In the last few years, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE & I) have become rather serious, and they are widely accepted even within the workplace. However, the Black Lives Matter movement (BLM) is indispensable in exposing the injustice individuals suffer because of their skin color. It has also engaged in a push for shifts; that is, it has always placed high emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. This paper aims to create a strategy for promoting diversity in companies, and it will concentrate, specifically, on the underrepresentation of black people. Through exploring the background and highlighting the significance of the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, as well as outlining a detailed plan for the project and showing how it is measured, this project intends to be instrumental in creating more just and equal workplaces. This initiative is centered on delivering the needed satisfaction for employees, regardless of race or background, to perform well in their work lives.
Black people in the United States have experienced unequal treatment and discrimination, which has led to their mistrust and systematic exclusion in society. In history, black people have constantly been mistreated in different aspects of life right from when they are being hired, in education, in housing and their interaction with security officers and law enforcement. While things have improved in some areas, some differences are so significant that it shows the system is unfair. From the onset of time, Africans and their descendants have suffered discrimination and unequal treatment, which has prevented them from fully participating in the process of human. This has constructed a cycle of unfairness that remains. While laws and movements for society create avenues to end the discrimination of black Americans, there are still many problems big enough for black Americans to be treated equally.
The adverse events of the past continue to influence the way black individuals are treated today. Discriminatory practices, subtle forms of prejudice, and limited opportunities for career advancement often impede the professional growth of black individuals in the workplace. Research by Epstein (2022) shows that there are not enough women in top jobs, and they have a hard time getting chances to grow in their careers. Unfair treatment, unconscious prejudices, and not being included make the problem worse and create an unfriendly work environment for many black professionals. Despite efforts to create equality, there are still obstacles hindering black individuals from thriving in the workplace. To deal with these problems, individuals ought to work together to stop unfair treatment, make things fair, and create welcoming workplaces where all employees can do well.
Organizations can significantly benefit from rephrasing their approach to prioritizing diversity, fairness, and the inclusion of the black community. Firstly, diversity helps people develop new ideas and be more creative by bringing together people with different perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds. Diversifying the workforce is an option for companies that involves bringing various people to contribute to the talent pool and creating creative solutions. This encourages them to think together, solve problems, and create new things. To go further, being contemporary with everyone, the workplace environment that guarantees that each employee feels important and treated with respect is a hallmark of the work culture that translates to employees’ satisfaction level, how involved they are, and how long they stay loyal to the company. Safeguards such as a sense of belonging and support make people work harder and stay focused on the organization’s objectives. Nonetheless, such organizations might experience high employee attrition, lower productivity, and severe damage to their reputation without adequate diversity and inclusion.
Recruiting and retaining culturally diverse people is ethical and a business imperative. Studies have found that teams with different kinds of people do better than teams. This allows companies to generate more revenue and excel compared to their competition. Companies that focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion are also looked at more positively by customers, investors, and other people involved, which helps improve their brand reputation and how they are seen in the market (Ferraro et al., 2023). Organizations can stimulate an innovative and collaborative environment by enabling diversity and supporting the equality of their employees. Tolerating unconventional people and thinking also brings us significant advantages in decision-making, and it can help us conceive innovative solutions for tough questions. On the other hand, when everyone is involved at work, they feel like they are team members and are happy with the job, they are ‘hands-on’ in their job and emotionally attached to the organization.
Besides that, organizations that take diversity, equity, and inclusion as their principles tend to hire and keep talented people from different cultural backgrounds. Diversity must be considered when hiring prospective employees of exceptional talent at this age. Job applicants want to be employed by firms that consistently live up to their inclusivity and equal treatment values. Organizations can be attractive employers by prioritising diversity and respect within an inclusive work environment. This way, the existing people in the organization can have a better shot at hiring new staff. Giving funds to DE&I initiatives can result in more revenue and a better reputation for a company. Studies have found that companies with various people in charge do better at making money and developing new ideas than others. Furthermore, companies that focus on having a variety of people and including everyone are more likely to get money from investors who care about social issues and to earn the trust and support of customers and people involved in the business.
