruiters have deep experience working with private, public, pre-IPO, and non-profit organizations. Clients are typically $50 million in revenue to Fortune 1000’s or have assets between $500 million to $15 billion. Successful placements span the entire C-Suite – CEOChief Operating OfficerChief Financial Officer, and include vice presidentgeneral counsel, and other director-level leadership roles.

      Discover more about executive diversity search — and find out why Cowen Partners is a leader among the nation’s best diversity and inclusion executive search firms in New York CityAnchorage, Miami, Boston, Denver, Chicago, St. Louis, Las Vegas, Seattle, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Diego, and beyond:

      Cowen Partners is proud to provide the highest quality diversity executive recruitment services to all major and minor industries, including (but not limited to):

      Accounting, Advertising, Aerospace & Defense, Biotechnology, Banking, Credit Unions, Board and CEO Services, Computer Hardware, Construction, Consulting, Consumer Products, Computer Software and Hardware, Education, Energy & Utilities, Entertainment & Sports, Finance, Financial Services, Food Products, Government, Human Resources, Health Care, Hospitality & Tourism, Insurance, Industrial, Internet & New Media, Legal, Tax, Crypto, Bitcoin, Private Equity, Journalism & Publishing, MarketingManufacturing, Medical Device, Non-Profit, Pharmaceutical, Private EquityReal Estate, Retail & Apparel, SalesTechnology, Telecommunications and Transportation.

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