What is DEIB

DEIB stands for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. These four pillars lay the foundation for an inclusive and diverse workforce that drives sustainable growth.

A DEIB strategy fosters an innovative and inclusive work environment, encouraging equality in the workplace and driving meaningful change. Incorporating a DEIB strategy into the company code of conduct contributes to an inclusive environment and helps foster innovation.

What does DEIB stand for?

Human resource departments and business managers use DEIB to improve equality in the workplace and boost employee engagement. The acronym stands for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, four factors that contribute to sustainable change in the workplace.

What does the D in DEIB stand for?

The D in DEIB stands for diversity, a term applied beyond ethnicity and gender. Employees of all races, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origins, physical abilities, and religions are valued and appreciated in a diverse workplace. 

What does the E in DEIB stand for?

The E in DEIB stands for equity and describes the workplace's fairness. Ideally, all employees will be given the same access to opportunities for growth and progress. Equity overcomes unconscious bias and considers a culturally inclusive benefit plan.

What does the I in DEIB stand for?

The I in DEIB stands for inclusion applied in policy and practice. An inclusive work environment is welcoming and fair, ensuring everyone’s voice is heard and acknowledged.

What does the B in DEIB stand for?

DEIB was previously referred to as DEI until B was recently added. The B in DEIB stands for belonging, which encourages positive relationships among diverse team members. Creating a sense of belonging in the workplace boosts morale and employee satisfaction. 

What is the end goal of DEIB?

DEIB strives to redefine the demographic makeup of the workforce, creating a culture where employees feel valued and appreciated for who they are and how they contribute to the organization. 

DEIB challenges stereotypes and biases in the workplace by addressing bullying and harassment, striving to boost team dynamics and productivity. In the process, DEIB fosters innovation, improves job satisfaction, and ultimately boosts the organization’s bottom line through an inclusive workplace. 

For DEIB to drive change, the leadership team must consistently listen to employees, especially underrepresented groups, for feedback. Scheduling a 1-on-1 and asking strategic questions is an effective way to gather insight on how to promote diversity.

Why is DEIB important?

The benefits of DEIB impact employees, employers, and the organization. An effective strategy begins with the leaders and is applied throughout the organization. Prioritizing DEIB contributes to the company’s overall performance as employees feel engaged. It also improves productivity and increases retention.

Building an inclusive workforce contributes to an innovative team, helping with efficiency, improved business models, and new ideas. Diverse contributions also contribute creatively to the organization, which is helpful in various instances, such as problem-solving, decision-making, and brainstorming. 

While intentional DEIB efforts improve employee morale and help with talent acquisition, it also boosts financial growth. For example, McKinsey's research shows a correlation between diversity at the highest levels of an organization and better financial performance.

Incorporating DEIB Goals

DEIB goals must be defined within a strategy, and DEIB practices must be applied throughout the organization. While each organization is unique, the following DEIB goals and initiatives effectively drive change.

• Foster DEIB in leadership positions
• Build a transparent salary strategy 
• Increase representation of minority groups within a specific period
• Develop retention strategies to keep underrepresented talent
• Increase the number of diverse pipelines
• Establish a dedicated DEIB management team (or an individual)
• Create objective career frameworks to reduce barriers to growth
• Rewrite job descriptions to include inclusive wording for the next hiring cycle
• Establish a system to deal with microaggressions
• Stay up to date with employee resource groups (ERGs)

When setting goals, establish metrics to measure the success of DEIB efforts. Begin collecting feedback and using people-centric analytics to measure success.

Practical ways to introduce DEIB

The following tips help create a culture of belonging and build a workforce of diverse employees. 

Emphasize DEIB in leadership roles

Diverse leadership brings a wealth of knowledge to the organization and a varied perspective on the industry. It also helps build trust among a diverse workforce and ensures that all employees are respected and treated fairly, boosting employee engagement.

Build diverse and inclusive leadership teams by adapting recruiting and selection practices, investing in leadership development for high performers, and prompting ongoing discussion at different levels.

Introduce an employee referral program

Employee referral programs leverage current employee connections to hire candidates from traditionally underrepresented communities. Adapt referral programs to overcome diversity challenges by assessing data and goals, asking for diverse referrals, and incentivizing diversity referrals. 

Referrals by Deel is an HR Slack plugin that streamlines the referral process and helps employees search and filter for job openings, submit referrals easily and stay updated on their status.

Emphasize inclusive behaviors daily

Company culture is dictated mainly by the code of conduct and everyday behavior that contributes to the environment. 

A few inclusive behaviors to include in the workplace include:

• Ask questions regularly
• Create a system for resolving disagreements
• Emphasize transparent dialogue
• Ensure all voices are heard
• Provide a safe space for employees to feel heard and respected
• Support cross-departmental mentorship programs
• Celebrate multicultural holidays
• Regularly assess hiring requirements and the pay structure
• Be conscious of biases

DEIB training

Prioritize DEIB in the hiring process and train new hires on inclusive practices as soon as they join the team. These inclusive behaviors should be emphasized in the onboarding process and finalized in company documentation.

Establish regular performance reviews and feedback sessions

While representation indicates how diverse an organization is, the sense of belonging and inclusion may not be up to scratch. DEIB strives to drive awareness of unconscious biases, and the true impact of DEIB initiatives can be challenging to monitor. 

Performance reviews and feedback sessions offer insight into how employees feel, and managers can address any issues that arise. To make the most of these sessions, managers must follow one-on-one best practices, such as personalizing insights and asking open-ended questions. 

While performance reviews are conducted every few months, pulse surveys offer more regular insights to stay up-to-date on employee satisfaction.

Incorporating DEIB into the benefits program

Align the DEIB strategy with the benefits program to ensure employees experience a sense of belonging and focused care. For example, offer inclusive and culturally competent care options for underrepresented groups and vet providers for inclusive healthcare options.