Creating Your Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Strategy

Halcyon HR can help your organization create your DEI Policy

Organizations know how crucial it is to have a concrete policy around diversity, equity and inclusion. Halcyon Human Resources Professionals is ready to help you with your policy.

Learn More about Halcyon’s Strategy Regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Your DEI policy should include specific actions and commitments your organization is going to take to ensure all management and staff are focused on building and living this inclusive culture.

Some factors to consider for your DEI strategy:

• A statement advising your commitment to the strategy, why it is important to your organization and how those objectives will go further than mere adherence to Human Rights and Discrimination Legislation

• Senior Management’s commitment to building and fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture.

• Setting benchmarks and monitoring results on a frequent basis and sharing the results

• Establishing a DEI committee comprised of folks across all functions and levels of the organization

• Providing a budget for training and development in DEI behaviours and the associated field of unconscious bias. (Also, providing this training in your in your onboarding process.)

• Ensuring your job ads, promotional material and career websites will attract a diverse range of employees

• Ensure your Recruitment team is made up of a diverse selection of employees and you have DEI questions to ask of your candidates. When hiring new staff, consider if you want to hire people who fit into your existing culture or you wish to hire people who will add to or enhance your existing culture

• Ensure your Recruitment team have been trained to understand unconscious bias

• Set up outreach programs with schools and community groups to bolster recruitment efforts aimed at members of disadvantaged or historically excluded/marginalized groups

• Periodic staff surveys on the effectiveness of DEI efforts

• Setting up training and mentoring programs to ensure all employees are set up for success

• Performance Reviews and Development Plans which articulate what is required for each employee to advance or be promoted when a suitable position is available.

• Ensuring the fairness of advancement and promotion opportunities and cross-training where possible to allow for internal promotions.

• Implementing a complaint procedure

These are some of the ideas we take into consideration when we formulate your Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategy. Halcyon Human Resource Professionals are here to assist you with the creation, implementation, training, and maintaining of your policy. We are here to help your team embrace and live this culture.

---

Definitions

• Dignity

  Being treated respectfully

• Discrimination

  Treating people unequally or making a distinction based on legally protected grounds that results in a burden, obligation, or disadvantage that is not imposed on others or which limits access to opportunities, benefits, and advantages available to other members of society.

• Diversity

  The variety of unique dimensions, qualities, and characteristics that we all possess and bring to the workplace to enrich and strengthen our environment through different ideas and experiences.

• Equity

  Fair and just access to opportunities and the action of removing barriers and obstacles which hinder opportunities for all people and fosters an employee’s sense of well being.

• Inclusion

  More than just the action of inclusion, it is the creation of an environment where all staff feel they belong. It is an organization where all individuals feel their differences, ideas and experiences are embraced, valued, and respected.

• Micro-Aggression

  Everyday slights, insults, or insensitive actions that may be intentionally or unintentionally offensive, directed at people who belong to marginalized groups.

• Protected Grounds

  The characteristics which an employer must not use as reasons to discriminate against an individual or group under human rights legislation. These vary provincially, however generally include race, religious beliefs, colour, gender, gender identity, gender expression, physical disability, mental disability, age, ancestry, place of origin, marital status, source of income, family status and sexual orientation.

• Unconscious Bias

  The inclinations or assumptions that we all have that operate without our awareness and can include stereotypes and prejudices towards certain individuals or groups.