The strategy for increasing diversity within the organization revolves around addressing the unique challenges the black community faces. The aim is to create an equitable and inclusive work environment for all. This plan has many parts, each focusing on specific problems and making necessary changes. The first step for all staff is to undergo cultural competency training. This training is part of a program aimed at enlightening people and making them understand and identify their subconscious biases, cultural differences, and institutional racism. Through this, employees can get what they need to keep growing and learning about diversity issues, thus becoming better open-minded individuals (Wang et al., 2022). Also, the hiring process will be examined to see whether to put focus on building an open and diverse group of people. In this regard, practices such as not looking at the name of the person on his resume, making different people from various backgrounds carry out interviews, and recruiting from historically black colleges and universities to attract a wider group of people who can apply for a job position and prevent discrimination in the hiring process can be prioritized.
There should be a specific group for black employees where they can carve out connections, help one another, and work together. These organizations will be the arenas for people to discuss and create agendas to define the black community’s voice and role. This will enable staff to raise concerns, note necessary improvements, and implement them in the organization. Not only that but the human resources department should also be guided in developing leadership training programs that are targeted at black employees. These programs allow them to acquire new abilities, meet new people, and climb the career ladder. Ultimately, the plan will have a means to know if diversity, fairness, and inclusion activities perform. Specific goals must be set, the condition of progress must be measured, and the organization must be regularly checked and reported on. Employees must be requested for their opinions and changes made to ensure continual improvement and sustain a good outcome (Brown, 2020). The main thing is to create working conditions in which everyone is treated equally and has the same opportunities for promotion, especially for black people. Through these, they are putting different plans and programs in place. The organization’s mission is centred on promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion to be impactful.
Measuring the implementation success of the diversity initiative will be based on different metrics and indicators across the board to evaluate its impact and capability. First, in all positions within the organization, representation and retention will focus on the change in the representation of black workers and will pay special attention to management positions. Tracking the retention rates and turnover patterns of black employees will provide a white space to understand their happiness and commitment within the company (Bolt et al., 2022). Furthermore, employee engagement overviews will be done to track how diversity, equity, and inclusion are understood within the organization. Feedback will be assembled that positive sustainability activities are being implemented and that there are no signs of segregation or bias among workers. Also, the workers’ feeling of belonging should be considered in this evaluation, along with work environment satisfaction.
Lastly, the promotion and advancement rates for black workers against their peers will be examined to determine any unfair promotion and barriers to career progression. Thus, chances to grow and develop should be equally available for all employees, irrespective of their ethnicity or background. Lastly, indicators of inclusion are used to measure organizational relationships and atmosphere. This will involve measuring the inclusion scores, giving employee feedback, and noticing workplace attitudes and practices. Important markers are effective leadership, appropriate communication, and everyone feeling connected and accepted to work together.
Ultimatel, the strategy should be the primary focus to promote the inclusiveness of black individuals to meet diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. By eliminating past injustice, bad rules, and the attitude of people judging others based on culture, companies can create a diverse working environment where all people can perform well. With the tactics of training, hiring more black employees, mentoring them, and helping them become leaders, companies can make black employees feel they belong and thus do their best. Organizations can view where they stand and how much they continue to improve in this regard by counting the different kinds of people they have. This number stays with them, how they can get involved, how happy they are, and how much the company shows it values everyone. Ultimately, investing in diversity and inclusion is the right thing to do, as it helps achieve long-term sustainability and prosperity.
Bolt, E. E. T., Winterton, J., & Cafferkey, K. (2022). A century of labour turnover research: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Management Reviews, 24(4), 555-576.
Brown, M. G. (2020). Keeping score: using the right metrics to drive world class performance. Productivity Press.
Epstein, C. F. (2022). Woman’s place: Options and limits in professional careers. Univ of California Press. Ferraro, C., Hemsley, A., & Sands, S. (2023). Embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI): Considerations and opportunities for brand managers. Business Horizons, 66(4), 463-479.
Ferraro, C., Hemsley, A., & Sands, S. (2023). Embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI): Considerations and opportunities for brand managers. Business Horizons, 66(4), 463-479.
Wang, C., Wu, S. Y., Nie, Y. Z., Cui, G. Y., & Hou, X. Y. (2022). Open-mindedness trait affects the development of intercultural communication competence in short-term overseas study programs: a mixed-method exploration. BMC Medical Education, 22(1), 1-9.