An equitable workplace means a workplace which is free of bias and discrimination. Employees should all have the same access to opportunities and be treated the same. And more importantly, no employee should feel excluded or marginalised.
So how does a company, regardless of its size, create an equitable workplace? We asked three experts who gave their views on how this is achievable.
All three said that it begins with the leaders. They need to be the biggest champion of diversity and inclusion and openly support the organisation’s aims. Managers need to lead the way to inspire all employees to take the same approach. When managers are fully onboard, employees can easily go to them to discuss any issues they may have.
Training is also another important aspect of creating a workplace free of discrimination. By teaching everyone what it actually means to have an equitable workplace, everyone can then share the same vision. Sometimes there is unconscious bias, which people may not even realise they have. Training can help to uncover this and put everyone on track to creating a workplace where everyone can work safely without discrimination.
Support and encouragement is another important aspect which was highlighted. People need to feel as if they belong in the workplace and also they need to know their worth within the workplace. By ensuring that everyone knows what they are doing and what they are working towards, people will feel more valued and more at home in the job they are doing. It’s best to not just assume that people know they are valued and appreciated – say it out loud and provide continued support.
HR is an important department in all of this. It can make sure employees are heading in the right direction and have access to the training they need. The experts also highlighted the importance of hiring practices and how companies can remove the bias within this area.
Faki Saadi, Sales Director, SOTI UK, said: “Ultimately, an equitable workplace will not happen by chance, it takes conscious effort by every employee from the boardroom and down. No one has equity mastered yet, but as long as we keep stopping to check how we are doing and readjusting where necessary, an equitable workplace can be achieved.”
Helena Nimmo, CIO, Endava:
To build an equitable workforce, a commitment to social impact must be embedded in the company’s DNA. An equitable culture starts with leaders. Leaders who are thoughtful, considerate and accepting of the wonderfully diverse background of a company’s staff ensure that employees feel included, supported and connected to the corporate culture.
Such leadership is more likely to be cultivated when management teams themselves have a high degree of diversity. Of course, this is easier said than done. For example, consider the tech industry – because this has traditionally been male dominated, today there is a relatively small pool of female executives available to fill top positions. So, the onus is on organisations to not only aim to hire and support diversified talent, but also actively contribute to the development of a diversified talent pool.
To create a working environment that offers both equality and equity of career opportunity for all employees based on merit, companies should strive to empower their people to take advantage of career coaching, knowledge-sharing and mentoring opportunities.
Going a step further, they can look further downstream to fostering diverse groups of individuals in the early stages of their careers or even through their formative years in school or university. At Endava, we partner with universities and run internship and graduate programmes that help us develop the passionate new talent we’re always looking for. In addition, we partner with trusted non-governmental organisations across the globe to run activities ranging from career orientation talks to knowledge sharing and mentoring. The aim of these is to enhance awareness, encourage and support young people to explore opportunities in tech.
After making all these efforts, organisations should work to ensure that all employees feel supported and able to thrive throughout their careers. Employee programmes that foster the physical and mental well-being of employees can go a long way towards achieving this end. Companies could benefit greatly from hosting open forums that encourage employees from across the organisation to share their perspective as this can help steer on-going diversity and inclusion efforts. And finally, businesses should create an environment wherein employees feel confident and secure in being able to voice their concerns and suggestions with the knowledge that this feedback will be used constructively.
Ayman Kattan, Chief People Officer, Bayzat:
There are lots of different ways to help make your company more diverse and equitable. I’d say one of the most important starting factors is to lead from the top.The CEO should be the biggest champion of diversity and inclusion (D&I) and openly support the organisation’s aims.
Running D&I training across the company is also a useful way to improve your workplace culture. This can help people understand what discriminatory behaviour might look like, the impact it may have and how to combat it. It can raise awareness of things like unconscious bias – where we make judgements or have prejudices and stereotypes that we’re not consciously aware of. It’s a good idea to include this in your onboarding processes as well.
And don’t forget to coach your managers in this area. This can enable them to create a safe environment for their teams – and ensure they make equitable decisions about their people, for example when it comes to promotions and pay.
Another area to focus on is your hiring policies and practices to make sure you’re not discriminating when hiring. Audit your job adverts and descriptions to make sure they’re not accidentally discriminating against or off-putting to certain groups of people. Structured interviews and blind shortlisting can help protect against bias.
Are your HR policies fit for today’s inclusive workplace? They should support marginalised workers such as returning mothers with supportive parental policies. You could also consider introducing more part time working and job share roles. In the UAE, there are many first-generation females entering the workforce, so it’s particularly important to enable them to remain in the workforce and potentially develop into the senior leaders of the future.
And finally, I’d say look to develop people internally. Seek out good people in the business, particularly those in marginalised groups, and nurture and promote them.
Implementing and supporting all these policies and initiatives becomes significantly easier when your organisation has an HR management platform in place. These systems foster collaboration and encourage all staff to be aware of and embody the company culture. Market-leading HRMS platforms also digitalise performance management which makes career progression completely transparent – a prerequisite to merit-based advancement. And when features such as survey modules are used, they conveniently facilitate active employee listening, thereby providing the channels for any discrimination to be reported and appropriately acted upon.
Faki Saadi, Sales Director, SOTI UK:
Businesses can create an equitable workplace by removing the fear that comes from not knowing or understanding the people around us. Educating each other on diverse backgrounds and experiences is crucial and creates a strong and healthy workplace environment where people are heard and talent thrives.
Taking the time to create accessible activities, while promoting a diverse employee base is important. At SOTI, our employees enjoy participating in our annual SOTI Day, where employees come together as a team and take part in various team bonding activities. We ensure that inclusion, care and respect is taken into consideration and activities are accessible to everyone. We also celebrate and raise awareness for different religions, celebrate International Women’s Day and raise awareness for neurodiversity and mental health.
It’s also important to invest in coaching managers in the recruitment process to ensure that unconscious bias is removed, and hires are made on skills and past work experience.
Ultimately, an equitable workplace will not happen by chance, it takes conscious effort by every employee from the boardroom and down. No one has equity mastered yet, but as long as we keep stopping to check how we are doing and readjusting where necessary, an equitable workplace can be achieved.
At SOTI, we pride ourselves with our Inclusion and Diversity Programme and Strategy. We are a highly diverse workforce, with employees who originate from more than 50 countries around the globe. Celebrating and supporting our diversity and fostering inclusion is a key part of our success.