Empowering your team to feel involved in your organisation’s approach to diversity and inclusion, will not only ensure everyone is working towards a common goal, but also make sure you are hearing all the voices in the room, all the time. So here’s some guidance on how to get up your committee up and running.
Identify committee members
Your D&I Committee should model diversity. You should build a group of broad representation, with people from different organisational levels, functions and locations – as well as aiming for elements of demographic diversity too.
Secure a champion
Appoint a passionate committee member (or members) to lead this work – someone who will organise meetings, develop the agenda, and who’s known as the go-to person.
Find a support person within senior leadership
To gain real traction, you’ll need a passionate support person within your Senior Leadership Team. This person will help secure necessary buy-in from other senior leaders, and secure approval to invest your firm’s resources into achieving your D&I Plan.
Set up a structure
Establish procedures to recruit members, run meetings, make decisions, obtain funding, gain approvals and report on progress.
Compile existing data
To know where your organisation is at and what area’s need special attention, compile any data your organisation has on your workforce to help guide you on where to focus your efforts.
Define goals or areas of concern
You could start with addressing policies affecting diversity. After you’ve identified possible areas of concern, determine if policies need to be modified. Some areas you could assess are:
- Benefits: consider benefits that could help attract more diverse talent, for example, parental leave that’s inclusive of the rainbow community.
- Employee referral programs: while employee referral programs can be great, they can often result in employees referring candidates similar to themselves… Think of ways you can broaden your horizons!
- Company events: make sure your company events are inclusive – can working parents make the proposed times? Are there alcohol free options? Are there a range of dietary options?
Implement and communicate initiatives
Once you’ve identified your focus areas, implement those changes and communicate initiatives to the rest of your organisation. Your communication plan should inform, educate, engage and empower your colleagues!
