How to Effectively Promote Equity in the Workplace: 14 Tips & Examples

A complete guide to building an inclusive, diverse, and equitable work environment

Co-authored by Melody Godfred, JD and Glenn Carreau

Last Updated: November 7, 2022 References

Do you want to introduce a more equitable workplace culture to create positive changes for your company? You’ve come to the right place. Equity in the workplace ensures fair treatment for all employees, no matter their background, gender, race, ethnicity, or sexuality. An equitable work environment is also more productive and rewarding for employees. Read on for a detailed list of ways to demonstrate equity in the workplace, from hiring practices to educational programs.

Things You Should Know

Conduct research on DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) to understand what DEI looks like and how you can improve your company practices.
Set equity goals for your company and share all progress publicly so everyone can see your ongoing commitment to equity and inclusivity.
Prioritize fair wages, equitable hiring practices, and inclusive promotion opportunities. Establish education and incentive programs for employees.

1

Understand the meaning of equity and DEI.

The first step to demonstrating equity is learning about it. Equity means giving proportional representation for the same opportunities in the workplace. Research the history and background of DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives from past and present companies, and find studies from scientists and sociologists supporting the need for workplace equity to educate yourself.^{[1]
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- Diversity refers to a variety of differences, including race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, and socioeconomic status.
- Equity is about promoting fairness by identifying and addressing social disparities. Not everyone has equal access to opportunities, so underrepresented groups need a leg up.
- Inclusion means ensuring that diverse people are fully accepted and welcomed into programs and institutions.
- Each element of DEI goes hand in hand. Promoting diversity and inclusion creates an equitable workplace—and a more positive experience for employees.

2

Analyze your company's demographics and practices.

Evaluate company data to understand what your future goals should be. Take a look at the demographics of your company’s employees and leadership team. This should include recruitment, training, advancement data, and exit interviews. Identify the company's current equity initiatives and what needs to be addressed with new goals and practices.^{[2]
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- For example, you might look at the company’s recruitment and advancement data and find a low hiring and retention rate for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) employees.
- Continually improving existing equity practices is just as important as developing new ones!
- It's easier to identify the steps you need to take to become more inclusive and equitable once you know where your company stands in terms of statistics.

3

Establish equity goals for the future.

Setting short and long-term goals will help you improve workplace equity. Focus on setting equity goals for areas like hiring, training, promotions, and employee engagement. Once you know which areas are lacking (by studying company data), you can target your goals to specifically address those issues and create a more inclusive company culture over time.^{[3]
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Trustworthy Source
Harvard Business Review
Online and print journal covering topics related to business management practices
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- For example, if you’ve discovered a biased hiring pipeline, you might make it a goal to hire 5 new BIPOC employees of diverse backgrounds—or commit to a 30% increase in BIPOC employees over the next 2 years.
- You could also form a representative committee of employees in your company who are responsible for evaluating current practices and identifying future goals.

4

Share your progress with the company.

Transparency proves your commitment to workplace equity. As you set and implement goals for your workplace, publicly share those goals with the rest of the company. Then, when you hit milestones and progress towards those goals, share that with employees too. Not only does it allow employees to see your ongoing dedication to inclusivity, but it also keeps you and your team accountable moving forward.^{[4]
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- For example, you might put together an email or newsletter for all employees, updating them on the progress of the company’s new hiring initiatives.
- You could also use quicker digital communication channels to share data and keep everyone in the loop, like Slack and Microsoft Teams.
- Send around employee surveys and collect their feedback. Ask employees how they feel the company is doing with equity and inclusion thus far and how they think it can improve.

5

Prioritize wage equity.

Wage gaps make it impossible for employees to be treated equitably. Encourage an open dialogue around wages, and discuss the connection between employee performance, position, and pay rate. Increasing transparency on traditionally taboo subjects like wages will help ensure fair compensation in the future.^{[5]
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American Heart Association
Leading nonprofit that funds medical research and public education
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- People are paid vastly different salaries for doing the same job in many organizations, often based on things like gender and race.
- If you're a leader, make a point to offer fair and equal compensation to employees. Discuss wages openly with coworkers to create transparency if you're an employee.

6

Re-evaluate your company’s hiring practices.

Developing new recruitment strategies can bring in more diverse talent. The way companies recruit employees can affect who finds their job openings. Look beyond standard recruiting platforms and explore online and offline networks to find talent across all social strata. This could mean posting across several job sites, advertising with different publications, or doing outreach with other organizations!^{[6]
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- A proactive approach is the best way to create a more diverse talent pool. For example, find sites that attract a broader audience rather than assuming anyone can find a job posting on a single site.
- DEI hiring also improves a company’s culture in the long run, providing equitable opportunities for all and helping retain more talent.

