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Cultivating a workspace that’s safe and accommodating for every one of your team members is crucial. People’s rights to a conducive work environment shouldn’t be compromised or challenged based on their sex, race, disability, or any other factor.

In the past, creating a safe environment for all team members, regardless of their identities or differences, wasn’t a priority. However, more leaders prioritize this by implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs that create a workplace conducive to everybody’s success.

This article will cover everything you need to know about starting a DEI program. We’ll start by discussing what a DEI program is and who needs one before diving into the steps.

What is a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Program?

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A diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) program is exactly what it sounds like: a set of policies and standards for ensuring that every person in the company is represented and protected within the workplace.

As the name suggests, DEI programs are built on three primary pillars:

• Diversity: People of all backgrounds, races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, disabilities, and so forth are adequately represented in the workplace
• Equity: Everybody is treated with fairness and justice, and policies are designed to create equal opportunities to get to the finish line by accommodating those with different starting lines
• Inclusion: Everybody has a sense of belonging on the team, and they’re empowered by the idea that their contributions matter

A well-rounded DEI program includes policies and initiatives that address each of those pillars.

Why Implement a DEI Program?

The most important reason for implementing a DEI program is to create a safe work environment.

Any advocate for safe work environments, especially when it comes to safe environments for marginalized groups, will see a DEI program as a standard requirement for all companies. However, different organizations are inspired to implement DEI programs for various reasons.

For example, some leaders simply want to provide the best work conditions because they appreciate their team and worry about their wellbeing. Other leaders decide to implement DEI programs for more of a PR move or because they think it’ll make their company more appealing to top talent.

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Many DEI programs also have policies designed to create compliance with anti-discrimination laws related to equal pay, civil rights, and so forth. By implementing a well-designed DEI program, you can ensure that your policies meet and exceed the employee rights protected by these laws.

Although not everybody’s motives are the same, the result of making the workplace better should be universal.

How to Start a DEI Program for Your Business

If you’re looking to start a DEI program for your business, there are a few steps you can take to bring the initiative to life. Here are a few things you can do to create a powerful DEI program for your organization.

1. Assess Current Policies

Before you dive into new diversity initiatives, equity practices, and inclusion efforts, it’s crucial to determine the effectiveness of your current policies. Review what you currently have in place to determine which policies work and which are ineffective.

This task should involve multiple people on your team. Why? One person’s perspective isn’t enough. Put together a committee of people representing different demographics to review these policies.

With this information as a baseline, you’ll be better equipped to create and adjust policies.

2. Understand the Legalities

As we mentioned, there are quite a few laws employers must abide by that overlap with a DEI program. As you assess and revamp your strategies, it’s essential to keep the legal obligations of anti-discrimination in mind.

Some of these laws are federal, and others are local. It’s crucial to ensure that you’re compliant on every level.

3. Create Inclusive Hiring Processes

Inclusive hiring processes are a must for a solid DEI program. While 56.1% of companies say they have DEI initiatives related to recruiting and hiring, 20% don’t, and almost 24% don’t yet.

(Image Source) Fortunately, there are a few practices you can put in place to make hiring more inclusive.

For starters, ensure that your job listings are accessible to diverse groups of people and work with recruiters who have historically placed diverse people.

As for the actual hiring, having a standard set of interview questions with a standardized scorecard to rate candidates is helpful. Another approach is leveraging AI and other tech to review resumes without bias.

4. Facilitate Open Communication

Open communication with your team will help you meet their needs. It’ll give you insight into where they need extra support.

A great way to create safe spaces for open communication is by holding monthly or quarterly one-on-ones with each team member. This will help you build rapport with your employees and allow them to express any feelings or ideas they may have.

A lower-pressure method of gathering feedback is with surveys or anonymous feedback forms. Of course, this might not be as in-depth as face-to-face conversations, but people may be more comfortable sharing certain issues when they know it’s anonymous.

5. Adjust Based on Feedback

Gathering feedback is one thing, but what you do with the feedback is what matters the most. As you collect input from your team, it’s crucial to use that information to make adjustments as necessary.

For example, if an employee expresses that they don’t feel supported in their day-to-day tasks, figure out a way to provide adequate support in a way that’s effective and sustainable.

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6. Offer Accommodations for Disabilities

Many people with disabilities have a lot to contribute to a company, but they may need some accommodations to reach their full potential.

Some common accommodations include:

• Flexible work schedules
• ADA-compliant offices
• Assistive technology
• Private workspaces
• Adequate PTO

By providing these and similar accommodations, you’ll set your team members with disabilities up for success.

7. Offer Equal Wages

Part of promoting equity in the workplace is offering equal wages to people in equivalent positions. Recent research shows a wage disparity between men and women and between people of different races.

As a leader, it’s up to you to ensure that these wage gaps aren’t perpetuated within your organization.

8. Offer Floating Holidays

A simple way to recognize diversity in the workplace is by offering floating holidays so people can celebrate any special days that are significant to their culture or religion.

Typically, this works by companies giving employees a few extra paid time off (PTO) to use on any holiday. These are typically on top of the standard federal holidays, like Christmas or New Year’s Day.

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That way, if a person celebrates Diwali, Rosh Hashanah, or another holiday that isn’t a local standard, they can still take the time to carry out their celebratory traditions.

9. Create Systems for Accountability

The leadership must be held accountable for its implementation to make a DEI program successful. For example, an anti-discrimination policy is excellent on paper, but unless it’s enforced, it doesn’t mean much.

You and your fellow leaders are responsible for ensuring that policies are upheld and issues are dealt with per your protective standards.

For example, suppose there’s bullying or discrimination of any sort in the workplace. In that case, it’s the leaders’ duty to hear out the person being targeted and take appropriate action with the instigator.

Many companies have no-tolerance policies, so letting a bully go is a no-brainer when these situations arise.

10. Facilitate Employee Resource Groups

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are valuable to many DEI programs. With ERGs, team members are encouraged to band together to support each other with shared issues that are specific to their demographics or identities.

For example, members of your team who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community might form a group where they can host Pride activities or offer one another support. People of color on your team may form an ERG to support each other with shared struggles in and out of the workplace.

Need more inspiration? Take a look at how Goldman Sachs uses employee inclusion networks to spearhead diversity programs in 2024.

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By creating space for your team to form these groups, each employee will understand that their unique needs are recognized and supported.

11. Invest in Diversity Training

It may be worth exploring diversity training if you need help getting the entire team on board with your DEI program. This type of training helps people build the awareness and skills to work effectively in a diverse and inclusive workplace.

You can build a diversity training program into your onboarding training platform and periodically use workshops to reinforce the skills.

Conclusion

As a leader, it’s important to prioritize a workplace environment that’s conducive to each team member’s success and comfort. Fortunately, there are many initiatives you can introduce to create a strong DEI program and bring this vision to life.

Diversity brings many benefits to your organization. You can make better decisions. Your team feels empowered. And productivity skyrockets thanks to an inclusive culture.

So, are you ready to make your workplace a safer place with a new and improved DEI program? What inclusion goals do you want to hit this year?