Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) initiatives are now a central focus for modern businesses. But even though companies are increasingly striving to perform better in this area, many myths still exist about the process which, if left unchallenged, can hinder real progress.
Global EDI specialist Jamie McAnsh has experienced a number of these myths first-hand. As Head of Inclusion at diversity training provider Champions (UK) plc, he works alongside businesses to help better understand the social and economic advantages of equality in the workplace.
Here Jamie outlines some of the common assumptions that companies make with EDI:
‘EDI is only about race or gender.’
False. EDI is about everybody, and its whole purpose is to make people feel included in the organisation. If people feel included, they feel valued. Equity, diversity and inclusion all play a very significant role in that project of making sure everybody in the organisation feels like they have a place.
‘Inclusion is just a nice to have, and it doesn’t impact the bottom line.’
Absolutely false. This myth is mental. It is proven that if you’ve got an inclusive organisation, you are recruiting better, you have a better workforce, and staff retention is a lot higher. But not only that, organisations will want to work with you more if you’re more inclusive.
If you can reduce staff retention, you reduce your outlay, which is actually probably one of the largest values of any business, and the largest expense of any business. So if you can reduce that instantly, you have a result at the bottom line.
‘You only need to focus on EDI when hiring.’
I love this one. It’s absolutely wrong. You need to be concentrating on EDI all of the time. Yes, it is important when you’re hiring, because now 67% of people will work with an organisation or want to work with an organisation more if they’re inclusive.
So that’s a fact. When you’re thinking about recruitment, yes, it’s important, but that statistic of having an inclusive culture within makes it a better place to work, which means you are more open to employing better talent.
‘EDI efforts are only relevant for large companies’
Absolutely false. It is probably more pertinent when you’re looking at staffing for EDI within large organisations, because you have staff, but it doesn’t matter how many people you have working in the organisation.
Taking it right down to the other spectrum of your solopreneurs and single businesses, they also need to be thinking about being inclusive and implementing EDI policies and processes into their organisation, because a lot of bigger companies that they are hoping to work with will want to see that.
They will only employ you if you and your supply chain are inclusive organisations. To not think along the lines of inclusivity, certainly around freelancers, means they won’t work with you.
‘If your organisation has a policy, it means you’re doing enough for EDI’
Couldn’t be further from the truth. The policy is just the starting point. Most EDI policies have sub policies for example: menopause policies, disability policies, racial discrimination policies, they’re all coming in and tying into that so it’s a much bigger package. But inclusion is about culture.
The policy is what gives you a roadmap to that culture, a set of rules. But inclusion is a much bigger project, and you have to concentrate on the culture of the organisation, so that everybody in that has a voice and has a value. And if you get that right and get the culture right, then you’re on the right path to becoming a fully inclusive organisation.