The Equality Act of 2010 no longer meets all of the EDI requirements. Micro-actions in the office that go unnoticed can tell us about workplace inclusion, respect, and fairness. Individual employees and the company may suffer as a result of these activities, which are often taken without conscious consideration of the consequences.

A new standard, ISO 30415, aims to broaden the scope of diversity and inclusion by focusing on important issues to some but not to others. The framework can be customized to meet your individual needs to effect positive change.

Obtaining and implementing the ISO 30415 Standard Handbook is the first step in obtaining certification. Once your D&I framework is in place, you must provide documentation and commentary to demonstrate your compliance. An assessor will then review this to see if you comply with the standard. Afterward, an on-site assessment is carried out to establish whether or not you fulfill the requirements of ISO 30415.

Well-intentioned groups have committed to do more to further the cause in eloquently designed commitment statements. It has been difficult to overcome the adaptive obstacles that have hindered progress toward creating more diverse, egalitarian, and just organizations. Despite claiming to be committed, these organizations and their leaders lacked the resources, expertise, and motivation necessary to effect long-term change. To avoid appearing foolish or uninformed, many leaders avoid entering into the uncomfortable difference zone. For leaders, I have one piece of advice: learn to enjoy the discomfort of being uncomfortable.

There are too many meaningless slogans about diversity, equity, justice, and belonging. Many leaders’ intentions are admirable, but their actions have had and continue to have a minor impact.

To be long-term sustainable, employees at all levels must adjust their behavior, processes and rules, and attitudes for DEI workplace practices and workforce behavior. Effective government is the first step. What exactly does the board of directors look into when it comes to diversity and inclusion? Is there a way to hold senior executives accountable? In the wake of a thorough examination of the current situation, what are the plans? A more inclusive and diverse workplace is expected to produce what results? Is there a specific plan in place to deal with the problems? ( pillars, actions, measures, outputs, and accountabilities for results). What are leaders hoping for, and how are they measuring progress and results? – They are setting themselves up for a brutal interrogation by “awake” and skilled stakeholders if they don’t address the evident lack of diversity on their leadership team. It challenges their leadership, devotion, and courage to the core.

Diversity, equity, and justice can only be achieved through a carefully planned and supported systemic change effort without a clear grasp of the commitment and desired goals. Deploying an enterprise-wide change framework begins with setting expectations aligned with the desired outcomes of the business and its strategic priorities. It means that top management must grasp the importance of this effort and how they may improve their leadership style. Those in leadership positions are expected to act as change agents and serve as positive examples for the rest of their teams.

An ever-expanding number of stakeholders are helping to set expectations for how things should be done within and beyond the company. Societal factors are always putting pressure on leaders to be more compassionate and self-aware. As a leader, you are expected to go above mere showmanship and effect real change at the individual, team, systemic and structural levels, and societal ones. Stakeholders want to see evidence that you are serious. Words fall woefully short!

Get your ISO-30415:2021 Human Resources Management – Diversity & Inclusion Guide & Checklist 

Diverse and inclusive (D&I) workplaces demand a long-term commitment to eliminating structural, policy, process, and cultural inequities. They also involve an examination of individual biases and behaviors, both conscious and unconscious.

In today’s more connected world, understanding and using diversity and inclusion can be very important for businesses that want to be more innovative, resilient, sustainable, and well-known. Decision-makers must consider the unique characteristics of their organization when deciding how to include diversity and inclusion in their management and business operations. When it comes to achieving D&I goals, businesses must be courageous and committed to aggressively facing difficult problems and correcting non-inclusive behaviors and cultural norms and unfair and discriminatory management culture, whether they result from human development or technology association.

Who should use ISO-30415?

It doesn’t matter what kind of business you run, what industry or sector you work in, or how big you are because everyone can benefit from the standard. It applies to public, private, government, and NGO, no matter what kind of business you run, how big you are, or how many people work for you. It may be scaled to any size business. For senior managers, HR experts, and those in the D&I field, this will be a useful tool.

