[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/11\/23\/diversity-equity-inclusion-strategy\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/11\/23\/diversity-equity-inclusion-strategy\/","headline":"Creating a diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy that really works","name":"Creating a diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy that really works","description":"Find out how HR leaders approach DEI to create a fair, inclusive, and diverse employee experience.","datePublished":"2021-11-23","dateModified":"2023-01-31","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/joey-price\/#Person","name":"Joey Price","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/joey-price\/","identifier":500,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/73143f0f86085ad9adc090d9f904b5234af3c926fecd7e866b89fbac566fd575?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/73143f0f86085ad9adc090d9f904b5234af3c926fecd7e866b89fbac566fd575?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future of Commerce","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","width":172,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/afterparty-number-four-DEI_1200x375.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/afterparty-number-four-DEI_1200x375.jpg","height":375,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/11\/23\/diversity-equity-inclusion-strategy\/","video":[null,{"@type":"VideoObject","@id":"https:\/\/i.vimeocdn.com\/video\/1307408428-21f2cbaa6bedcaaaea1ed1e5889618d20102a4d225517d3b2_295x166?region=us","name":"Diversity, equity and inclusion: Adam Grant interviews Amanda Rajkumar of adidas","description":"","thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i.vimeocdn.com\/video\/1307408428-21f2cbaa6bedcaaaea1ed1e5889618d20102a4d225517d3b2_295x166?region=us","uploadDate":"2021-11-22T16:54:51+00:00","duration":"P0DT0H10M41S"}],"about":[{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/purpose\/diversity\/","name":"Diversity and Inclusion","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Diversity,_equity,_and_inclusion"]},"Employee Experience & Engagement","HXM: Human Experience Management","Inclusion & Diversity",{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/purpose\/","name":"Purpose","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Purpose"]}],"wordCount":1197,"keywords":["Adidas","Diversity and Inclusion","Human Resources"],"articleBody":"What do you think when you hear the words diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)? Increasingly, employees and business leaders alike view the concept of DEI with excitement. To many, DEI efforts are one of the best ways to attract talented, hardworking employees from a range of backgrounds that make businesses a better place to work.But some still carry implicit bias about DEI, whether it\u2019s the gnawing fear that it will cost existing employees their jobs or disrupt the workplaces they\u2019ve come to love.People may know these thoughts are wrong \u2013 both morally and factually \u2013 and yet, they often can\u2019t shake them.      Venture capital funding bias: Why VC business-as-usual must change                The bias in venture capital funding is stark: Companies with Black women at the helm get less than zero percent of VC funding.      How adidas AG approaches diversity, equity and inclusionAmanda Rajkumar, executive board member, global human resources, people and culture, adidas AG, has taken it upon herself to help people overcome their fears related to DEI.As a recent guest on an episode of Forward with Adam Grant, Rajkumar shared how the sportswear giant creates truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive employee experiences. She broke down the adidas approach to this concept:Diversity is ensuring that there is a plethora of working individuals from different backgrounds and experiences.Equity is recognizing that society has not provided a fair starting line for everyone and letting employees know the business is dedicated to creating fair experiences at work.Inclusion is creating an environment where individuals feel included and free to be themselves.      Women’s Equality Day: No glass ceiling in sight from the edge                It's Women's Equality Day, but it'll be 135.6 years before women and men reach parity on a range of factors, versus the 99.5 years cited in 2020.      Diversity and inclusion: Providing a fair startFor Rajkumar, it\u2019s a big red flag when a company\u2019s management teams lack diversity, specifically when this problem is chronic and longstanding. If attrition rates are high and people aren\u2019t sticking with the business, it very well could be because of lackluster DEI efforts. Your company may find and hire great talent, but if you aren\u2019t making them feel like they belong, they\u2019ll leave.She says it\u2019s an alienating experience for employees to look around and not see anyone like them, whether it\u2019s a reflection of their own race, gender, sexuality, or lived experiences. The visibility of employees with disabilities in the workplace is becoming increasingly important, too.