Recent uncertainties and upheavals have sparked major changes in how public sector organizations do business. While workplaces have been diverse for some time, the push for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has significantly increased over the last few years.
Now, attracting and retaining the best talent for your organization is more challenging than ever. There’s certainly a reason why part of keeping employees is making them feel welcomed, valued and respected. You can make workers feel like they matter by focusing on DEI.
Leaders are responsible for creating a workplace culture that focuses on DEI. They should be visible in their DEI efforts and create a structure and program that supports it.
A strong commitment to DEI has many benefits, such as:
There's no one-size-fits-all DEI program rulebook that exists for creating a successful program. However, understanding DEI best practices and setting clear goals can help.
Defining what success looks like for your organization is essential. By setting clear DEI goals, HR leaders can recognize progress. Then, determine where they can make improvements for a better return on investment.
Well-defined goals help inspire commitment from supervisors, HR and employees. They also foster team building where everyone works together toward the same objective. Those clear DEI goals will promote cooperation throughout your organization to better design and implement a successful DEI program.
Developing a DEI training program is vital to your program’s success. This education provides effective and genuine engagement tactics for respectful and constructive ways that workers and managers can interact with each other at work. It also helps reduce prejudice and discrimination based on ethnicity, race, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation and more at work.
Training on DEI can cover a broad range of issues. From microaggressions to unconscious bias and more. It helps employees become more aware of barriers and biases hindering diversity and inclusion in the workplace. DEI training can motivate workers to be more positive and tolerant of different backgrounds and cultures. Ensuring that everyone feels accepted in your organization.
A good training program encourages workers to tolerate the differences between each other. Additionally, it promotes ways to work as a team to embrace and honor diverse viewpoints and perspectives. Tying DEI education back to your mission helps everyone consider your organization's ethics, missions and values and connect them with DEI in general.
Plus, DEI training can mitigate legal risks, promote ongoing support and the recruitment and retention of employees to increase overall productivity.
Organizations focusing on inclusive hiring practices illustrate and affirm their commitment to creating an inclusive and fair workplace. One where everyone feels comfortable being themselves. A focus on DEI improves your brand image and reputation, making you a choice employer that attracts and retains top recruits.
Inclusive hiring practices have several benefits, including:
Recognizing the benefits of supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion helps promote fairness in recruitment. It helps to place a high value on unique perspectives and employees themselves. Fair hiring practices foster a sense of belonging where everyone feels respected, supported, and appreciated.
Workplace discrimination and harassment create a toxic work environment. This causes negativity and an environment that ranges from uncomfortable to intolerable. Discrimination and harassment are often repeated employee behaviors. However, it only takes one gesture to create a toxic work environment.
Harassment and discrimination come in many forms, such as:
Even if employers aren’t involved in the harassment and discrimination or are even aware that it is occurring, they are still liable. Recognizing and addressing these behaviors shows you disapprove of them and that it's important for your organization to ensure everyone feels safe and welcomed at work.
Encouraging open communication and giving employees ways to express their concerns honestly helps them feel like you take DEI seriously. You're sending a message that everyone can approach supervisors without fear of retribution or punitive punishment.
Developing and implementing a successful DEI program requires cooperation and collaboration between all employees, supervisors, and HR personnel. It represents a commitment from everyone to respect different viewpoints and to work together to foster an inclusive work environment.
Focusing on DEI not only helps attract top talent but can ensure you retain the best workers who will contribute to your organization's success. CPS HR can help educate your HR employees and managers on developing a strategic roadmap for creating a successful DEI program.
DOWNLOADCPS HR Consulting is a self-supporting public agency providing a full range of integrated HR solutions to government and nonprofit clients across the country. Our strategic approach to increasing the effectiveness of human resources results in improved organizational performance for our clients. We have a deep expertise and unmatched perspective in guiding our clients in the areas of organizational strategy, recruitment and selection, classification and compensation, and training and development.
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