From Diversity to Inclusion: a business case revisited.

Diversity and Inclusion has been in the forefront of many organisations’ PR and HR strategies. This was a result of a growing body of research and data that showcased that D&I is not only the “right thing to do”, but a core business function that needs to be developed and adopted.

In a recent qualitative study sponsored by mygwork and London School of Economics, data from a business report suggested that some of the main challenges organisations and diversity allies and professionals face were the lack of resources allocated for diversity and inclusion strategies and initiatives. This determines that degree of inclusive policies that would later become standardised e.g. diversity in recruitment, unconscious bias training and utilising diversity channels and job boards such as mygwork. Another challenge highlighted by LGBT+ leads and D&I professionals was the time available to create and sustain a diverse and inclusive workforce. This was echoed by many of the organisations that formed partnerships with LGBT+ organisations such as mygwork, stating that the main appeal for such partnerships was to have a D&I partner that could help them become more diverse and reach minority groups with less time spent overseeing diversity outreach plans and programmes e.g. Marketing, employer branding and targeted attraction.

"The findings of the report suggested that organisations that partner-up with third party organisations such as mygwork can help validate claims of diversity and inclusion."

Furthermore, respondents in this report have indicated “tokenism” being another challenge for diversity groups such as the LGBT+ community. This is where organisations by-default rely on a few privileged individuals within the LGBT+ community e.g. white gay men to be PR agents that promote an internal diverse and inclusive culture, with very little representation of intersectional groups. The findings of the report suggested that organisations that partner-up with third party organisations such as mygwork, can help validate claims of diversity and inclusion and provide an external medium where organisations can engage and expand their outreach to the intersectional LGBT+ community and provide thought leadership and training around LGBT+ or minority inclusion.

LGBT+ leads and D&I professionals also highlighted that LGBT+ language training and an increase in LGBT+ identification, statistics and symbolism are futile if unconscious bias is not addressed in the workplace. If unconscious bias goes unchecked, it could undermine all D&I initiatives. Finally, the report addressed the notion of “role model fatigue”, which is an unintentional challenge that manifests when celebrated LGBT+ role models are often equated with seniority and perceived as leaders. This indicates a revision of how LGBT+ or minority role models are constructed internally e.g. seniority, generational gap, expectations and performance.

To read the entire report, click here.