Want to know which inclusion in the workplace examples show that a workplace is truly fair? This post is all about how to tell if your job actually cares about diversity and inclusion.
Almost every organization has a diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) statement. But it can be hard to know which inclusion in the workplace examples suggest an employer actually practices what they preach.
As employees with anticapitalist values, we know most people don’t care about a company’s diversity spiel. Most of us just want to know if an employer has a toxic work culture, ideally before we accept the job.
This post will teach you which real life examples of inclusion signal that a company has an inclusive workplace culture. We’ll dive into how a diversity statement can reveal a company’s values. We’ll also explain how some of the most important diversity and inclusion examples involve how much money employees make.
This post is all about inclusion in the workplace examples every employee should know.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
5 INCLUSION IN THE WORKPLACE EXAMPLES
The diversity statement mentions equity and/or justice, not just equality.
Everyone knows how much money their coworkers make.
Employees get paid extra for participating in employee resource groups.
The company brags about the diverse employee experience, not numbers.
Accessibility is a part of the workplace culture.
5 INCLUSION IN THE WORKPLACE EXAMPLES
1. The diversity statement mentions equity and/or justice, not just equality.
Companies know diversity is good for business, so most organizations have flawless DEI statements. But it can be hard to tell whether an employer’s policies actually align with the flowery words on its website.
A baseline sign of an inclusive workplace is a diversity statement that mentions equity or fairness instead of just “treating all employees equally.” Equality is only fair if everyone has the exact same capacity and starting point. And inclusive employers know that equal playing fields only exist in fairytales.
For example, let’s say a company has a policy that all workers should pay up front for work-related expenses and get reimbursed within 2 weeks. The policy is technically equal because it applies to all employees. But it’s not equitable because someone living in a DINK household would probably have a much easier time waiting for the reimbursement than a single parent living on one income.
An equity-minded employer might instead give employees company credit cards or book travel through a company-sponsored agency. These solutions would be much fairer because they would accomplish the same goal without creating an unnecessary hardship for vulnerable employee groups.
Companies that mention equity in their diversity statements are more likely to have policies that treat employees fairly. At the very least, they’re more likely to understand that they should approach workplace issues with justice, not just equality.
[RELATED POST: Equity vs. Equality | How to Tell if Your Workplace Is Fair]
2. Everyone knows how much money their coworkers make.
On average, women earn 83 cents for every dollar men make. Black, Indigenous, and Latinx workers make even less. When we don’t know how much money our colleagues make, it’s easier for employers to get away with paying certain groups more for doing the same jobs.
As employees, we can start to decrease pay gaps by telling each other how much we get paid. But even though our bosses can’t stop us, talking about pay is still taboo in many workplaces. And employees shouldn’t have to break workplace norms to be paid equitably.
Employers who truly care about equity and inclusion are open with employees about how much everyone gets paid. Some companies maintain an open database with each employee’s pay. Other companies publicize every position’s base salary and raise schedule.
Regardless of how employers facilitate it, pay transparency is one of the most impactful diversity and inclusion in the workplace examples.
[RELATED POST: 10 Infuriating Wage Gaps Statistics Every Employee Should See]
3. Employees get paid extra for participating in employee resource groups.
An employee resource group (“ERG”) is an employer-sponsored affinity group for employees with similar traits like race, gender, parenthood, and veteran’s status.
ERGs are crucial for creating inclusive workplaces. They foster a sense of belonging within an organization, and they facilitate spaces where workers can organize and provide feedback to company leaders.
Workplace affinity groups are typically employee-led. Diverse employees dedicate extra time outside of their official duties to run and participate in ERGs. But historically, employers did not pay these employees for their involvement, which we think sounds a liiiitle like what the 13th Amendment outlawed.
Many employers now pay employees for the extra time they spend contributing to affinity groups. So if you want to find inclusive culture examples within a workplace, check to see if employees get paid extra for leading and participating in ERGs.
4. The company brags about the diverse employee experience, not numbers.
Organizations often advertise about how many of their employees come from diverse backgrounds. In reality, workers from underrepresented backgrounds still hate coming to work when the culture is toxic. And, in our experiences, employers with large diversity numbers tend to have some of the biggest blindspots because they think diverse hiring has fixed every DEI issue.
Employers who truly value inclusion make sure employees from diverse backgrounds have positive experiences, regardless of how many diverse employees they have. For example, inclusion-minded employers may conduct surveys and collect data about how employees from minority groups feel at work. They may also implement programs and support services to improve employee experiences.
When looking for true examples of diversity, equity, and inclusion in a workplace, check to see if the employer has programs that target common issues among underrepresented groups. Ask how many people from diverse backgrounds have been promoted at the company. You can also research whether the organization has had a workplace culture assessment and whether leaders have taken steps to address any issues investigators identified.
5. Accessibility is a part of the workplace culture.
Companies are legally required to provide reasonable accommodations for certain employees like people who are pregnant and/or have a disability.
But equity-minded employers know that workers have varying needs, even beyond what’s legally recognized. Organizations that truly value inclusion develop policies that benefit everyone, not just people with legal accommodations.
For example, telework is a common accommodation for employees with certain medical conditions. But most employees could benefit from being able to work from home. And a telework policy wouldn’t harm the employer if working in-person is not an essential function of the employee’s job.
In this scenario, a policy that lets all employees telework at least some of the time would be an example of inclusion in the workplace. All employees would be free to choose their preferred work location, regardless of their disability status.
This post was all about inclusion in the workplace examples to help you figure out if a workplace actually values diversity and fairness.
You can use this list of diversity equity and inclusion in the workplace examples to check whether your current or potential employer truly cares about DEI.
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