16 Tips HR Managers Are Implementing For 'Real' (DEI) Change In The Workplace

If your HR leadership team is serious about restructuring the company's hiring practices and how they view diversity, equity and inclusivity (DEI) in their work environment, then it has to start from the top down.

By prioritizing an action-driven DEI plan with a strong support system of resources in place, the organization is sure to attract and retain employees from the first interview and new hire onboarding throughout their entire tenure.



Moving beyond the status quo and staying consistent is key for every employee, no matter their cultural differences, gender affiliations or background, to feel like they are a respected and valued staff member. Below, members from Forbes Human Resources Council share how managers can continue the conversation and demonstrate "real" change that matters in the workplace.

Don't take any of your processes for granted, especially when it comes to hiring. For example, when's the last time your job descriptions' language and experience requirements were reviewed for job relatedness? Real structural change can happen when you ask questions about hiring practices and standards. The answer, "We've always done it this way" is no longer acceptable. - Neil Morelli, Codility

To drive systemic change, we need to support the financial well-being of all employees. This is about more than equal pay and equitable hiring practices. It’s about creating a level playing field for employees of all backgrounds by providing access to resources they need to achieve financial success for themselves and their families for generations to come. - Neha Mirchandani, BrightPlan

Start more responses with "Can you help me understand? I don't understand." Most conflict, discontent and reluctance to change issues are a result of a lack of understanding. Respectfully asking and embracing help in understanding another person's perspective, behavior, response, appearance or traditions is one way to integrate, implement and operationalize an inclusive work community. - Iris Ware, City of Detroit

For companies to make real progress on diversity and inclusion initiatives, they have to have effective channels for listening to their employees and to the talent they are trying to recruit. Working women report feeling most comfortable sharing feedback with their managers, so training managers to help them better understand how to hold space for employees is key.

- Ursula Mead, InHerSight

It starts with hiring change agents in HR. Encouraging inclusion requires leaders to be thinking about different nuances when determining strategies and policies. Beyond this, is establishing transparent communication around career paths and growth. Employees that know what they have to do to move up and where they can move to are more engaged and show an increase in job satisfaction. - Mari Kemp, Ease

Companies must prioritize, model and support inclusive behaviors at the start of an employee’s tenure—from the first interview through onboarding. Integrating inclusion and belonging discussions and resources into the onboarding experience sets the tone that the organization is invested in creating an open and inclusive environment, which will lead to increased innovation and productivity. - Sherika Epko, Anaplan

First and foremost, a commitment to advancing DEI must start at the top with leaders being held accountable for driving diversity throughout their organizations. One way to do this is by requiring your executive committee to have diversity action plans in place focused on attracting, recruiting and hiring diverse talent. Then develop that talent and analyze the metrics to identify the gaps. - Kevin Silva, Voya Financial

An organization's leaders must put their words and beliefs into concrete actions to advance social justice and equality. A data-driven approach to DEI can inform leaders’ decisions through insights and statistics to identify opportunities for improvement. Data from surveys, reports or employee feedback can have a measurable impact on reinforcing a company’s commitment to a more inclusive, diverse community. - Andrea Carter, Global Payments Inc.

Establishing a mentoring program that matches diverse talent with leadership across the organization creates a support network, drives engagement and promotes career progression. - Maria Leggett, MHI

Don't offer training and development to only some employees. Every employee should have the same training and development opportunities as their peers. It doesn't mean all employees will accept the additional development or want the advancement, but having a consistent training program from their first day allows each person to grow and be recognized for future opportunities. - Kelsey Schnittgen, Mission Critical Solutions

Companies can implement real structural change in the workplace and encourage the inclusion of a growing and more diverse community by ensuring their managers are trained to write inclusive job postings. Rather than a four-year degree, enabling applicants to specify their skills will result in a diverse candidate pool more representative of the community. Investing in training and development will encourage them to stay. - Gordon Pelosse, CompTIA, the Computing Technology Industry Association

A perfect example of how organizations can foster greater inclusiveness is to commit resources to support voluntary employee resource groups that champion DEI within the workplace. These groups can help by delivering educational content and events that promote their respective areas, which can include topics such as digital accessibility, inclusive holiday calendars and diversity speaker series. - Dr. Timothy J. Giardino, BMC Software

As the adage goes, fish stinks from the head. So, the first step is to create a diverse leadership team to convey the message to the employees. The next step is to form a multicultural and cross-functional team to work on common projects that helps the team appreciate varied perspectives. The success of such an initiative and action from the leadership team can ensure employee engagement and commitment. - Prakash Raichur, Taghleef Industries

Organizations can make sure that everyone feels like they belong by ensuring that people are introduced to as many colleagues as possible and they have a chance to tell their stories. They should also be proactively introduced to other colleagues who may share similar attributes, such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, school and more. Connect them with others like themselves. - Louis Montgomery Jr., JM Search

Evaluate if your company benefits are optimized to support the growing diversity of your employee population. Reach out to different employee groups to better understand what inclusive benefits look like to them. Keep everyone informed on the progress of updating program offerings. Then make sure to communicate and celebrate when changes are made as they increase employee well-being and engagement. - Cassandra Rose, Meritarc

Real inclusion begins with who gets hired, so we should be looking for and removing "status quo" behaviors in hiring. Look for the disconnects between stated goals and actual practices. For example, if the stated goal is greater diversity among those hired, then referrals cannot continue to be the number one source of talent. We have to be purposeful about not doing what we have always done. - Marcia F. Robinson, The HBCU Career Center