Championing Workplace Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

Not so long ago, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) was a minor consideration tucked away under the HR umbrella. Now, it’s a massive business priority at the heart of organisational strategies.

To coin a phrase, DEI is the secret sauce that makes companies thrive. But beware. It’s not just about ticking boxes or hitting quotas. Nope. DEI is about creating a workplace where everyone feels like they belong – where they can bring their whole selves to work without fear of judgment or bias.

You might wonder why it matters. Well, when companies ignore DEI, things get messy. Imagine a workplace where fairness and equality are akin to the office plants that nobody waters—they wither away, and toxicity creeps in. Not a great vibe, right?

Yet, unlike neglecting the unloved office palm, the consequences aren’t just emotional. If an organisation brushes off its DEI responsibilities, it can find itself in hot water. Legislation, including the Irish Employment Equality Acts 1998-2015, means firms face hefty fines, legal battles and reputational damage.

Fear not! There’s hope. Achieving a truly diverse and inclusive workplace is similar to assembling a jigsaw. And here, you’ll find all the pieces of the puzzle. But first, here’s a quick recap…

What DEI Is (And Isn’t) All About

Diversity: Imagine a team where everyone brings different skills, backgrounds, and perspectives. That’s diversity. It’s like a recipe; each ingredient—age, gender, ethnicity, ability–matters. And when we mix it up we create a rich work environment.

Equity: Think of this as fairness. It’s not about treating everyone the same—it’s about giving everybody what they need to succeed. Equity levels the playing field by providing a boost. It’s the stepping stool that lets 5’3” Ashley access files on the top shelf as easily as 6’2” Sam.

Inclusion: This is about creating a sense of belonging. It provides a warm and welcoming environment to everyone. Imagine spotting someone standing alone in the corner at an office party. Inclusion says, “Come and join us, you matter.”

Diversity, equity and inclusion are comparable to the three musketeers. Each is powerful in its own right, but when working together, they’re an unstoppable force. Joined together, DEI makes a workplace where everyone thrives.

But be aware.

Far from slapping a rainbow sticker on the office door, true DEI is about understanding and dismantling barriers that keep some people from fully participating in employment. It’s about creating policies, implementing training, and having open conversations.

It needs a genuine commitment from everyone involved. And it needs you to be a DEI champion!

HR’s Essential Role in Championing DEI

Now, what you need to do to ensure DEI varies from workplace to workplace. If you work at a massive multinational corporation, you’ll probably find yourself having to do a lot more than if you work at a small business with only a handful of staff.

However, while practical steps may be different depending on an organisation’s size and employee base, there are some helpful best practices and implementation approaches we can all follow.

1. Promote the right approach: Focus on overcoming barriers

To fully understand the role of barriers, we have to look at employment through a social justice lens (we explore this in more detail in our DEI whitepaper).

From this perspective, when we see someone struggling to get a job even though they have the necessary skills, qualifications and experience, we don’t look at their individual characteristics—age, gender, sexual orientation, family status, socio-economic background, or ethnicity. We look at what’s directly -or as is often the case – indirectly preventing them from being hired.

These factors include highly visible, often physical issues. For instance, buildings without ramps and elevators preventing access for people with mobility issues. Or the need for a car to travel to office buildings that are off the beaten track without public transport provision.

Other factors are less obvious and not so tangible. Large gaps in CVs because of care responsibilities or periods where a person is waiting for the right to work, for example. Or even more insidious internal issues such as unconscious biases and inherently discriminatory practices that exclude certain marginalised groups.

Others still are a bit of both. For example language and communication difficulties paired with a lack of supportive infrastructure. Or negative perceptions and attitudes stemming from poor recognition when it comes to alternative skills and experiences.

When we recognise and understand that it is these factors that stand in the way of a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce, we can start to look at ways to overcome them. That is to say, we break down these barriers.

2. Foster an inclusive culture: Build a DEI framework

When it comes to a company culture that values diversity, equity and inclusion, you can’t just press a button and switch it on (unfortunately). It takes a planned and systemic approach.

To do this, we have to move beyond reactive responses. We have to stop just dealing with issues and implementing workarounds in the short term and start focusing on sustainable solutions.

First off, you’ve got to have a long-term goal. Something along the lines of wanting to eliminate discrimination, achieve equity, and promote diversity. And, going back to the social justice perspective, we want to do this by identifying and breaking down barriers to employment.

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission offer a handy seven-step framework for fostering an inclusive culture. Here’s a summary:

I. Implement robust DEI policies – this is where you set out your workplace’s commitment to defined standards that all employees must abide by.

II. DEI education and training – here, you enable staff at all levels to understand and achieve the standards set out in your DEI policies.

