Creating a Fair and Equitable Workforce for Everyone

Creating a Fair and Equitable Workforce for Everyone
May 31, 2024 2 mins

Creating a Fair and Equitable Workforce for Everyone

Equity has an important part to play in a balanced strategy to improve the attraction and retention of key employees.

Attracting and retaining talent was voted as the second-highest risk for UK employers according to Aon’s 2023 Global Risk Management Survey — only cyber security ranked higher.

As part of a balanced strategy to improve the attraction and retention of key employees, equity must play a part. Here are some thoughts on how to do this:

Start at the top

An organisation’s culture flows from its leaders. Take the time to ensure that senior leaders understand, support and role model equitable behaviour in their decision-making process. Consider linking your senior leaders’ rewards to these behaviours.

Check everything

Review your existing policies, practices and benefits through a lens of diversity and inclusion. Do your recruitment policies ensure you are giving an equal chance to recruit diverse talent? Are existing staff getting an equal opportunity to progress? Do you use data to check on your progress and what you need to change?

Ensure equity

Ensure that all employees are treated fairly, regardless of their background, identity, or characteristics. This can involve reviewing and implementing fair and transparent hiring and promotion processes, providing equal pay for equal work and resource groups to continually educate.

Quote icon

DE&I can be very emotive, but to retain your strategic focus it needs to come down to measurement - facts over opinions, as you can’t argue with the facts.

Emma Potter
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Community Engagement Manager – EMEA – Alliance Bernstein

Target your training

Training and education for employees and managers on topics such as unconscious bias, diversity awareness and inclusive leadership can drive a culture of respect, understanding and collaboration in the workplace.

Keep listening

There should be the opportunity for both feedback and continuous listening for employees to raise concerns or provide input on diversity, inclusion and equity issues in the workplace. Regularly assess and evaluate your organisation's diversity and inclusion efforts to identify areas for improvement and make necessary changes.

Encourage dialogue

Communication should be open and aimed at employees at all levels of the organisation. Establish forums that allow employees to share their perspectives and experiences to foster a more inclusive and supportive work environment.

By following these steps and actively working to create a fair and equitable workforce for everyone, you can help build a more diverse, inclusive and successful organisation that values the contributions and perspectives of all its employees.

Article by
  • Lisa Patel
    Head of Talent, Europe, the Middle East and Africa; Head of Health, United Kingdom

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