Our Proud To Be podcast is an essential part of distillery’s commitment to Diversity and Inclusion (D&I), where we share our insights, learnings and best practice in the D&I space. With the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development taking place on 21 May 2022, companies will be celebrating and promoting diversity around the world. But what is the secret to doing this for more than just one day? A lasting commitment to real diversity in the workplace takes time, serious determination, and a genuine desire to change things for the better.
On Proud To Be we’ve been lucky enough to chat to some of the leading lights in D&I, men and women who are driving change at every level of their companies. Here we share just a few of their key insights on how any company can make diversity and inclusion part of its DNA.
Making diversity and inclusion part of your company’s DNA
Have clear targets
Creating an environment to discuss diversity and inclusion needs clear goals. Anubha Upadhyay, Brand & Audience Growth Marketing Lead for Think with Google APAC, shared her perspective on creating a workable blueprint for making the diversity discussion a priority.
“The Diversity, Equity & Inclusion panel is one of the largest that we have. And it is consciously the largest, because the more people who care about it, talk about it, and take action, the more changes we'll see in society,” says Anubha. “It is represented by more than 200 employees, and each one of us is tagged to an initiative that we are motivated to work towards. We have a very clear agenda of what we're working towards. And we measure our success towards those tangible outcomes.”
Value individuality
We talked to Chris Gardner, Trading Director, Diversity & Inclusion UK Lead, eBay and he shared his thoughts on how placing an emphasis on every employee's individuality was key to developing an inclusive workplace.
“One of the key things that we kicked off a number of years ago was really finding out what was important to the people who worked at eBay. We did a series of workshops, and the way each workshop was framed was that everyone's individuality here at Ebay is incredibly important,” said Chris. “We want everyone to be able to truly feel that they can be an individual, and they can really bring their true self to work.”
Try not to get overwhelmed
Where do you start with diversity and inclusion? It should be a key part of every aspect of your company, from recruitment to promotion to publicity, but making concrete changes can seem daunting. In our discussion with Marta Pajón Fustes, Head of Technical and Inclusion & Diversity for Innocent Drinks, she explained how she tackles such a complex subject.
“We created a diversity and inclusion survey that we now do annually. So we ask specific questions about feelings of inclusion and if you feel valued at Innocent. And we also ask employees’ perspectives on inclusion in the business overall,” says Marta. This survey helps Marta focus on where the company is doing well, and how it can improve. The company has a global strategy that it implements regionally. And the survey allows it to build a common approach for each region, with a certain amount of flexibility built in.
Empowerment is essential
For diversity and inclusion to become a natural part of a company’s makeup, then every single employee has to feel that they have a stake in their company’s direction. Pete Markey, Chief Marketing Officer for Boots, gives us his insight on how empowerment is at the heart of his vision for the company.
“I think the starting point is to know that you are an agent for change. And I think what can often happen in jobs is that you live in the boundaries of your job description,” says Pete. “And actually, my view is you need to look beyond the walls of your job description and say I'm here to change things, I'm here to be a positive force for good within a business. I don't think you can be fully effective in your role if you're not answering or asking or answering some of those questions. So the starting point is to challenge yourself and ask if we are doing enough.”
If you want to hear the full interviews with our guests then listen to our Proud To Be podcast now, and sign up to get the latest episodes. And we hope you enjoy celebrating the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.
Download the Diversity Type now, and show your commitment to change. Every download means a donation to support the DEC, The Diversity Trust, and UN Women - organisations championing diversity around the world to create a more inclusive, safer, and fairer society for all.