Issue link: https://resource.opensesame.com/i/1462672
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | www.opensesame.com | (503) 808-1286 | 3 DEI can have a significant impact on an organization as seen in improved engagement, better talent retention and closer relationships with communities and customers. But to realize the benefits, individuals and the entire organization must make profound changes. The key to achieving success is to take a strategic approach that touches all aspects of the organization, cultivating a new language for how the company sees itself and performs its mission. Utilizing shared values of the organization such as responsibility, ethics, kindness, trust and service can help encourage and support the process and bring DEI goals closer. Recognizing progress — through appreciation of teams or individuals, rewards, awards or a specific acknowledgement that best fits the accomplishment — reinforces the importance of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion efforts. Milestones do not need to be major or the achievement or culmination of a specific plank of the DEI initiative. What it does need to be is intentional. Authentic, organization-wide celebrations also serve to demonstrate inclusiveness and can build community, creating a sense that everyone works together to improve the organization and treats everyone with respect and gratitude. Sharing Values – and Victories – Brings Goals Closer Reward and Amplify to Reinforce DEI 1 https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/blog/why-is-diversity-inclusion-in-the-workplace-important Employees are 9.8x more likely to look forward to work when they know everyone will be treated fairly, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or age. 1 The journey towards a new organizational culture is also a success story in the making, with every positive action bringing leaders, managers and employees that much closer to realizing their DEI goals. Documenting or mapping your journey by marking small and large victories along the way creates ownership and a role for every person in the narrative. Determining what kind of story your organization and the people within it want to tell brings your early holistic DEI vision full circle.