Diversity vs. Inclusion
Diversity vs inclusion - which one should you focus on more?
Many workplaces that want to commit to diversity and inclusion have asked this question.
Diversity and inclusion don't just show human capital and consumers the company’s commitment to giving equal opportunities to all. Companies that practice DEI enjoy a long list of other benefits, including enhanced innovation, better connectivity, and higher workplace performance.
Ultimately, everybody - internal and external, no matter the background, benefits, whether through customer satisfaction or overall well-being and prosperity.
However, the question remains, ”Is diversity or inclusion more important? How do I balance the two?”.
In this article, we discuss:
What’s the Difference Between Diversity & Inclusion?
The main difference between diversity and inclusion is what they represent.
Diversity focuses on the actual representation or makeup of a company, organization, or entity. The simplest example of a diverse community is one that integrates different groups of people - for instance, a company with employees of different races.
On the other hand…
Inclusion concentrates on how the entity or community bridges and celebrates diversity. It examines how different groups of people are valued and integrated within the community through their presence, contribution, and perspective.
Simply put, diversity is the traits or characteristics of an individual or group while inclusion is the behavior or actions that make different individuals or groups feel welcomed.
Diversity Overview: Traits
A diverse workplace accommodates different people and groups. Workplace diversity can be placed or explored through different dimensions of diversity, including:
🥇Primary Diversity
Age
Race and ethnicity
Gender
Sexual orientation
Mental and physical disabilities
🥈Secondary Diversity
Education
Economic background
Language
Personalities
Origin
Cultural
Religion
Marital and parental status
🎖️Workplace Diversity
Job level
Education level
Hard and soft skills
Work shift
Years of experience within the company
Accommodations (remote/hybrid work, arrangements for new parents)
✅Looking for a deeper dive into diversity?
Learn more in our article Dimensions of Diversity
Inclusion Overview: Actions
Inclusion is the actions that a company, entity, or community does to integrate and include a diverse group, like human capital. Inclusion in the workplace starts from the recruitment phase, where the company implements its inclusive hiring policy.
But, the company's inclusive policies, strategies, and activities are what truly make it an environment for diverse groups of people to thrive. Employees in a successfully inclusive company usually feel respected and thrive better.
Here are typical examples of what inclusion in the workplace looks like:
Accommodating of backgrounds, religious, and cultural values of all team members
Providing inclusive facilities, such as accessibility or prayer rooms
Organizing regular connection-fostering team-building activities, especially for large teams
Developing inclusive communication strategies
Openness to different viewpoints and listening to all voices
Encouraging honest conversations about unconscious bias
Ensuring equal access to resources
Creating a safe environment to encourage authentic identities and self-confidence
What is More Important When Setting A DEI Strategy - Diversity or Inclusion?
One would be naive to think that diversity is more important than inclusion and can exist on its own - or vice versa.
Diversity cannot be beneficial without inclusion and neither can inclusion exist without diversity. Diversity and inclusion are interdependent and incorporating one over the other can do more damage than good.
Why Diversity Needs Inclusion (and Vice-Versa)
The most common example of the effects of diversity over inclusion, or vice versa, is tokenism. Tokenism is when companies hire an underwhelming number of individuals from a particular group to tick the diversity box. Companies that practice tokenism usually do so to escape criticism, creating the appearance of fair treatment for their people.
Tokenism happens when a member of a minority group is hired into a company dominated by members of a majority group. This can be hiring a woman into a male-dominated management team to allude to its equal opportunity for either gender. Another common example is hiring a person of color in a white-dominated company.
Rather than creating a diverse and inclusive environment, doing this can easily isolate, create feelings of imposter syndrome, and impact the individual’s self-esteem. As a result, such companies don’t enjoy positive results, especially from the individual.
A hostile environment and one that makes a person feel isolated and out of place can easily prevent them from performing or contributing to their fullest potential. It’s worth noting that different workplace settings come with their fair share of tokenism effects.
This ranges from the need to show greater competency and role overload to a diminished sense of belonging and even productivity loss. However, the presence of a minority in a majority group setting alone may not entirely hint at the presence of tokenism - the lack of diversity.
The office culture or activities indicate nuances of the lack of inclusion. You can easily identify this problem from the treatment of the token staff. For instance, a woman may always be asked to talk about women's affairs or being a woman in a particular role.