7

Hire based on culture contribution.

People who bring new skills and perspectives are valuable employees. Look beyond the specific requirements of each job. What can they bring to the team that isn’t already there? It’s equally important for candidates to be a good culture fit with the company.Remove bias from recruitment with structured interviews, collaborative hiring, and blind shortlisting. Judge candidates based on their skills and potential to succeed.^{[7]
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- In structured interviews, every employee is screened the same way and asked standardized questions focusing on hard and soft skills.
- Collaborative hiring basically means working as a team with colleagues from different parts of the company to screen, interview, and hire employees.
- Blind shortlisting is the process of removing identification details from candidates’ applications (like ethnicity, gender, and even names) before making any decisions.

8

Support initiatives for inclusive promotions.

Diverse senior leadership is extremely valuable for organizations. While promotions should be given to the most deserving candidates, not everyone is given the same consideration. Many organizations prioritize inclusion at lower levels but fail to support advancement. Implement equity initiatives to ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to be promoted, regardless of their background.^{[8]
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- For example, you might start a leadership development program aimed at helping diverse employees hone their skills and prepare for management roles at the company.
- Remember: equity and equality aren’t the same. Equality means treating everyone the same, whereas equity is about giving proportional representation for the same opportunities.

9

Expand the onboarding process.

Longer onboarding gives new hires a better chance at success. Onboarding usually takes a week for new hires. However, many new hires benefit from ongoing support for up to 6 months—or even a year. Consider establishing 2 stages of onboarding: an early stage with standardized training and a late stage which is tailored to the employee’s needs.^{[9]
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Trustworthy Source
Harvard Business Review
Online and print journal covering topics related to business management practices
Go to source}
- Remember that employees from different backgrounds may have different needs when it comes to onboarding. By extending the process, you can ensure that every employee has the skills they need to excel.

10

Offer inclusive employee incentives.

A variety of incentives will appeal to employees of different backgrounds. It’s important to remember that not all employees have the same priorities when it comes to workplace rewards and incentives. Set up an employee incentive program that either offers more perks or allows employees to choose their reward. By doing this, workers will be more motivated to perform well.^{[10]
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- Those incentives could include social recognition, profit-sharing plans, tuition reimbursement, bonuses, gifts, or health and wellness rewards (like free healthy lunches and on-site health screenings, for example).
- Employee recognition programs build stronger teams and develop greater loyalty as a whole while also increasing productivity!
- Ensure employees have equitable benefits. That means spousal health insurance should be available to same-sex couples and other non-traditional families, while parental leave should be granted to people of any gender.

11

Provide educational resources for employees.

Fair access to education is critical to creating an equitable workplace. Many societal and systemic obstacles make it harder for disabled individuals and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) to access valuable educational resources. Invest in a workforce education program with the goal of helping marginalized employees learn and advance their careers.^{[11]
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Trustworthy Source
American Heart Association
Leading nonprofit that funds medical research and public education
Go to source}
- Try establishing a repository of information for all employees. Target that information towards the needs of specific demographics, but ensure that every employee is aware of and able to use it.
- Lack of access to education actively leads to less diverse and inclusive workspaces. When marginalized people aren’t given the tools they need to learn, they can’t grow.

12

Establish a mentorship program.

Mentors can help minority employees learn and pursue their goals. Develop a mentoring plan and pair senior employees (mentors) with a diverse range of junior employees who share a similar focus. Those minority employees can learn from their mentor’s experiences, while the mentor can provide more specialized training and education for junior employees.
- Check in regularly to ensure your employees find their mentorship experience helpful and that the program is running smoothly.

13

Make your company’s workspace accessible to all employees.

Employees need readily available physical spaces and materials to work. Is the meeting room or cafeteria wheelchair-friendly? Are there closed captions on videos and braille labels on signs? The company workspace should accommodate all employees, meaning every area is accessible and all materials are usable, regardless of a person’s disability status.^{[12]
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Trustworthy Source
American Heart Association
Leading nonprofit that funds medical research and public education
Go to source}

14

Speak out against workplace discrimination.

Discrimination makes equity in the workplace impossible. Ensure that the company has a zero-tolerance discrimination policy and exercises that at every level, from leadership to human resources. Discrimination based on race, gender, sexuality, or ethnicity creates more barriers for diverse and minority employees to overcome, making it difficult for them to find success in their careers.^{[13]
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- Treat every employee with the same amount of respect and dignity and promote ethical behavior in the workplace.
- If an employee does encounter discrimination, take the problem seriously. Report the incident, send a clear message that discrimination won’t be tolerated, and ensure it doesn’t happen again.
- For instance, be vocal about championing gender equality in the workplace. Ensure you have a balanced representation of workers across many different gender identities, and treat them respectfully.