Why should companies use ISO-30415?

Equal opportunity and respect for the unique abilities of every employee are hallmarks of successful organizations. Improved performance, more innovation, and enhanced employee engagement are just a few advantages of having an inclusive company culture, but getting it isn’t always easy. To make things easier, a new standard was just released.

ISO 30415, Human resource management – Diversity and inclusion, lays out the foundations for companies that want to build a diverse workplace and reap the benefits of this. The standard addresses behaviors, principles, and measures, as well as the accountability and obligations that go along with them while taking into account the particular circumstances of each workplace.

According to Jim Lewis, Chair of the ISO technical team that developed the standard, fostering a truly inclusive business culture necessitates more than good intentions.

According to him, to ensure that all employees have equal access to opportunities for advancement and advancement within a company, the values of diversity and inclusion must be firmly ingrained throughout the organization’s policies and procedures.

ISO 30415 enables enterprises throughout the employee life cycle and in their supplier chain and stakeholder interactions. While diversity and inclusion are important goals, they can only be achieved through an ongoing improvement process.

Leaders can use the standard to show that they care about D&I to their employees and other people who work for the company. They can also look for new ways to make the workplace more inclusive.

In a world where diversity and inclusion are becoming increasingly important, ISO 30415 certification can help you achieve organizational transparency by defining equality as a spectrum encompassing all personality characteristics. The framework enhances personal experiences and, as a result, improves your business.

Recognizing and utilizing diversity and inclusion (D&I) enables organizations to:

● Improve your sense of justice and social responsibility
● Create a welcoming environment.
● Encourage teamwork and participation.
● Boost your creativity.
● Increase your resiliency
● Enhance long-term viability
● New viewpoints
● Enhance your reputation and gain a competitive advantage.
● Absenteeism should be reduced.
● Boost the level of commitment, confidence, and loyalty among employees.
● Create a more harmonious and productive workplace.
● Evolve has a wide range of abilities, talents, and potential.
● Improve your public image
● Recognize and handle opportunities and risks.

The standard makes it easier for people to find work and gain knowledge, skills, and important talents for their personal growth and well-being.

As a result of its implementation, the Sustainable Development Goals 5 (gender equality), 8 (decent work and economic growth), 9 (innovation in industries), and 10 (reduction of disparities), and other SDGs are also supported.

Get your ISO-30415:2021 Human Resources Management – Diversity & Inclusion Guide & Checklist

Diversity and inclusion in the workplace have proven to create positive impacts on organizations. An expanded 2017 study by McKinsey & Company confirmed that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity are 21% more likely to have above-average profitability. Organizations that are ethnically and culturally diverse gain a 33% chance of outperformance.

This is why companies are encouraged to develop policies that will cater to all genders and races, especially women of color. They are fully aware that creating diverse teams and increasing employee engagement will enable them to create smarter decisions for the business.

Yet creating a diverse and inclusive organization remains to be challenging for most companies. Women of color usually find themselves underserved, insecure, and unwelcomed. When building strong and diverse teams, organizations tend to focus on attracting and hiring talents, but they fail to deliver when it comes to retaining them.

One aspect that is often overlooked is the onboarding process. In fact, in a study involving 31 million employees from 1000 Fortune companies, only 12% of the respondents strongly agree that their companies perform well in onboarding new hires. As employee turnover is relatively high during the first 18 months of employment, it is important for companies to step up their game and create a more inclusive onboarding process with employee retention as the main goal. How can this be done?

Here, we talk about some of the best onboarding practices that can help retain women of color in the workplace.

Customize content for the onboarding process

Onboarding is your first chance to develop a healthy relationship with your employees. They are excited and expect a lot of changes as they enter a new organization. Therefore, this is the best time to introduce the company and let the onboarded know what is expected of them.

