The main challenges of EDI in the workplace
Three challenges of EDI work we don’t talk about enough
Given the amount of information in the public domain about the benefits of creating a diverse and inclusive working environment, it would be understandable if you have the impression that creating such a place is easy and nirvana like.
We believe that equitable, diverse and inclusive spaces are the best spaces. We advocate for people to be able to show up as authentic versions of themselves, and to progress at the rate they wish to. We do believe that this is possible and the best for us as individuals, creative output and business outcomes.
However, we as EDI professionals need to be careful that we don’t make this work appear to be simple and friction free. There are challenges and factors which can potentially negative, which we need to be aware of before we engage on this work.
1. Having a large group of people with differing identities can create challenges.
Without the right preparation and anticipation organisations can find that diverse spaces (especially those which become suddenly more diverse) can experience an increase in incidents of discrimination, microaggressions and conflict.
This can happen because people can be suddenly working or living in close proximity with people they have never encountered before. Examples of this can be seen in communities where there is a perceived sudden influx of people who are refugees or seeking asylum. A lack of preparation, communication, explanation and cultural awareness can cause schism. This might be an extreme example, but the same behaviours can emerge in the workplace and this can look like:
Questioning, ‘why are we doing this?’
Excluding new people from situations, services, experiences, social events, conversation
Clumsy efforts to create cohesion which reinforce stereotypes and othering. These can look like arranging a team building day which is ill prepared and which sadly brings conflict to the surface.
You can avoid this by preparing and anticipating the challenges properly:
Ensuring you are crystal clear on your motivations for creating a diverse and inclusive workplace.
Communicating your motivations and expected benefits openly and clearly with existing colleagues.
Providing learning opportunities for existing colleagues to support them to avoid causing harm.
Implement a proper and robust onboarding process to ensure new people feel welcome.
Acknowledge historic issues which may have enforced barriers for some people.
2. Embedding an EDI strategy can take a lot of time.
Much of this work involves listening. You must listen to the experiences of people and invite openness and candour. Such conversations must be given sufficient time and proper follow up. This can take hours.
Time given to this, might be time away from your normal working duties. This can mean a shift to ways of working or even increased work load. Every organisation is different so you should consider what this might mean for you.
Anyone embarking on this work should ensure they are properly upskilled for it. Any learning activities take time out of your working day.
You can support yourself with this issue by:
Planning well in advance what types of listening you need to do, and when you are going to do it.
Ensuring that the responsibility for listening is distributed and not sitting with one person.
Where budgets allow, you can get an external person to manage and deliver this aspect of the work.
3. You may realise that you are employing people who are discriminatory.
Try to envisage work on inclusion as a bell curve. At one end, you are going to have a small number of early adopters who are enthused and committed to this work. The majority will fit into the middle of the curve, and then at the other end, you have a few people who are particularly resistant.
A tiny number of people will emerge who you will not be able to support to change or move their position. They may become reasonably open about their views which may be offensive to some and contrary to your EDI mission. This can be even more challenging, if we have worked with a person for a long time and had a positive opinion of them previous to embarking on diversity and inclusion work.
Again, anticipating these issues is going to be key to your success.
Whether you agree with them or not, people have concerns and anxieties. They may be exposed by extreme and negative views on groups of people, and be in agreement with these. It is important for you to acknowledge their views, even if you don’t agree. Dismissing or condemning them in the early stages is not helpful.
Make sure, you communicate your intentions fully and clearly at the beginning of your work.
Provide opportunities for people to raise concerns and speak openly with you- if they feel pressured to keep quiet, resentment will build.
Be clear on where your red lines are. At what point, does a person cross from needing support, care and compassion to do their job properly in your organisation, to failing to deliver on their duties or misconduct.
Ensure you revisit and refine your policies through the lens of EDI and with a clear and explicit explanation of what happens should things go wrong.
Anticipate and plan for what happens if a red line is crossed.
As you can see, much of the challenges of EDI work can be mitigated through proper communication, learning and planning.
It is best to confront any potential challenges rather than hold onto the idea that everything will be perfect when we become more diverse and inclusive. This only leads to more challenges in the future.