The theme of International Women’s Day 2023 is #EmbraceEquity. We are supporting their goal to get the world talking about why equal opportunities aren't enough. People start from different places, so true inclusion and belonging require equitable action.
Our expertise is in Workplace and Organisational development, so we wanted to take this opportunity to look at how if we #EmbraceEquity we can improve work for everyone.
Equity is How Different Perspectives Thrive
Equity in a workplace ensures that every employee has access to the same opportunities – how does that fit into an organisation that practices Diversity, Inclusion and Equity?
- Diversity
Creating workforce of people from different genders, ethnicities, ages, abilities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. - Inclusion
Everyone in the diverse workforce is included, heard, valued, and respected. - Equity
When all members of the diverse, inclusive workforce have equal opportunities to succeed and grow.
When you value equity, you realise that not everyone is standing on the starting line together. The world we live in is imbalanced and some of your people have access to different opportunities than others.
Equity is not Equality
Before we start defining the differences, we understand that not all companies can go straight to Equity. When you are starting at zero, aiming for Equality is a great goal to have and not one that we are in any way diminishing. We're just looking at the best possible outcomes for people in an ideal situation. Step one might be Equality, and step two can be Equity.
To get you started, let's look at a simple example to demonstrate the difference. You can provide lunch for everyone in the company. Equality is handing everyone exactly the same portion of the same meal – in this scenario, some people go hungry.
Equity is ensuring that the vegans have their own choice of meal, and that diabetics are offered a meal that suits their needs, at a time that they need it. When a company focuses on equality, with one level of employee experience for all, without a view of what everyone actually needs, you can actually end up creating an unfair work environment.
Equality means each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities.
Equity recognises that each person has different circumstances, and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome.
The Practice of Inclusion
Equity is like the practical side of inclusion, it’s providing everyone the tools and support that they need to achieve the same goals. Unlike diversity and inclusion which are open to quantifiable metrics, equity is less a focus on the outcomes, and more on the process to get there.
From making accommodations for a staff member with a disability, to offering flexible working hours to a single parent who is juggling work and childcare commitments – inclusion is about giving everyone a voice to ask for what they need, and equity is providing them with just what they need to work to the best of their ability.
It could be learning and development opportunities; opportunities for growth, success and promotions; fair distribution and assignment of projects and tasks. It’s about ensuring that no one is discriminated against, consciously or unconsciously, because of their circumstances.
Inequity and Skills Gaps
In previous articles we’ve looked at the benefits of having a diverse and inclusive management team, but to achieve this team, you need to give every employee the opportunity to progress to management level – that happens through equity.
Inequity may be particularly obvious in a larger workforce where people are likely to have come from a wider range of educational and socioeconomic backgrounds to get to the same level in the business. By introducing a strong focus on equity within learning and development, you stop using ‘catch all’ or ‘blanket’ training courses, and instead offer tailored support so that all talented individuals reach their full potential, no matter where they started.
Let’s consider that you are in HR, and have recently employed a woman in her 50s to a director-level position (diversity). She has a Ph.D. and two decades of experience in your field and is perfect for the role. You include her in decisions, and ensure her voice is heard, communicating with her frequently on a one-to-one basis so that she can voice any concerns she has about her role or her team (inclusion). She has just come from a five-year career break to care for a relative, and so has not used Microsoft since Windows 8. But your induction training doesn’t include digital literacy, so she is unable to perform her job at her best.
You must identify skill requirements, and equip your people with the skills that they require as individuals to be amazing at their job.
Equity is the Hardest to Get Right
Out of the diversity-inclusion-equity trio, equity is perhaps the hardest, and the most resource-intensive to implement – but the cost of staff turnover is higher than the cost of equity.
Here are some little steps you can take towards creating equity in your workforce:
- Language
Everyone in your office, or remote workforce, may speak the same language – but is it everyone’s first language? When it comes to company documentation and contracts where it is important that the meaning is completely understood, with no room for interpretation, consider having them professionally translated into people’s first languages.
- Communications
Not everyone communicates in the same way – this isn’t just about ‘language’, some people are better at getting their thoughts on paper, and some people are happier with the spontaneity of a phone conversation. Think of sending your important messages to staff in the way that’s best for them.
- Space
We need to think beyond wheelchair accessibility and consider making spaces inclusive for all. What about gender-neutral restrooms, dedicated meditation or prayer spaces, lactation rooms for new mothers, and quiet zones for people with conditions such as autism or ADHD to work without overstimulation?
These considerations don’t end at physical space. Fully remote companies should encourage employees to block out time for prayer and other personal needs as required, and make sure that introverts and those who find video meetings stressful are given breaks during long sessions.
- Skills
You must identify skill requirements on an individual basis, and equip your people with the skills that they require to be optimal at their job.
There is no one route to equity – as with inclusion…that’s kind of the point! It’s about tailoring to your people’s needs.
Each one of us can actively support and embrace equity within our own sphere of influence. We can all challenge gender stereotypes, call out discrimination, draw attention to bias, and seek out inclusion. Collective activism is what drives change.
Forging gender equity isn't limited to women solely fighting the good fight. Allies are incredibly important for the social, economic, cultural, and political advancement of women. Everyone everywhere can play a part.
Next steps
- Check out these free courses from the UN on Gender Equality
- Take a look at our articles on Inclusion, Diversity, and Belonging to find out more.
- Download our free DEIB in the Workplace guide.
- Get in touch with Connect Three today to find out more about our EDI products and services.
- See Barbara's article on Why Imposter Syndrome Plagues Women.