Companies usually have their own tested ways of tailor-fitting their onboarding process. Personalization taps on emotional attachment and sparks interest, that’s why understanding strengths and setting goals early on is crucial to keep employees intact. But to elevate this practice, organizations should also start looking into the factors of race and gender when customizing the onboarding process for women of color.

Creating personalized content targeted to women in underrepresented minority groups can make a huge impact during onboarding. For instance, receiving a welcome message from a prominent woman leader in the company as opposed to a white male superior can boost self-worth and bridge the confidence gap.

Customized learning resources like FAQs or modules will also help women of color navigate through their first days. Instead of generic and technical documents, digital materials like how-tos, company guides, and instructional videos can help answer most of their questions about organizational policies, company culture, and diversity and inclusion strategies.

The last thing that you’d want to put out there is that diversity and inclusion isn’t a marketing stunt for your company. Laying the foundation of an inclusive experience and sending a strong message of diversity through tailored content will help women of color understand how the company values their presence and future roles in the company.

Build an inclusive mentorship program

Creating a sense of community is always helpful when building an inclusive workplace. Aside from having someone to guide new hires during their first days, it also helps foster a more stable social setting for all employees.

Usually, organizations pair up new hires with existing employees and follow buddy systems to help newbies have a head start. However, not all pairings are created equal. To make sure that new employees are properly introduced to the ins and outs of your operation, assigning senior leaders or subordinates with management potential will improve the onboarding buddy system.

As for women of color, mentorship programs led by the company will help them not only perform their roles but also express their identities in the workplace. Finding a mentor isn’t an easy task for women of color, especially when only few minority women rise to leadership positions. When companies take initiative in this part of the onboarding process, they help create safer spaces for women of color to gain feedback, develop their leadership skills, and advance professionally.

When building a mentor-mentee relationship, compatibility is key. Most importantly, helping women of color find mentors with skills that complement their own will help them perform better and eventually advance from their current roles. Mentorship should also be well-structured and monitored by the company. As much as the free flow of ideas and culture of feedback are encouraged, it is important to keep track of the results and study how mentors truly impact the careers of their mentees.

Utilize Employee Resource Groups

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) play an essential role in driving impact on diversity and inclusion. They aid in recruitment by identifying target populations to tap on. They are valuable in creating policies for retaining employees from minority groups. They have unique perspectives and insights on policies that will help individuals from minority groups to advance professionally.

Aside from serving as a platform for women of color to voice out their opinions, ERGs also contribute to increasing representation in leadership. One great example is the Community NETwork at AT&T, a group that pursues inclusive opportunities for African-American employees. By partnering with the company’s Executive Advocate Program, they were able to participate in identifying and cultivating potential leaders. This resulted in pinpointing more than 30 individuals for VP positions.

This shows how vital it is to set aside time for onboardees to get to know the ERGs in the company. Understanding their history, vision, and the opportunities they create will empower women of color to participate and push for policies that will benefit them.

ERG leaders or representatives can actively join the onboarding process, where they can define how the company perceives diversity and inclusion. They can also talk about the policies being implemented and answer questions that women of color might not be comfortable to ask from other departments. This time also opens the opportunity to gain insightful feedback. By letting onboardees know that their opinions are valuable, they are more encouraged to cooperate and ideate progressive ways to create an inclusive workforce.

Cultivating diversity

The first 45 days of new hires are crucial to retaining them in the company. At this time, organizations should be well-prepared in providing relevant information, gaining feedback, and opening the conversation for career advancement. As the face of the American workforce continues to diversify, certain adjustments on the onboarding process will benefit the company as well as its employees.

By giving attention to the earliest phase of your employees’ life cycles, they are nurtured into more productive individuals. With regard to diversity and inclusion, retaining women of color in the workplace will improve leadership diversity and decision-making. By creating inclusive work environments early on, organizations can be certain that the foundation of their business is strong and primed for growth.

Check out : 5 Ways to Retain Women of Color in STEM Professionals.

Related Article: Why Does Diversity Start With Retention?