10 Diversity & Inclusion Activities to do with Your Team
Diversity and inclusion (D&I) practices are not the sole responsibility of the human resources (HR) department. They are the keys to running a successful company, therefore everyone in the workplace should take part.
In order to achieve true diversity and inclusion in the workplace, performing team D&I activities is crucial.
For ideas that are specific to your company’s D&I strategy, reach out to your D&I team or HR department and ask them what they have to offer.
Jump ahead to these activities right away:
Start a Diversity and Inclusion Book Club
A book club provides a safe space for people to read and examine a text while creating interpersonal connections. If you’re not familiar with reading material relevant to diversity and inclusion, don’t fret.
Reach out to your D&I team or HR department and collaborate with them to choose books that align with the conversation and strategy of your company’s D&I program.
Here are tons of great book ideas that cover disability, LGBTQ+, race, indigenous peoples and more that may be perfect for your D&I program.
The Ugly Laws: Disability in Public (The History of Disability) – Susan M. Schweik
Nothing About Us Without Us: Disability Oppression and Empowerment – James I. Charlton
Whipping Girl – Julia Serano
Stonewall – Martin Bauml Duberman
So You Want to Talk About Race? – Ijeoma Oluo
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism – Robin DiAngelo
The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America – Thomas King
Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change – Ellen Pao
Building for Everyone: Expand Your Market With Design Practices from Google’s Product Inclusion Team – Annie Jean-Baptiste
Blind Spot: Hidden Biases of Good People – Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald
🚀 Looking for more book ideas? Check out our great book lists here and here.
2. Act Like a Man, Act Like a Woman
If you’re looking to discuss the impact of gender roles with your team, this is the perfect exercise. There are two versions of this workshop.
The first version aims to understand how cultural messages influence behavior.
The second version focuses on the relationships between sexism/heterosexism, transphobia and domestic or sexual violence.
Both versions can take as much or as little time as necessary. Remember to end each workshop with a thorough discussion summarizing and reflecting on what has been learned.
🚀Click here to access the instructions for the first version, and here for the second version.
3. Take the Implicit Association Test
The Implicit Association Test is compiled by Harvard University into a five-part test that requires the subject to quickly sort words into categories. The purpose is to measure the strength of associations between concepts, evaluations and stereotypes. In other words, this test will determine the extent and intensity of the subject’s biases.
The test also asks optional questions that allow the subject to report their attitudes and beliefs regarding certain topics. Have your employees take this test and discuss their results with them afterward.
🚀You can access Harvard’s Implicit Association test today!
4. Enjoy 6-in-1 Interactive D&I Exercises
This is actually 6 different exercises all packed into one single booklet! Published by Stockton University, the document contains exercises that will encourage dialogue about differences in the human experience.
It is designed to ease participants into larger conversations surrounding oppression, inequality and prejudice. The exercises are short, interactive and exciting. They are easy to teach and do not involve lecturing.
🚀Click here to access Stockton Unversity’s 6-exercises-in-1 booklet.
5. Unpack the Diversity Toolkit
This toolkit, called “A Guide to Discussing Identity, Power and Privilege” is meant to inspire discourse regarding “issues of diversity and the role of identity in social relationships” on the individual and societal levels.
The activities are best fit for groups of 10-60 people but can be adapted for a larger crowd. As the facilitator, you don’t have to be an expert, but it is important that you are well versed in the topics at hand.
🚀You’ll find the Diversity Toolkit here when you’re ready to get going.
6. Go on a Privilege Walk
This activity is quite simple yet rich with emotion. The purpose is to examine what privileges you’ve been afforded in life. Participants stand in a horizontal line and take one step forward or backward depending on the question or statement and their response.
For example, the facilitator may tell the participants to take one step forward if their parents have gone to college. After all of the questions or statements have been presented, you and your team will gather around and answer the reflection questions.
🚀Click here to view the privilege walk instructions.
7. Get Deep with The Iceberg Activity
What do culture and an iceberg have in common? Only a small percentage is surface level. The rest lies below the surface.
It is imperative to dig deep in order to understand someone’s cultural background and how it has impacted them. This activity involves answering questions to better understand culture and its influences.
🚀Learn more with these sample Iceberg questions.
8. Cook Up a Cultural Potluck
What better way to connect than sharing food from one’s own culture?
Whether it be every week or every month, or even every other month a cultural potluck is a sure-fire way to unite the workplace. Everyone can bring a special dish or dessert that is culturally important to them or reminds them of their upbringing.
🚀Here’s 23 Diverse Office Potluck Ideas for the Office to get you cooking.
9. Open The Gender-Neutral Jar
The name of the game is introducing gender-neutral language in the workplace. While it may seem harmless to address a group of people as ‘guys’, it may make some feel uncomfortable or even excluded.
Every time someone uses the word ‘guys’ to address a mixed-gender group, they should put a set amount of money in the jar. The amount should be low enough for everyone to participate but high enough to incentivize a change in language. (The terms ‘you all’ and ‘folks’ are excellent alternatives.)
🚀Get started with our article on inclusive language best practices!
10. Ask Yourself: I Am…But I Am Not
This activity is all about sharing your identity and smashing stereotypes. Suitable for all group sizes, the activity requires just a pen and paper.
The paper should have two columns, one titled “I am…” and the other “But I am not”.
The goal is to create a phrase that shares your identity and rejects the stereotype associated with it. For example, “I am Asian, but I am not a Model Minority.”
🚀Learn about the Model Minority myth to understand why this is important.
Calling All Employees
As an employee, it is also your responsibility to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Be sure to attend D&I events to show that you care about those you work with.
If you’re looking for some direction, join an employee resource group (ERG). If you do not identify with the group that the ERG supports, you can still join as an ally.
Calling All Supervisors, Managers, Directors and Leaders
It is of the utmost importance to encourage your team to attend diversity and inclusion events together. Be sure to let your employees know that it’s okay to take a break from work to attend these events.
Create a calendar invite and send it out a week or two in advance so that everyone is in the loop and has time to prepare.
Above all else, as the leader you should make an appearance and engage with your team so that they know you value these events and are determined to create a diverse and inclusive work environment.
Diversity & Inclusion Activities Make the Workplace Better
💡DID YOU KNOW: In addition to creating a sense of community in the workplace, diversity and inclusion practices have been shown to increase business performance.
Racially and ethnically diverse companies are 35% more likely to see financial gain (McKinsey)
Gender diverse companies are 15% more likely to see financial gain (McKinsey)
Companies committed to D&I experience the highest level of employee engagement (Deloitte)
Companies committed to D&I receive better performance evaluations from their employees. Specifically, in the areas of customer service, innovation and team collaboration (Deloitte)
Creating a diverse and inclusive workplace takes time and effort, it’s not an overnight process. Some of these activities may be uncomfortable, but they’re the steppingstones necessary to create a conscious workplace that strives for equality and equity.
Every organization should have diversity and inclusion embedded in its existence. Not only do these practices benefit the employees, but they also secure a prosperous future for the company.
Employees are more likely to commit long-term and put in the effort to ensure that the company thrives. After all, what good is a homogenous and exclusive workplace?