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Writer's pictureDr Shamalka Perera

How to Start Your DEI Journey: A Quick Guide

Updated: May 27


Are you serious about DEI?

Do you want to make a difference?


We’ve all heard of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) and some of us even feel the pressure of having to implement DEI policies and practices in our workplaces. What is DEI? Is it really important? Is DEI all about policies and practices? Or is there something more to DEI than just a bunch of words?


Well, DEI is more than policies, programs or a trend, it is a valuable tool that can be used for the benefit of workplaces and their employees. However, most of us wonder how to initiate the DEI journey in the workplace. So, how do we initiate? Do we simply get somebody to write some DEI policies that probably mean nothing to us?


It isn’t ideal to have DEI policies and practices in place if we do not take any action on DEI. A bunch of words cannot create positive change unless we take charge of it.


Hence, the starting point is to ‘ASK’. Ask employees how they feel about the work environment. This is the best way to understand their perceptions and experiences. We can adopt different ways to ask effectively and two of the most effective methods are surveys and interviews.






Surveys

Surveys are important to gather information from a large population. They are easy to create, cost-effective and less time-consuming. Hence, a survey can be created to determine individuals' inclusion perceptions and experiences. Gathered quantifiable data can be analysed statistically.






Interviews

The next step is to conduct interviews with individuals. Interviews provide us with the opportunity to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the data patterns that were found through surveys. This means that we are able to go in-depth into the matters of concern enabling both interviewers and participants can clarify things and discuss them further. Gathered qualitative data can be analysed to make informed decisions around DEI.






We can take these two steps when starting our DEI journey. Both these methods (surveys & interviews) are helpful to identify areas for improvement in the workplace. Thereafter, relevant DEI strategies can be created and implemented in the organisation to support employees. Skipping the ‘Ask’ stage in our DEI journey might result in creating inefficient strategies. If we are keen to make a real difference, we must be prepared to take the first step.


Do you have more questions about DEI? Click here to explore our insights into DEI.


Don’t miss the opportunity to create a more inclusive work culture.

Start your DEI journey today!


Reach out to us:

+64 (0) 22 580 8726


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