6 Myths About Diversity & Inclusion At Work
Myths on D&I Initiatives
6 Myths About Diversity & Inclusion at Work
Author: Jessica Bridgette Pedraza
Starting a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) journey can feel overwhelming, but in the long-run is beneficial to your business and employees. Often starting the journey means understanding the misconceptions that lie ahead. In this post, common misconceptions of DEI work and initiatives are addressed and clarified.
Myth #1: It’s too late for our organization to become champions of DEI. DEI work is a vulnerable process that may leave organizational leaders feeling embarrassed or defensive about disclosing their organizational DEI status. Regardless of the current status, organizations taking consistent action to move the needle forward are DEI champions.
It is never too late to become DEI champions. In 2020 well-known companies such as General Motors, Slack, and Salesforce committed to ramping up their DEI efforts through Employee Resource Groups, Inclusionary Advisory Boards, task forces, and more.
Myth #2: DEI is about exclusivity rather than inclusivity. DEI work is not about attacking CIS heterosexual white males, rather, it is about creating a culture where every individual can thrive and contribute to the success of the organization. Diversity Factor takes on a strength-based approach where every identity is insight. It is important when rebuilding the table that all members have full and equal access to benefit from the organization.
Myth #3: DEI only benefits minorities. DEI initiatives are not about appointing winners and losers because that leads to zero-sum bias or the “us versus them” mentality. DEI efforts benefit everyone. When organizations support diverse and inclusive working environments - what comes are increases in job satisfaction, productivity, organizational flexibility, and innovation.
Myth #4: DEI is about hiring less qualified candidates. There is little to no evidence to support this claim. Moreover, the underlying message of this myth creates an implicit association between minority groups being less qualified. A 2017 study found that on average, “white applicants receive 36% more callbacks than equally qualified African Americans.” Additionally, a separate study demonstrated that white workers have lower underemployment rates than Black or Hispanic workers at all points in the business cycle.
Myth # 5: Diversity equals Inclusion. Diversity and inclusion are not the same things. Diversity is about dimensions and inclusion is a process. In other words, diversity is similar to having different pieces and inclusion is getting those different pieces to work together cohesively. Companies can have a diverse workforce, but not practice inclusivity. For instance, Under Armour (UA) females representation in 2019 comprised 22% of the board of directors and 33% of the company’s leadership. Regardless of UA’s female representation, their environment was not inclusive to women and minorities, complaints ranged from attending strip clubs during working hours and declining advancement on the basis of race and gender.
To recap, diversity is useless if it is not coupled with inclusion.
Myth #6: DEI initiatives are easy and require little time. DEI initiatives require a great deal of time and effort from all parties involved, including managers and senior administration. Only by adopting long-term learning orientation towards diversity can organizations reap the benefits of a diverse and inclusive workforce. The business case for DEI is commonly misunderstood as a matter of simply increasing the number of women and minorities to reap automatic financial benefits while maintaining a system of inequity.
Diversity Factor is committed to helping organizations address these myths head-on through safe spaces and customized solutions. If you are interested in starting your DEI journey and need guidance on how to begin, contact us.