Creating the conditions for diverse teams to thrive

Written By Linda Hughes – Dynamic Coach and Jonna Mundy – You HR Consultancy

But in many cases, progress isn’t just slow – it’s stalled, with a 50% decrease in participation in Diversity & Inclusion programmes year-on-year according to research data. We believe that’s because too often, Diversity & Inclusion programmes focus on changing processes rather than mindsets. And often, they focus exclusively on the underrepresented groups rather than bringing everyone along on the journey.

A true culture of inclusion can only happen when everyone is on the dancefloor. Because real change happens when you give people the tools to start a movement. And a movement starts when everyone gets on the dancefloor.

We asked our members to participate in a questionnaire with the opportunity to share their thoughts to create discussion and action, and they identified these top three priorities:

100% of respondents believed that employees should receive Diversity & Inclusion training to develop their understanding and raise awareness

What Next Steps Can Organisations Consider:

1. Make D&I a corporate initiative through senior leaders scoping their vision for the organisation
2. Assess where your organisation stands in its journey toward a diverse and inclusive workforce – this includes assessing data, surveying employees etc.
3. Review the gaps to develop where you need to exert focus and deliver a learning experience that takes employees on a journey from unconscious bias to conscious action by embedding daily habits of inclusion as daily routines
4. Set measurable goals and recognise that a culture shift is an evolutionary process
5. Make an organisational commitment through your internal communications, surveys, and initiatives, share your success stories

What Next Steps are B4 taking to support their members:

1. Workshop: Engage with members, voluntary sector to help deliver “How to develop a diverse organisation and create an Inclusive culture”
2. Research: Set up a research group into the competitive business advantage of diverse workplaces

100% of respondents believed that organisations should evaluate opportunities for internships and apprenticeship roles across organisations, to encourage representation from specific groups

What Next Steps Can Organisations Consider:

1. Look at how your organisation could engage an intern or apprentice – investigate the different levels and funding available
2. Reach out to other organisations to understand how they recruited from specific groups and what feedback they can give you
3. Use your network or employees to reach communities or specific groups
4. Recognise employees who are focussed on the engagement and development of interns / apprentices ie the people who are promoting what you are doing
5. Develop other learning opportunities for interns / apprentices to develop life skills ie Princes Trust, Duke of Edinburgh

What Next Steps are B4 taking to support their members:

1. Promotion: Engage with members, other bodies to help promote interns / apprenticeship opportunities across specific groups

100% of respondents believed that taking positive action to address any imbalance of opportunity or disadvantage that an individual with a protected characteristic had was the right thing to do

What Next Steps Can Organisations Consider:

1. Assess your organisation though collecting data and understanding current practices, gather insight as it may not be obvious without intersectional evaluation
2. Review the gaps and make commitment to your workforce to provide equal opportunities through positive action, ensuring you are transparent in the actions you take
3. Set measurable goals and recognise that a culture shift is an evolutionary process and that your employees feel comfortable and aligned with the positive actions you propose
4. Make an organisational commitment through your internal communications, surveys, and initiatives. Share your success stories.

What Next Steps are B4 taking to support their members:

1. Articles: sharing best practices, videos, podcasts that support positive ED&I practices
2. Discussion: create occasions for sharing experiences and provide learning opportunities to build a broader understanding of ED&I

The Next Steps are by no means comprehensive, but it’s a start. Some of these are easy action items that can be implemented today. Many will take the effort of a thoughtful and committed community of diverse individuals with engaged senior leadership.

I hope this jumpstarts the conversation at your organisation. If you need support to really get going please get in contact with either Linda Hughes – Linda@dynamiccoach.co.uk or Jonna Mundy – Jonna@youhr.co.uk who conducted the research on behalf of B4.

Watch the Linda Hughes interview Video at the B4 One: EDI Event: https://youtu.be/PPOfcccDuAE

Watch the Jonna Mundy interview Video at the B4 One: EDI Event: https://youtu.be/BVqMZOQmI7c

Watch the Survey Results Video at the B4 One: EDI Event: https://youtu.be/OcPU4OVvwIk