Would you want to work for an organisation where you didn’t feel you belonged or had the same opportunities as others, based on an aspect of your identity or circumstance? We suggest that companies start with their metrics.Companies now track workforce composition by gender, race, and age. It is really important to look at your data to understand what your representation looks like right now. Diversity in the workplace is not something that happens overnight. In most cases, companies must actively pursue it, which means defining policies and taking specific actions to meet their diversity goals.  We recommend that you start by using equality and diversity monitoring forms of previous job applicants, and current employees. Small businesses might not be able to use these forms because they’re not able to guarantee confidentiality. They could instead use an anonymous and voluntary staff survey.

 

You should then:

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• analyse the information for any significant differences between groups based on protected characteristics

• carry out an investigation if patterns immerge.

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Being more inclusive is a journey and is more long distance than a sprint. It involves both listening and reacting to important patterns that your data provides. You must also consider that this data is ever changing, so therefore it should be reviewed constantly.

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For example, you might carry out an investigation to find out:

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• how employees really feel about a certain workplace policy

• if your company is really recruiting and promoting people fairly and without bias