Promoting equality and embracing diversity are vital for creating inclusive workplace cultures and environments. Here are some examples of strategies businesses can adopt:
Understand the concepts
- Businesses must understand what equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) mean and what is required to implement these concepts.
- If they are unsure, they should seek advice from a competent individual or organisation that specialises in EDI.
Leadership commitment
- Businesses must ensure that leadership and senior management are committed to driving EDI and are held accountable. They set the organisation’s tone and can either make or break EDI policies and initiatives.
- Leaders should lead by example and promote respectful interactions.
- They need to provide the necessary resources to achieve goals and include EDI in all aspects of the business.
Produce and implement a workplace policy and procedures
- Businesses should have a policy and procedures that covers EDI and must implement them effectively.
- Policies and procedures should be legally compliant and align with best practices, as they will provide a framework for people to follow.
- They should fully integrate EDI principles into policies, systems, processes and arrangements.
- They should have reporting, grievance and disciplinary procedures if there are any instances of discrimination, harassment and victimisation.
- They should include employees in decision-making processes and when formulating policies and procedures.
- Acas have a policy template here.
Pay employees equally
- Businesses should pay employees equally for equal work and ensure they have the same benefits.
- Acas has further information on equal pay and the law here.
Recognise various cultural and religious celebrations
- Businesses should have calendars with all of the major cultural and religious holidays.
- They could celebrate them in various ways and get employees involved to promote multicultural respect.
Set rules and challenge inappropriate behaviour
- Businesses should establish rules and guidelines for how employees should behave. If employees are customer-facing, businesses should communicate the behaviour they expect from customers when interacting with their staff.
- They should foster an environment and no blame culture where employees are encouraged to report issues.
- If there is any inappropriate behaviour, e.g. bias, harassment and discrimination, they should challenge and address it promptly.
Monitor and evaluate progress
- Businesses should regularly assess and evaluate their progress against EDI goals.
- They should monitor and collect data to see if their objectives are achievable, including getting employee feedback.
- If their goals are unachieved, they should adjust their strategies with input from leadership, managers and employees.
Link EDI initiatives to others
- Businesses could look at certification to British and International standards to demonstrate their commitment to EDI and to provide them with a framework to achieve their goals.
- Examples of standards include:
- ISO 30415:2021 – Human resource management — Diversity and inclusion.
- BS 76005 Valuing people through diversity and inclusion – code of practice for organisations.
- The National Equality Standard (NES).
Businesses should have good recruitment and hiring practices and have EDI in mind when putting together their recruitment policies and procedures to create inclusive workplaces and attract diverse talent. They should ensure they include EDI in all aspects of recruitment, from job descriptions and interviews to onboarding and induction. Here are some ways they can promote diversity:
- Ensure they comply with the law throughout the recruitment process, e.g. data protection and discrimination.
- Establish SMART recruitment goals and consider setting targets for under-represented applicants.
- Create inclusive, unbiased job descriptions with neutral language and focus on the qualifications and skills of the role.
- Use positive action to encourage qualified and experienced candidates who are under-represented to apply, e.g. those with disabilities. However, they should ensure they do not discriminate against other candidates and that their use of positive action is reasonable.
- Advertise in various places to widen their reach and attract applicants from different backgrounds.
- Have blind recruitment processes that remove identifying information from applications (e.g. names, sex, gender, ages, etc.) as it can promote fairness and reduce unconscious bias.
- Provide hiring managers, recruiters and human resources staff with EDI training so they are aware of their biases and can screen, assess and interview applicants fairly.
- Use recruitment agencies that promote equality and specialise in finding diverse and under-represented candidates.
- Encourage referrals from employees from diverse backgrounds so they put forward similar candidates.
CIPD has an inclusive recruitment guide for employers here.
Businesses should provide employees and managers with information and training on EDI to increase their understanding of these concepts and to raise awareness and sensitivity. It is also important to regularly communicate the company’s values, rules and expected behaviours. Some training and education initiatives and tips include:
- Robust inductions – include EDI policies and processes in new staff inductions to ensure they are on board from the start of their employment.
- Inclusive training – ensure training is delivered inclusively and interactively and leadership and senior management participate. Make reasonable adjustments for employees with disabilities where needed, as this is a legal requirement under the Equality Act 2010.
- Self-reflection – part of the training could involve encouraging employees to self-reflect and think when they have experienced bias.
- Engaging content – make the training content and materials engaging and interesting. Also, use real-world case studies and examples and include information about the benefits of EDI and the legal requirements. Businesses can use specialist training companies if they do not have in-house expertise.
