An Authentic DEI Initiative Starts with Onboarding

Effective DEI initiatives require actions that prioritize diversity in hiring and taking measurable steps to create employment equity in an inclusive work environment. This means turning the nouns Diversity, Equity and Inclusion into verbs.

Authenticity comes from action.

While it’s one thing to attract and hire diverse talent, activating DEI initiatives at work starts with onboarding. From day one, new hires need to feel they made the right choice and see where they fit in to the company culture. Your onboarding software can facilitate this by tailoring the workflow to help focus on accommodating the individual needs of each new hire.

In our last Smart Inclusion conversation, we explored Bringing Authenticity to Your DEI Efforts and how to weave-in a sense of belonging. Dave Thompson, Director of Strategic Programs for Potentia Workforce, noted that many diverse characteristics of an individual are not obvious or visible, and many people may be reluctant to disclose unseen traits such as neurodiversity.

“…the workplace can feel so unsafe that you can be a neurodiversity expert and do a TEDx Talk about it – without feeling okay talking about your own differences.”

It’s vital to make every employee to feel welcome, psychologically safe, and comfortable enough to behave as their natural selves on the job.

This is the key to cultivating that sense of belonging which is at the heart of every successful DEI initiative.

Help new employees understand your DEI initiatives by building them into your onboarding process.

Authenticity in DEI that starts with onboarding will improve retention. Lower turnover rates also improve employee morale as well as foster inclusion. This in turn, helps the organization develop a reputation as a good place to work.

Inclusion in the workplace is an ongoing process of recognizing and engaging differences within the employees. While there’s no one-size-fits all, the best corporate solutions all start with awareness. Use your onboarding software to let your new employees know how your DEI initiatives provide managers, individuals and teams with training that explores the advantages of diversity, acceptance of different perspectives, and being open to new approaches.

DEI initiatives at work can include pay equity analysis, employee resource groups, and training that promotes a truly inclusive environment. How will you communicate what your company has to offer in the way of resources, career pathing, mentorships, cross-training and opportunities to contribute to the growth of the organization?

An authentic DEI initiative helps everyone in the organization identify ways to enhance individual contributions – whether it’s in others or within themselves.

Delivering authenticity should be a human initiative, not a marketing initiative.

“Companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams were 25% more likely to have above-average profitability than companies in the fourth quartile.” 2019 McKinsey analysis

Diversity in the work environment is the organic collection of differences – and similarities – within a culture that embraces differences in both individual and organizational characteristics, backgrounds, values, beliefs, behaviors and experiences.

In one survey from CNBC, almost 80% of employees say that they want to work for a company that values workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion. Organizations can attract talent through DE&I initiatives at work, but which corporate solutions can help keep A-players engaged and boost retention? How can onboarding software jump-start this process?

Use automation to educate employees on your DEI Initiatives.

As part of the onboarding process, make sure the new hire is aware of opportunities for personal and professional growth. This can include:

Role-specific DEI training

Help employees identify the potential biases they bring into the workplace and learn how to support the company’s DEI goals. Training topics can range from inclusive leadership skills to how diversity and inclusion drive business innovation.

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
ERGs are great way to create an environment that’s supportive and inclusive, as well as cultivate sponsorships and mentorships.
Career pathing

Show your new hires the company is committed to employment equity in career development and advancement. Foster immediate engagement with opportunities to contribute to branding, gaining influence in the workplace, strategic-thinking and goal setting for future leadership.

Problem solving

New hires bring fresh perspectives and possibilities for growth and innovation. Encourage individuals to suggest new approaches to tackle a real problem in the business that does not currently have a solution.

Use your onboarding software to boost engagement at the critical 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day stages of the “honeymoon” period to ensure new hires are aware of what’s available to them in your corporate solutions for professional training and personal development.

Using automation software does not make your DEI initiative less authentic.

Beyond the collection and tracking of employment documents and distribution of the employment manuals, workflow automation within the onboarding software should provide recruiters and managers with the time-saving tools to be more human-centric in the company’s DEI initiatives at work.

The SmartSearch onboarding software features a number of tools to help build authenticity by supporting multiple workflows to support employee engagement right from the start. We invite you to learn more about how to automate the routine, time-consuming repetitive tasks such as paperless document management and e-signing, scheduling, reminders and event triggers so managers can focus on successful onboarding to creates personalized and positive experience for new hires.