Or, a black employee is always chosen to talk about or on behalf of their underrepresented group. Sometimes, issues can be as small as frequent microaggressive comments from colleagues.
4 Reasons Why Diversity Works Better WITH Inclusion
Diversity works more effectively when paired with inclusion - one simply cannot exist without the other.
After all, diversity allows companies to hire human capital from various backgrounds.
But, an inclusive workplace culture and policies are what allow the employees to feel a sense of belonging, respect, and value.
Here are 4 key ways organizations benefit from incorporating diversity and inclusion into their people & culture strategy:
Reason #1: Boosts External Branding
Companies that implement genuine and effective D&I efforts enjoy a significant boost in their brand image and reputation. A Glassdoor survey reported that 76% of talent lean towards working for a company with a diverse team rather than a non-diverse one.
Similarly, a higher number of consumers report that they are more likely to interact with diverse companies and initiatives than non-diverse.
Reason #2: Elevates In-house Performance
Diverse companies with inclusive work cultures tend to enjoy more creativity among their teams. This is because the conducive environment makes it easier to bring together different and unique visions.
Further, a diverse and inclusive team enjoys faster and better problem-solving techniques as it integrates different perspectives and approaches. Diversity and inclusive strategies can ultimately improve overall performance and increase profits - the business’s bottom line.
A study by BCG suggests that a diverse leadership team generates nearly twice as much innovative revenue and financial performance than non-diverse teams.
Reason #3: Improves Overall Relationships and Experiences
A diverse and inclusive environment improves the overall working environment and relationships. In such settings, employees enjoy better cultural awareness, trust, openness, and mutual understanding.
Moreover, a truly diverse and inclusive workplace usually has higher employee retention, satisfaction rates, increased employee happiness, and overall well-being. In this environment, employees enjoy equal access to resources and opportunities. Moreover, companies with effective D& I strategies enjoy reduced turnover and increased productivity.
Reason #4: Builds Better Decision Making
A diverse and inclusive environment can even improve thinking and cognition. A college study conducted in 2010 suggests that a diverse environment can help grow cognitive tendencies and skills. These include problem-solving, critical thinking, and complex thinking skills.
Another article published by the science magazine, Scientific American, suggests that diversity makes us smarter. In the article, the author suggests that being in a diverse environment - with people of different kinds and backgrounds - makes us more creative, diligent, and hard-working.
Examples of Successful Diversity & Inclusion Programs
While we continue to advocate for diversity and inclusion in the workplace, it’s worth noting that many companies continue to successfully implement these efforts. For companies that want to see the roadmap to implement practical D&I strategies, it’s good thing there are examples!
✅MasterCard’s Gender Parity Efforts
MasterCard, one of the leaders in financial services, has been featured in many lists among the top companies for diversity. According to the company’s statement on diversity, Mastercard is committed to creating a workplace with equal access for everyone to connect their greatest passions with their fullest potential”.
As of 2021, female employees at MasterCard earn $1 for every $1 male employees earn. MasterCard has extended this practice to employees of all races too. Further, the company extends its D&I efforts well beyond pay by offering inclusive employee benefits, such as surrogacy assistance.
To create an inclusive environment for all, MasterCard hosts employee-led 9 business resource groups with 149 chapters.
✅Alliance Bernstein’s Demographic Inclusion Practices
Alliance Bernstein takes D&I seriously through a range of its people management activities. The financial services giant invests in employee satisfaction, fair compensation, and conducive work environments.
Here are among Alliance Bernstein’s successful DEI activities:
Partnership with YearUp, a job training nonprofit connecting tech talent from underserved communities with the firm
6-month Career Catalyst program to support employee career development
11-week return-to-work program to support re-entry for experienced professionals after an employee gap
A neurodiversity resource hub for employee and team growth and thriving
Employee Resource Group, AB ADAPT, to support employers and clients with disabilities
✅Accenture’s Skills Bridging
Accenture bridges IT gaps through its apprenticeship programs. The apprenticeship program allows talent to continue earning while they learn. This program is particularly designed for IT talent without the traditional educational background but with adequate skills.
The company programs are developed locally, making it easy for Accenture to partner with local colleges and a talent pool.
8 Examples of Diversity and Inclusion Activities
Companies can choose from tons of diversity and inclusion strategies depending on their workplace needs.