III. Assign responsibility for DEI – now you put someone (a person or team) in charge of driving the agenda and being a valuable point of contact.

IV. Create a DEI roadmap – lay out your specific objectives and the steps that will be taken to achieve them.

V. Undertake DEI assessments – this way, concerns are brought into the heart of organisational decision-making.

VI. Gather DEI data – collect and analyse data about protected characteristics under equality legislation to identify risk areas.

VII. Encourage participation – involve people with diverse backgrounds and needs in governance so their voices are being heard and used to inform policies, procedures, and practice.

3. Implement best practices: Proactively boost DEI

DEI best practice starts and ends with HR. From posting a job ad to recruitment and offboarding, HR touches every part of the employee journey and is responsible for the employee experience throughout.

Here are some practical steps you can take today to help boost DEI in your organisation.

Analyse job descriptions, advertising and onboarding processes. We’ve all been put off applying for a job because it sounds so much more complex than it really is. Instead, use plain language and make it as accessible as possible throughout your recruitment process. Think about providing alternative formats like large print or translated versions. That way, potential recruits won’t be discouraged.

Audit existing policies and fine-tune procedures. Look at where you are now and where you want your DEI efforts to go. How inclusive was your last recruitment campaign? Are any groups underrepresented? What could you do to better attract diverse candidates? Maybe you need to look toward a competency-based valuation rather than the conventional assessment of qualifications and experience.

Go beyond basic training and gather feedback. Unconscious bias and awareness training unquestionably have a place, but it might not be enough. Do all of your people leaders feel like they fully understand and feel confident about recognising and removing barriers to inclusion? How do you know? Have you asked them or even gathered feedback from them to see how effective they found the training? It’s something to think about.

Engage with DEI advocates. As HR professionals well know, people are an organisation’s best asset. It’s the same when it comes to DEI. If it’s appropriate, set up employee resource groups (ERGs) where people can share their experiences and expertise with other employees and, in so doing, put a human face on DEI.

Nurture relationships and signpost support organisations. If ERGs aren’t practical in your workplace, look to external groups like employee advocacy and inclusion charities. You’ll also find they’re often more than happy to come in and give a talk or provide resources like leaflets and links to helpful websites for free.

Explore alternative participation options. Look for other ways of getting people into employment. Have you considered internships, placements, apprenticeships, and training programmes? They’re all great ways of helping people to develop skills, adapt to working and build a career path.

The Benefits of Championing DEI

If you’re still in any doubt as to why you should champion DEI, here it is in a nutshell.

For employees – DEI has a massively positive impact on employee experience and wellbeing. An inclusive workplace provides all the elements needed for an exciting, innovative and progressive environment where ideas flow and workers flourish.

For the organisation – When your workforce is diverse, you can better serve the diverse population that makes up your stakeholders. Hence, DEI significantly improves organisational performance across talent acquisition, decision-making, customer insight, employee motivation, brand image, market share, and risk reduction.

For society – DEI-positive workplaces also open up the labour market to underrepresented groups, expanding participation to channel more money into the economy and reduce the burden on the state. In addition, workplace DEI helps to develop and reinforce a society that values human rights, dignity and diversity.

Championing workplace DEI is no small task. You need to create a comprehensive framework that includes policies, training programs, and open communication channels.

You must work with employees at all levels to foster an inclusive culture and actively dismantle barriers that hinder diversity and equity.

Ultimately, by championing workplace DEI, we create environments where every individual feels valued, respected, and empowered to contribute to the success of individuals, organisations, and society as a whole.

Learn more about championing workplace diversity, equality and inclusion

Watch our webinar Mastering DEI in the Workplace

Listen to our podcast Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Navigating Challenges, Driving Change and Measuring Success in the Future of Work

Download our whitepaper Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Links to more support and information

Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission – Ireland’s national human rights and equality institution.

Citizens Information – Provides comprehensive information on public services and on the entitlements of citizens in Ireland.

Workplace Relations Commission – An independent statutory body responsible for workplace relations and compliance with the Workplace Relations Act 2015.

The Labour Court – Ireland’s industrial relations tribunal.

Intreo – The Irish Public Employment Services (PES), part of the Department of Social Protections, is the single point of contact for all employment and income support services.

National Disability Authority – An independent statutory body that provides evidence-based advice and research to the Government.

Open Doors Initiative – Provides opportunities to some of the marginalised members of Irish society creating pathways to work.

Pathways to Progress – Aims to resource people from a migrant background to find work and pathways to employment.

Employers for Change – An employer disability information service.

Towards Work – The central point for people with disabilities in Ireland to access resources and support in their journey toward employment or entrepreneurship.