\u201cWe never think that we are lowering the bar here. What we are doing is widening the gate,\u201d she says, explaining that the adidas approach to DEI enables more employees to begin their race from a fair starting line.This content is hosted by a third party ( vimeo.com ).To view the content, either update your cookie preferences or view it in a new browser window.Cookie PreferencesNew WindowUsing data for some HR myth-bustingAfter listening to Rajkumar\u2019s insights, I met with my friend and fellow HR devotee Enrique Rubio on LinkedIn Live to learn what he thought of the adidas approach to the employee experience. Rubio, founder of Hacking HR, said that many of our \u201cgut feelings\u201d about diversity, equity and inclusion are not to be trusted.\u201cOne of the concerns from some business leaders has been, \u2018Are we going to have to lower the quality of our hires if we become more diverse?\u2019 And the answer is: totally no!\u201d he says. \u201cThe way you address these unfounded concerns is with data.\u201dRubio agrees with Rajkumar that it\u2019s the role of HR to bust myths by using data that reflects the truth about DEI in practice. For instance, this data may reveal that employees who feel equal in an inclusive and diverse workplace provide greater long-term value as they stay with the company longer.\u201cA lot of the processes we run in HR, we have to bring data to the table and make sure that we are making data-informed decisions,\u201d Rubio says. \u201cThey will just strengthen our case for more equitable, diverse, and inclusive processes in the organization. And they will add a layer of science to things that now we know are the right thing to do . . . but you add the data that proves that it is the scientific right thing to do.\u201d      HXM: How HR tech can improve workplace diversity and inclusion                Learn how HR tech can improve workplace diversity and inclusion when paired with a strong corporate strategy based on equality.      Providing a corporate DEI reality checkHR, Rajkumar says, is in a unique position as the moral conscience of the organization. It is the only part of the business that can hold a mirror up to the company, providing leaders with a true reflection of themselves and their teams that is free of bias.Many leaders do not believe they have bias, so when they step back and take stock of the company, they see what they think are inclusive teams. HR needs to provide the data that says otherwise and makes the case for creating real progress in DEI. But how do companies get this data in the first place? Rubio says this is a challenge.Employees need to feel safe to share information about themselves that truthfully reflects who they are and provides the key DEI metrics that the business needs. But if they don\u2019t believe their employer is serious about protecting their identity, they may choose to keep this information close to the chest for fear of workplace prejudice.On top of that, people are simply more conscious of who they let have their data \u2013 and why. Today, even employers need to have a good reason for asking about someone\u2019s ethnic background.Rubio suggests removing the mystery from HR\u2019s data gathering efforts and adding new transparency. Let employees know why you\u2019re gathering this data, what you plan to do with it, and how it will improve the employee experience.      Black in corporate America: Making room for leaders, willingly or not                The reality of being Black in corporate America: Out of the 500 biggest companies in the U.S., less than one percent have a Black CEO.      HR must create inclusivity allies across the organizationEveryone at a business stands to benefit from a better employee experience, so no employee should escape the reach of your communications related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.\u201cThe rise of woman does not equate to the fall of man. I think we need to reassure our male counterparts of that because we absolutely have such a long way to go, and we can only do it with male counterparts\u2019 help,\u201d Rajkumar says.Encouraging employees to become allies can also empower them to speak up when they see something that violates your company\u2019s codes of conduct or ethics. If employees know you\u2019re truly dedicated to DEI, they\u2019ll feel safe to say something is wrong and protect their teammates.  Work doesn’t work like it once did.Win, retain, and grow talent in a changing, competitive landscape. Real-life proof points \u2192HERE."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2021","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"11","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/\/11\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"23","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/\/11\/\/23\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Creating a diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy that really works","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/11\/23\/diversity-equity-inclusion-strategy\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]