Camila Williams-Johnson, General Manager at EW Group, a diversity and inclusion consultancy and part of Hebburn-based, eQuality Solutions Group, reflects on the criticisms of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes in the workplace and sets out a compelling case for why it does work when implemented properly.
The DEI sector has been placed under scrutiny of late. The Government sponsored, independent Inclusion at Work Panel, which reported findings in March, spoke to more than 100 people in 55 organisations and reviewed the latest research into how employers make decisions about DEI policies and practices in the UK.
The report, amongst other things, found that many employers want ‘to do the right thing’, but are at times, introducing measures without the support of evidence. The report has set out a framework to apply to DEI policies and procedures that includes the gathering of evidence and reviewing of interventions regularly.
Science shows us that the foundation for improving diversity, equity and inclusion is rooted in tackling unconscious bias. Not only does overcoming biases allow businesses to attract the talent available to them, it also helps create a more inclusive culture where employees are able to thrive, leading to greater organisational success.
A research report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission in 2018 evaluated 18 academic investigations that focused on the efficacy of unconscious bias training. They found that, overall, training interventions:
Increased participants’ awareness of unconscious bias.
Reduced the strength of unconscious bias (though it did not completely neutralise it).
Weakly reduced the strength of explicit bias (although the precise measurement of explicit bias was found to be lacking in all studies).
May or may not change behaviours (this is due to there being insufficient research available and existing research utilising lowvalidity research evaluation methods).
The research concluded that the most effective means of raising awareness and reducing bias were using the Implicit Association Test (IAT) coupled with a debrief, educating staff on unconscious bias theory, long-term training programmes, and interactive workshops.
At the EW Group we believe in data and evidence for effective DEI programmes so much, that we developed the Diversity Development Standard (DDS); a recognised standard of DEI accreditation for workplaces. Following an in-depth audit that assesses five key areas of DEI in the workplace, an organisation is presented a report detailing the findings of the audit and setting out an action plan with recommended steps, prioritisation, and timescales. The report findings and recommendations are independently reviewed and validated by another DEI specialist before being awarded the appropriate level of accreditation.
To give another example of a more bespoke client project at EW Group, we performed an analysis of a business’ recruitment and selection processes that had recently been taken to an employment tribunal. We forensically analysed the company’s practices, interviewed, and worked alongside a substantial number of staff and used this insight to craft recommendations that the company implemented. One of these proposals was unconscious bias training for staff involved in the recruitment process. The effects were then measured over several years, during which data revealed that diverse staff representation had increased dramatically at all levels of the business. Our process was simply to provide practical steps, grounded in data, that staff could take action with. Evidence was the grounding of every recommendation and action taken.
In life, our biases are inevitable, but if we want a more equitable society, we do have a responsibility to do something about mitigating them. By recognising biases, we can be proactive in shifting them and therefore in making positive changes for the workplace.