Here are 8 expert-vetted ways to incorporate diversity and inclusion in the workplace:
1. Reviewing Recruitment and Hiring Practices
Recruitment and hiring are perhaps the best place for companies to start their DEI strategy.
After all, this is the very first place employees truly experience the company. Furthermore, it's a way for companies to ensure fair and equitable recruitment, in turn, ensuring a diverse talent pool.
Companies can incorporate D&I in recruitment by curating diverse job descriptions and ensuring the inclusion of minority and underrepresented groups. Moreover, blind resume reviews during recruitment further eliminate bias during hiring.
2. Incorporating Inclusive Office Policies
Official policies help protect employees while making them mandatory to enforce. Therefore, incorporating policies on diversity and inclusion is a great way for a safe and tolerant environment.
Effective DEI policies include anti-harassment, anti-discrimination policies, and policies protecting employees with disabilities, among others.
3. Practicing True Equity
Practicing true equity and diversity is one way to implement successful D&I in the workplace. After all, no matter the lengths you go to incorporate DEI, those efforts would be futile without equity. The first area to focus on is gender and racial parity in pay scales. Fair wage structures, no matter the group, create understanding and a positive workplace spirit.
4. Collecting Feedback (with Anonymity)
Collecting feedback for all staff about the office working conditions and other factors that impact overall experience is important. This allows companies to collect genuine and relevant information. However, employee anonymity must be implemented to ensure genuine information sharing.
This also helps to protect the employee from any retaliation, if someone doesn't like what they say. According to a Glassdoor survey, 71% of employees are more likely to share experiences and opinions on diversity and inclusion at a company if they get to do so anonymously.
5. Improving Flexibility at the Office
Since the global Covid-19 pandemic, many employers have made changes to the workplace landscape. But, as the world returned to normal, many of these changes have remained part of the process. These include a hybrid work schedule with on-site and remote work.
In addition to helping employees adapt, these changes have helped improve quality of life and productivity. While still getting work done, employees enjoy more quality time with their loved ones, among other benefits. However, flexible hybrid work does more than create extra time with loved ones.
A flexible work schedule can be part of a company’s D&I strategy. For example, as a hiring strategy, a company can include a “hybrid work schedule” or “work from anywhere” policy for talent that lives far from the physical office.
This works both ways - for the company and the employee. For the company, it gives access to a larger talent pool. For the employee, it cuts down on long and expensive commutes. This same principle can be applied to people with disabilities or young children who may struggle to come to work daily.
6. DEI Training
DEI training does an incredible job of educating employees about their diverse environment. Experienced DEI trainers address sensitive topics, such as unconscious bias, insensitive comments, microaggressions, and a range of other workplace discriminatory practices.
The best part of these training sessions is that they can be modeled in any format. This includes on-site training, workshops, seminars, and even online sessions. Moreover, the best DEI companies are experienced at curating specific training to company needs.
These trainings can address topics ranging from allyship to anti-racism, neurodivergence, and bystander intervention, to name a few. DEI training can also offer more insights and awareness about the significant observance for different groups. Topics can range from Black History month and Juneteenth to Ramadan, Indigenous History, and Asian- American Heritage.
7. Supporting Employee Resource Group (ERGs)
Along with DEI training, ERGs are a great DEI resource. These employee-led groups bring employees together to support each other and promote D&I efforts within the organization.
They are typically created to cater to a particular group, based on race, gender, sexuality, disability, or other variations. ERGs are a great way for an employee to feel a sense of belonging and grounding.
8. Celebrating Diversity
Small actions can mean a lot and leave a mark on employees. Celebrating diversity in the workplace is a great way to show employees they are seen and valued. It’s also a great way to bring employees together and celebrate cultural diversity.
In addition to team-building activities and birthday celebrations, companies can also celebrate diverse holidays. These include black history month, women’s history, and pride month.
Final Thoughts
Diversity and inclusion are different from one another. But, diversity is not more important than inclusion - or vice versa. Diversity and inclusion must co-exist for a successful and effective company’s diversity and inclusion strategy.
Remember, while diversity describes the traits of different workplace groups, inclusion is how an entity includes everyone. While many D&I examples exist, sometimes, companies may have to personalize their efforts.
This is where experienced DEI experts come in (like us 😎) to help with tailored activities for optimal results.