- Provide training on policies and procedures – employees should be made aware of the organisation’s policies and procedures and be trained on dealing with EDI-related challenges.
- Review training materials regularly – laws and standards change, and new ideas and best practices are often shared. Training materials should be reviewed regularly to ensure it is up to date.
- Monitoring – evaluate the effectiveness of EDI training programs and measure changes, i.e. is training making a difference to attitudes, behaviours and workplace culture?
Indeed UK has information on developing an inclusion and diversity training program here.
Businesses can seek advice from professional and competent advisors if they are unsure how to achieve or improve EDI in their organisations.
Case Studies and Examples
Businesses should look to go beyond legal compliance regarding equality, diversity and inclusion, and there are some examples of organisations that have promoted these concepts successfully.
West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS)
The fire and rescue service, WMFS, was ranked number one on the 2023/2024 Inclusive Top 50 UK Employers List.
WMFS is responsible for protecting one of the most diverse regions in England, and it is the second-largest Fire and Rescue Service in the UK. It has achieved significant milestones such as:
- Having a workforce that reflects the communities in which it serves.
- Its workforce exceeds the national averages regarding inclusivity, e.g.:
- 17% representation of females.
- 21% representation of individuals from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic.
- Removing barriers that prevent full participation and progression.
They are continuing with their commitment to fostering an inclusive and supportive culture, detailed in their 2024-2027 strategy.
Further details on this case study and other examples are on the Inclusive Companies website here.
London Borough of Hackney
In 2021, Hackney Council were looking at workforce diversity and how to increase the progression of people from culturally and ethnically diverse backgrounds into senior roles in the council. To try and achieve this, they were planning on the following:
- Directors running staff focus groups within an agreed framework.
- Staff members co-producing solutions to the issues arising and taking them back to senior leadership to agree and lead on.
- Developing toolkits for managers to prompt inclusive decision-making regarding an employee’s career journey.
- Having inclusive champions to coach senior leaders in diversity.
- Reviewing HR policies.
- Creating ‘think inclusive conversation’ video modules, aiming to educate the organisation on critical concepts.
- Developing a ‘dashboard’ to identify and monitor ‘problem areas’.
Challenges they had included:
- Frustrations at the lack of progress made.
- People needing support to have discussions in the workplace.
- Reluctance to set clear targets that the council could work to.
Further details on this case study are on the Local Government Association website here.
Longhurst Group
The charitable housing association Longhurst Group became an employer of choice for those with protected characteristics as they built a culture of equality, diversity and inclusion. It employs over 1,200 staff and provides more than 23,000 homes and a wide range of care and support services. The CEO, Julie Doyle, strongly champions the vision and is passionate about inclusivity.
To ensure they are inclusive, according to Hogarth, A. (2021), they (this list is not exhaustive):
- Developed an inclusion and diversity organisation-wide strategy (‘Improving Lives 2025’) with a clear programme of work.
- Developed comprehensive action plans to really deliver an inclusive workforce and become an employer of choice for all nine protected characteristics.
- Ensure their policies are regularly reviewed and updated in line with legislation and best practice.
- Use an external diversity consultant and its internal diversity working group to impact assess their policies.
- Use regular audits, surveys and consultations to inform its strategies and target action, including a full review and report of its equality monitoring data.
Further details on this case study and the organisation’s achievements are on the CIPD website here.
There are many real-world examples and best practices regarding promoting equality, diversity and inclusion. Some further examples are on:
- Barclays Life Skills – Inclusivity & diversity at work case studies.
- CIPD – Case studies (filter by topic: Equality, diversity and inclusion).
- Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion – Case Studies Archives.
- Local Government Association – Case studies on equalities, diversity and inclusion.
- The Royal Society – Best practice case study project.
Conclusion
All employees and job applicants should have equality, i.e. treated fairly and have access to the same opportunities, regardless of their backgrounds, characteristics and other traits. What makes them unique and their differences should be valued and respected, and they feel welcome and safe at work. Not only is equality, diversity and inclusion enshrined in law, but it is also the right thing to do and makes good business sense.
Businesses can benefit when promoting equality and diversity and creating an inclusive working environment. It can enhance their reputation, ensure legal compliance, widen the staff talent pool, and increase employee morale and retention. It can also foster innovation, creativity, and problem-solving, and contributes to employee satisfaction, retention, and productivity. Overall, if implemented successfully, it can lead to a happier and more productive workplace.