Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB)
Learn how your organization can benefit from our DEIB services.
What is Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging?
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) are four distinct but related concepts:
- Diversity: Representation of different groups within your organization
- Equity: Fair treatment of all employees, regardless of their background
- Inclusion: Active engagement of individuals with diverse backgrounds
- Belonging: A sense of purpose and meaning in the workplace
Why Does Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belong Matter?
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Diversity
Workplace diversity is about more than just gender or race. It includes all the ways we differ, including our age, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity. When we harness the power of our differences, we can create a more innovative and effective workforce. -
Equity
Equity is about making sure everyone has a fair chance to succeed, regardless of their background or circumstances. It’s about removing barriers and ensuring everyone has access to the same opportunities. When our workforce is more equitable, we can attract and retain the best talent, create a better working environment for everyone and make sure everyone can contribute their unique skills and perspectives. -
Inclusion
Having an inclusive workplace makes good business sense, as well as being good ethics. When employees feel they can be themselves at work, they’re more likely to be engaged and motivated. And when your organization reflects the diversity of the communities it serves, you’ll be better placed to understand and meet their needs. -
Belonging
Belonging in the workplace is the feeling that your unique strengths and personal identity is accepted, and even treasured by those around you and in the wider business. A person’s sense of belonging is shaped by their day-to-day experiences and if positive enable them to feel psychologically safe and bring their full, unique self to work.
How do you Create More Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging in the Workplace?
It starts with putting the right policies and practices in place. But it doesn’t stop there. You also need to make sure your employees are aware of the policies and that they understand why DEIB is important.
You also need to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable talking about DEIB and raising any concerns they may have. It’s not just your employees care about how serious you are about your DEIB strategy — your future employees, regulators and investors will scrutinize your strategy. When it comes to making change happen, what gets measured gets managed. If you want to see progress in terms of DEIB, you need to start tracking the right data.
Aon takes a fresh look at your organization and identifies areas where you could make improvements in terms of DEIB. We also provide impartial advice and guidance on how to make the changes you want to see. A DEIB audit is an ideal place to start.
Once you know where you stand, and you can then measure where you’re at right now and benchmark your organization to see how you compare in your industry or geographical region. With organizations fighting for talent, knowing that you’re attractive to the right people with the right skills is highly valuable.
The DEI&B Maturity Curve – Where are you?
Wherever you might be on your DEIB journey, Aon's team helps organizations assess where they are today, identify where they want to be and develop practical plans to get there.
It takes time to build meaningful change. Data helps you know if you are moving in the right direction.
How do we Embed DEIB into our People Strategy?
This is the main question clients come to us with. In our experience, there are four perspectives on DEIB — and they each address certain questions and actions.
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What are the Quick Wins and What are the Longer-Term Wins?
Organizations need to understand from where they are starting so that they can define where they want to be. Your objectives dictate what needs to be measured. The more attention you pay to understanding your objectives, the easier it will be to develop the appropriate strategy.
Quick wins include compliance and risk mitigation. Longer-term wins include culture change, integrated strategies and tangible benefits and demonstrable return on investment. -
How do we Attract and Retain Diverse Talent?
Focus on understanding and building effective process, policies and infrastructure. This includes a DEIB-related audit of your people strategy. Examining your hiring, selection and promotion process to identify areas of bias, auditing policies to ensure inclusivity. And, of course, ensuring you are capturing the right metrics to track progress.
Clear benefit: An attractive, consistent and meaningful employer brand. -
How do we Bring DEIB to Life?
Defining who is accountable for bringing your DEIB strategy to life will mean linking the outcomes to rewards and roles. Board oversight of key DEIB metrics help drive progress. Linking executive compensation to DEIB outcomes drives accountability. Educate the board, management and the wider workforce on which behaviors support the DEIB strategy.
Clear outcome: Integrated strategy with organizational governance, culture and climate strengthening the brand. -
What are the Internal and External Pressures Impacting DEIB?
What do you need to disclose and what do you want to disclose? Your policies, aims, pay equity, supplier dashboard, shareholder activism and Employee Value Proposition all form part of your organization’s appeal. Deciding what you wish to declare publicly on your DEIB strategy is also likely to feed into your organizations ESG rating.
Clear outcome: confidence in your disclosures and communication, strengthening reputation and brand.
We help organizations create the mindset shift to build a business case to buy into DEIB. The result is more mature and data-driven strategies that really move the needle in the right direction.
Why Choose Aon for DEIB Consulting?
We work in partnership with you to understand the business case for DEIB and how to support your business goals. Our experts work with clients across industries and around the world to help them build more inclusive workplaces.
Human Capital Solutions combines the power of data and consulting advice. Whether you are a Human Resources professional or responsible for change in your organization, we can provide you with the information and advice to empower you to reach your goals. We help organizations make better workforce decisions and build workforce resilience to grow and transform businesses.
