By Christine de Largy, Executive Fellow of Organisational Behaviour, London Business School
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is under attack both from political and business leaders. As a result, some organisations are scaling back or even withdrawing from their DEI initiatives. Yet, as businesses retreat from inclusion, employee engagement is quietly eroding. Gallup’s 2022 report revealed that nearly six in ten global employees were quiet quitters – disengaged, doing the bare minimum. More recently Fortune reports that ‘revenge quitting’ is ready to take its place, with disgruntled employees venting their frustrations by walking out the door. Though much smaller in number, both types of quitting are the result of dissatisfaction at work, and the cost to business is the same: reduced productivity and increased staff turnover.
Here’s the business reality: Fostering inclusion isn’t just a moral imperative – it’s a strategic necessity. The daily interactions that employees have with line managers are the lynchpin of engagement and retention, directly impacting the bottom line.
What Does “Inclusion” Really Mean?
As businesses retreat from inclusion, employee engagement is quietly eroding. Inclusion is not a
Firstly, it’s important to clarify the difference between diversity and inclusion as two distinct concepts. Diversity is about numbers – the representation of diverse characteristics. It can be mandated and legislated. Inclusion, as Mary-Frances Winters notes in ‘From Diversity to Inclusion: An Inclusion Equation’, is achieved largely through “voluntary actions”. Appointing a diverse workforce will not on its own lead to inclusion and its benefits; organisations must foster the experience of inclusion.
Contents:
- Bona fide occupational qualification
- Affirmative action
- Equal Employment Opportunity should extend beyond the law
Disclaimer: We don’t provide legal advice, nor is this a legal document. Consult an attorney to learn about your company’s specific legal requirements or the law.
In the legal sense of the EEO definition, “same chances” or “equal opportunity” means that employers cannot use certain characteristics as reasons to hire or reject candidates or make other employment decisions; in other words, they cannot discriminate against those characteristics. In many countries, protected characteristics include:
- Race / color
- National origin / ethnicity
- Religion
- Age
- Sex / gender / sexual orientation
- Physical or mental disability
EEO doesn’t guarantee that people of underrepresented groups will get hired. The purpose of EEO regulations is to make sure nobody will face rejection or difficulties because they’re in a protected group.
For example, under several EEO laws, you cannot reject a candidate simply because they’re Jewish or Christian, African or Caucasian, or because they’re pregnant. Similarly, you cannot advertise jobs asking for candidates of a certain age, and you cannot promote men over women – you can only base this decision on each person’s proven capabilities, performance and other objective criteria, rather than biases against protected groups.
To read this article in its entirety at Forbes.com, click here.