By Bill Swan, Principal Consultant
With the recent announcement that the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) will remove Equity (E) from the acronym DEI and move forward with I&D, it is a good time to revisit the concept of equity. Human resources professionals play a critical role in ensuring that equity is maintained in employment practices.
Equity in the workplace means that people are provided with fair and equal opportunities, resources, and treatment based on their individual needs. Merriam-Webster defines equity as “justice according to natural law or right; freedom from bias or favoritism.” We can think of it as the fair and just treatment of all people, where everyone receives the resources they need to succeed.
Equity is often confused with equality, but they are distinct concepts. Equality means everyone receives the same resources, while equity means everyone receives the specific resources they need to succeed according to their unique needs. For example, allowing everyone to enter a building represents equality. Making the building accessible for people in wheelchairs, or for those people who are blind or have other disabilities, represents equity.
Consider the following examples:
Bias-free job descriptions and accessible postings:
- By removing gendered language, all genders are more likely to see themselves as applicants, rather than using language that might attract one gender over others.
- Make job postings available in both digital and non-digital formats, and post them in multiple outlets where underrepresented groups are likely to look for new opportunities.
Job descriptions and job postings can do more, but those two areas alone contribute significantly to making the hiring process more equitable from the start.
When recruiting and working through the hiring process, consider:
- Masking the applicant’s name can remove gender bias or discrimination based on an assumed association with a person’s name, such as race, ethnicity, national origin, or another characteristic.
- Ensuring the hiring team has received interviewing training and structuring s the interviews to include fair, business-oriented questions that an employer can defend if a discrimination claim arises.
When it comes to compensation and benefits:
- Despite hopes that by 2024 we would have achieved pay equity amongst genders, women in the US are still earning 16% less than men. This gap can be further broken down by demographics, industry, region, state, and more. Progress has been made over decades of work, but there is still a long way to go.
- It is important to conduct regular pay audits and review the benefits to ensure they cater to a diverse workforce, which may include mixed families, multi-generational households, various cultural and linguistic backgrounds, individuals living with disabilities, and more.
Often, DEI initiatives are assigned to or left to human resources professionals to address. However, for long-term success, it is important that the leadership is involved and properly trained so they are equipped to deal with equity concerns as part of the overall business strategy. By implementing such practices, organizations can develop more equitable workplaces for all employees. If your organization needs support, we’re here to help. Contact us, and let’s start a conversation on this important topic.