1. identify the gap and understand what employees want

If you already have a calendar of events that you’re committed to for the whole year, you should introduce a post-event feedback for your employees to find out if your event met its objectives in making positive change. In your feedback form, you should ask:

What they like and don’t like about the event
If they understand the event objectives
How has the event changed their awareness and interactions
If the event should take place again next year

If you don’t have an events calendar and are thinking about what you should do to raise awareness of your minority communities and foster a supportive culture, you can run employee surveys or conduct focus groups to identify the gaps and ask for ideas on what would make an impact.

Through these surveys and focus groups, you may learn that what your employees want is significantly different from what you thought makes sense. They might want small-scale events for more in-depth conversations, feedback postal boxes for anonymity, or more e-learning as opposed to events.

These inputs from employees can help you adjust your focus and investments to make a greater impact on employees.

2. involve employees in closing DEI gaps

Once you’ve identified the gaps and have some new ideas on how to reinvent your DEI strategy, make sure to involve your employees in the preparation and implementation. Engaging employees at every stage not only fosters a sense of ownership but also ensures that the initiatives are relevant and impactful.

Identify some DEI ambassadors within the organisations who can advocate for inclusion and drive engagement. Communicate the organisation’s DEI goals and objectives transparently with them so they know how and when to contribute.

Because they have been involved from the start, they are more motivated to help drive participation and messaging to everyone in the organisation. Being on-the-ground, they will also be able to help you collect feedback and improve in the future.

When identifying and engaging employees as DEI ambassadors, it is important to have a good and equal representation of the community, including allies. Having a mix of individuals ensures that all perspectives are considered, and it also serves as the perfect opportunity to improve the understanding and awareness of individuals who are not a part of the community.

3. create toolkits and conduct training

Whistleblowing and anti-discrimination policies can only go so far. In fact, when it is time to put these policies in place, it may already be too late for the organisation and victims.

It is important that DEI training is conducted for everyone in the organisation, even if they are working remotely or as an intern. These training programmes can be focused on tips for active listening, respecting each other’s pronouns, as well as recognising unconscious biases and how to intervene appropriately.

Consistency is key when it comes to shifting mindsets and creating a shared understanding. Ongoing education and proactive engagement are key to ensuring that respect and dignity are not just policies on paper, but lived values in the workplace.

Besides training, human resources teams can put up infographic posters with useful tips and send email communications regularly to keep them updated about upcoming courses and events, as well as key takeaways and videos from previous courses.

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