What is D&I?

Diversity and inclusion (D&I) used to be a popular term for describing initiatives that focused on making the workplace a more welcoming, safe and supportive environment for people of all backgrounds and identities. It has long since been replaced with diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I), which is now being replaced by diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB). Let’s start from the beginning, with diversity.

Diversity refers to having an employee base that’s made up of people from a range of backgrounds. This can include various aspects of identity such as gender, race or ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, religion and educational background. Inclusion refers to specific policies and practices at every stage of the employee experience that are designed to help employees from diverse backgrounds feel accepted and free to be themselves at work. For example, inclusion might involve rewriting job descriptions, so they focus on transferable skills rather than specific educational or work experience or providing flexible work policies for caretakers.

Why is D&I important?

There are a number of reasons for companies to proactively prioritise a diverse and inclusive workplace:

Attracting candidates (and getting them to stay)

According to Forbes, 62% of jobseekers would turn down a job offer if they felt the company did not value an inclusive and diverse workplace culture. When people feel cared about and see that their peers are cared about, they tend to stay put (and refer others).

Sparking innovation

Teams composed of people from various backgrounds and work experiences collectively come up with more creative ideas and ways to solve problems. This may be attributed to the fact that when employees don’t feel comfortable revealing their full identity, their psychological safety can feel threatened, and they’re less likely to express their ideas openly.

Improving employee performance

According to research by McKinsey, ethnically diverse top-quartile companies outperformed by 36% in profitability in 2019. An inclusive environment helps employees from all backgrounds feel comfortable, happy and confident to speak up and share ideas, leading to business success.

Expanding your market

When your company accurately reflects the world around you, you are more likely to build inclusive products and your organisation can more effectively and authentically market to a larger group of customers, including those who identify as 2SLGBTQ+ or are differently abled.

Boosting financial performance

According to a Josh Bersin study, highly inclusive organisations generate 2.3x more cash flow per employee and 1.4x more revenue, and are 120% more capable of meeting financial targets.

How does Greenhouse define D&I?

At Greenhouse, we believe that by building a culture of belonging that puts people first, we enable everyone to bring their best selves to work. And, when someone is free to be their most authentic self and fully engage with their work, anything is possible. “Building belonging represents the highest outcome of all our cross-functional DE&I efforts”, explained Jamie Adasi, Greenhouse’s Head of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Allyship.

Our long-term vision is a diverse workforce in which traditionally under-represented groups are fully represented and included throughout Greenhouse, including in our management group. We’ve taken a lot of steps toward achieving that vision:

• Creating a diverse pipeline of qualified candidates

• Mitigating bias in the hiring process

• Fostering an inclusive experience for all employees

• Formalising employee resource groups with budgets and executive sponsors

• Establishing the Greenhouse DE&I Council

• Investing in DE&I product innovations and enhancements like our candidate name pronunciation feature

• Supporting initiatives that build belonging within our greater community

• And more

To learn more about our own journey of making D&I a reality in the workplace and how we designed and implemented our initial steps, check out the on-demand webinar How to foster a more diverse and inclusive workplace and visit greenhouse.com/uk/belonging.