Diversity & Inclusion - Getting it Right

by Jay Tarimala

Diversity and Inclusion programs and its associated policies do not have a defined end date. It is a continuous improvement process to be able to attract diverse talent, improve the existing employee’s engagement with the company and also convey the brand value to an external audience.D&I is about encouraging diversity of thoughts, perspectives, opinions and experiences. Competency should be the foremost criteria for hiring however intentional bias should be weeded out and unconscious bias to be controlled to a large extent. Diversity is not about hiring people who look different, talk differently, and behave differently but about creating an inclusive environment where people exhibit their real persona, and not compromise on their individuality and have the courage to speak up and not feel threatened, and that they’re not pigeon holed into a stereotype.There is no one size fits all policy for D&I initiative implementation. Every organization's situation is unique, the qualitative current status data, honest discussions will reveal a path to progress, support from the top management and identifying barriers and creating sustained action plans to overcome them will navigate the company to an inclusive environment that drives innovation, competitive edge, and above all committed and happy employees.D&I efforts across many firms are mostly staffed by volunteers who have their own daily jobs to do which can affect the goals, visibility and accountability. A dedicated team of at least 3 people (for medium to large organizations) is the minimum required to handle this function and to drive awareness and adoption across the organization.For the D&I efforts to succeed, it needs to be integrated with talent management processes. This book is an attempt to provide some insight into how some companies are utilizing D&I Program implementation to increase their mind share with the desired talent pool as well as some strategies to adopt to roll out a new or expand the existing D&I Program. It is by no means an exhaustive list but a start nonetheless.

121 pages, Paperback

Published June 16, 2020