Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Program Done Right!
Examples of Successful Programs
LocalMasters offers a platform as well as strategic insights for your success. Connect with us today for free personal consultation or if you are in early phases of research then browse through these 6 programs from industry leaders – the ones that inspired LocalMasters to build a turnkey platform that enables every business to build similar programs without the resources that these industry leaders had access to.
Gender Equality From Top-Down
Diverse Talent Pool
Robust DEI Training
Methodology
For Success
Defining DEI
Importance of DEI
Implementing DEI
Measuring DEI Success
Sustaining DEI Efforts
General Motors: Gender equality from top-down
Program Objectives
General Motors is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the country. The company strives for generating inclusive thinking throughout their organization.
To achieve the goal, GM has implemented gender equality in all bands of its management — top, middle, and bottom.
General Motors was the first — and remains the only — automaker to be led by a female CEO. It is also the only company with a pay gap of less than 3% between men and women.
General Motors has been doing a great job in making DEI a part of its work culture. GM can further extend its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives by introducing inclusive learning and training initiatives for all.
Recent research has established that manager mindset is the key factor contributing to the glacial pace of women’s advancement.
A custom DEI training module can be a good step towards elevating your gender equality efforts. The purpose of that training is not to just help women rise in positions of power and increase their income.
It is also about teaching the value of women as employees and how they should not be mistreated because of their gender.
What Made it Effective?
Companies that promote gender diversity and equal representation can also benefit like GM as:
- Better profits - Gender-diverse companies are 21% likely to experience above-average profitability.
- Gender inclusive workplaces are a powerful recruiting tool - 85% of female millennials look for employers with a strong record on diversity.
- Increased sales - Organizations with gender and ethnic diversity bring in 35% more sales revenue.
Like What You See in GM’s Program?
Drift: Diverse talent pool
Program Objectives
Drift, a popular revenue acceleration platform, is part of the 2% of VC backed start-ups led by LatinX founders.
Diversity and inclusion are extremely important to the company. One of the DEI goals at Drift is to establish diversity in its talent.
The company has a hiring process designed to increase representation of underrepresented groups in the candidate pools and mitigate bias in hiring decisions. Same policies are applied during promotions and management opportunities.
Drift can build upon its diverse hiring system by taking a look at who applied vs. who you hired. If your team is lacking diversity and applicants are extremely diverse, there is bias in the recruitment process.
Drift can find ways to eliminate bias and implement new initiatives to reach qualified and diverse employees, and improve the quality of candidates when hiring.
What Made it Effective?
A diverse workforce can bring to a company:
- A more creative workforce - Reports suggest that when employees feel included, innovation increases by 83%
- Increased productivity - Companies with diverse executive boards have a 95% higher return on equity than do those with homogeneous boards.
- Better decision making - Diverse teams see a 60% improvement in decision-making
Like What You See in Drift’s Program?
Accenture: Robust DEI training
Program Objectives
Accenture is a big advocate of inclusion and diversity in the workplace.
In 2018, the company invested US$927 million in continuous learning and diversity training for all its employees.
There training module has a 3 category approach:
- 1. Diversity Awareness – to help employees understand the benefits of working with a diverse organization.
- 2. Diversity Management – to equip executives to manage diverse teams.
- 3. Professional Development – to enable women, LGBT and ethnically diverse employees to build skills for success.
Accenture’s DEI program can be made even more effective if a follow-on case study analysis is implemented.
Case studies can enable employees to get an up-close, in-depth review of successful real-world scenarios and grasp the topic holistically.
What Made it Effective?
Just like Accenture, companies with focus on DEI engagements enjoy:
- Higher employee satisfaction - Inclusion focused workplaces have 20% more employee retention rates.
- More engaged employees - Positive experience of inclusion can lead to 35% more engaged workforce.
- Improved company reputation and opportunities to capitalize on goodwill
Like What You See in Accenture’s Program?
Zappos: Employee recognition
Program Objectives
Zappos has a peer-to-peer rewards program where employees can earn “Zappos Dollars” for training participation, either as learners or volunteers.
This unique employee recognition strategy factors in personalized needs, makes employees feel valued and gives them the opportunity to recognize each other’s efforts.
Zappos has done a great job of giving its employees a place to thrive. The company can further increase engagement and inclusivity by rewarding its employees using gamification.
Gamification enhances learning experiences and makes training more interactive and engaging. Rewards, badges, leaderboards are some effective ways to help employees quantify their learning and spot areas for improvement in a fun way.
What Made it Effective?
Companies where recognition incorporates DEI enjoy:
- 55% more engaged employees vs. just 17% of employees at companies where there's no integration.
- 69% of employees feel a sense of inclusion, vs. just 10% of employees at companies where there's no integration.
- 43% better performance in outcomes when compared to industry peers
Like What You See in Zappos’ Program?
Chegg: Employee resource groups
Program Objectives
Chegg is an education technology platform that provides student services like textbooks solution, homework assistance, and online training.
Chegg’s DEI policies include establishing Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) designed to support, promote, and celebrate groups of underrepresented employees.
ERGs has helped Chegg employees to be their best authentic selves and support their ‘Student First’ mission for their 4 million subscriber customers.
However, pandemic and work-from-home has slowed the inclusion progress. Making ERGs virtual can ensure that the company is giving voice to diverse experiences—no matter where people are located.
Chegg has done a great job ensuring executive sponsorship to help ERGs meet their objectives, and create a line of communication with company leaders. Next step Chegg can do is go virtual with its ERG initiatives.
Evolving the different channels for your employees to connect reinforces the message that the organization is committed to empowering them while also providing an additional avenue for them to network.
What Made it Effective?
Employee resource groups don’t just benefit its members but your entire organizations:
- 90% of companies with ERGs enjoy high new talent retention rates
- ERGs identify and help develop internal leaders
- They educate employees — including senior leadership — through internal events, panels and more
Like What You See in Chegg’s Program?
Walmart: Promoting marginalized communities
Program Objectives
Walmart is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets, discount department stores, and grocery stores.
Walmart has recently come up with several several initiatives to increase opportunity and equity for women, members of minority groups and people with disabilities.
The company support’s its female staff by offering degree options with free tuition and books, and supporting family leave.
To attract and retain disabled workers, the company has added a disability focus to their diversity training; made internal professional development programs available to people with disabilities; and made sure that off-site activities are accessible to employees with disabilities
Walmart has done a great job till now of making inclusivity and equity a part of its management. They can further engage employees by collecting employee feedback on the DEI efforts and acting on them.
Employee feedback can shed light on countless areas for your management and business to improve. You can’t properly celebrate and understand diversity if your employees aren’t included and get to share their thoughts in the workplace.
What Made it Effective?
Employees who are engaged with the organization and feel safe and celebrated benefits the organization as well.
- Employee engagement reduces absenteeism. Highly engaged workplaces saw 41% lower absenteeism.
- Low employee engagement costs companies $450-500 billion each year.
- Good company culture increases revenue by 4X
Like What You See in Walmart’s Program?
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