Very often I hear from people in different organisations, “We have a DEI Policy” or “We want to design a DEI policy.”

My immediate question to them is- “What does your DEI policy cover, or intend to cover?” And each time, there is no clear answer.

In truth, there is nothing like a ‘DEI policy’.

Allow me to break this down.

The word ‘Policy” traditionally means a set of rules and guidelines that employees need to follow in an organisation. Leave policies lay down the category and number of leaves, the process and authorisation matrix for applying and approving leaves. Medical policies lay down medical allowances, what is covered and what is not, eligibility criterion. Similarly relocation policy, parental policy, child care policy and so on. Each of them lays down eligibility, the benefits and the processes around them.

Let us now look at DEI- Diversity Equity and Inclusion. These are not a set of entitlements or benefits that can be governed by a document and any single process. For organisations that truly want to drive inclusive culture, have equitable processes, and nurture a diverse workforce, they need to integrate the concept into every policy, process and ways of working.

For example, the Recruitment process needs to be inclusive. Which means it should lay down clear guidelines for inviting resumes from diverse sections of society when there is a job opening. The Process should include an Interview Panel that is diverse to avoid biases. Hiring Managers should have gone through unconscious bias training and competency based interviewing training.

Another example, Making leave policy inclusive. Does it consider different life stages, the evolving family structures & demographics in our workforce. Is it enough to have sick leave, casual leave, earned leave, maternity leave? Should we have paternity leave? Should we call it parental leave? Should we include terms like primary caregiver and secondary caregiver? What about adoption and surrogacy? Should we have mental wellbeing days? One organisation has introduced marriage leave since a large number of their workforce is in that life stage. Bereavement leave is another category that made its way into policies during covid. Sabbaticals are being offered by more and more companies.

The purpose of the above illustrations is, that what many people call as a DEI policy, is possibly a statement of intent and a set of targets. A statement of what they wish to drive as an organisation, what DEI means at that organisation. It is the Inclusion vision, and Diversity goals.

As we say at MarchingSheep- Equity needs action- creating equitable practices and policies. Inclusion is a choice where every manager and individual in the organisation makes these policies and processes come live and therefore is driven through awareness, sensitisation and communication. Diversity in the workforce, or numbers or representation, is an outcome which will happen if we get Inclusion and Equity right.

Hence, simply having a DEI intent on paper or websites is not enough. True progress comes from integrating DEI principles into every facet of the HR function, from recruitment and onboarding to performance management and career development and most importantly, the ownership shifts from HR to the entire organisation.

It sounds complex, but it really is not. All it needs is true intent and honest effort. Organisations have gone through so many transformations, this is just another one. Think of the time when there were no computers and today we cannot think of operating without one. Think of the time when data management used to happen on Excel sheets. Think of the time when employee engagement surveys were a pen and paper activity. It’s all in the mind!

So next time someone in your organisation says “DEI Policy”, break it down for them and systemically start work on the elements.

Link : From Policy to Practice: Integrating DEI Across All HR Processes