Diversity Equity Inclusion v2

Diversity, equity
and inclusion
for HR leaders
What is DEI and why does it matter?
How much does DEI really impact business?
How can HR leaders introduce DEI into
their workplace?
Is diversity and inclusion in the workplace just
a buzzphrase that’s going to peter out in a few
months or years?
We hope not. Building company values think with a social-equality-first

mindset is one of the most important factors in employee and employer
contracts, and we believe its importance and consideration will only rise in
intensity until we reach a real place of equality in the workplace at large.
Employers have unique roles and responsibilities that directly relate to
perpetuating systemic considerations, or dismantling them.
In this guide we aim to help HR leaders or business owners understand the

importance of DEI in the workplace, and provide a few practical ways to
introduce a more inclusive mindset to your place of work. We will look at:
✓ What younger generations are seeking from employers

✓ Key stats that show the impact greater diversity has on a business
✓ A practical checklist of how to get started with
DEI in your business
Let’s jump in.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are the understanding and valuing of the different
perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds that make each person unique. This includes
but is not limited to an individual’s race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, disability, and sexual
orientation. All of these attributes contribute to someone’s personality, skill sets, experiences,
and knowledge. DEI is about encouraging people to bring their whole self to work, and
facilitating real change in systems that were prone to bias, discrimination, or intolerance.
Diversity, equity and inclusion for HR leaders | 2

01
A major shift
For years climate change
and environmental impact
has been at the forefront of
consumers’ minds.
Companies like Patagonia, an outdoor apparel

company, and Tom’s Shoes, a slip-on show
company, became iconic in brand recognition
for the work they did in improving the
environment.
This change was certainly brought about

through individuals at each company
that had a passion for environmental
causes, but it was amplified by consumer
fashions. Millennials have long pointed to
climate change as the #1 global concern
of our time. But Gen Zers, their younger
counterparts — defined as people born
between 1996 and 2012/15 — don’t
agree. Gen Z’s say the #1 concern is
social justice.

Millennials say
the #1 global concern
is climate change.
Gen Z’s say
the #1 global concern
is social justice.
SOURCE: THE STATE OF GEN Z 2020
Social justice — including fair pay, fair opportunity,
and fair systems — is so important that according
to to Handshake’s 2019 survey of 14 million
college students and alumni from more than 800
universities across the United States, two thirds
of students and recent grads said they’d only
work for an employer that’s built “an inclusive
company culture” and provides “a sense of
belonging to employees from all backgrounds.”
Employers, wake up. If you want to attract,

recruit, and retain top talent, you’ll need to
build a workplace that brings inclusivity
and diversity as a priority. Companies that
stitch values of openness and fairness are
seeing lifts in hiring success, but also in
business goals, revenue, and innovation.

Diversity, equity and inclusion
3 stats that show the true impact of DEI in the workplace
Companies that have DEI show 2.3 times more cash flow than companies that dont
19% lift in revenue 1.7 times more innovative

02
Practical ways
to get started
with DEI in your
workplace
STEP 1:
Assess your workplace readiness

to introduce formal DEI programs
Kari Girarde, an HR leader who, over the course of her career has launched
several Corporate Social Responsibility and DEI programs in companies
ranging from 150 to 6,000 employees says it’s important to take a quick
“temperature check” before you introduce DEI efforts into the fabric of
your business, if you aren’t starting/launching a brand new company.
She says, “the last thing you want to do is start weaving DEI activities into
your culture only to have your company see it as a mere window dressing,
or worse, inauthentic.” Similarly you don’t want to create something that is
not supported by senior management, and, thus, doomed to fail. Instead:
✓ Talk to senior management and get a feel for how

they’d respond to more focused DEI activities
✓ Get on the same page about how you’ll introduce tough subjects,
and who on the team will be leading new DEI efforts, and who on
the leadership team will champion the efforts
✓ Make sure you’re aligned and together in this effort.

Teams that aren’t seen as agreeing will be received
as disingenuous to employees.

STEP 2:
Subtle changes you can make today

No matter where your business is in terms of support for programmatic
DEI efforts, there are subtle changes any HR leader and employee can
make to start building change into company culture at any time. These
small changes often amount to big differences. That can lead to greater
buy-in from leadership (if they aren’t already) by proving the value of more
diverse and inclusive thinking at your company. Here are a few to get you
started. Feel free to use these directly, or come up with your own!
✓ Promote corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities that

support underrepresented groups inside your organization
and also within your community
✓ Ensure a diverse interview team to promote diverse hiring
✓ Support employee-led affinity groups
✓ Support education around how to identify

and dismantle unconscious bias and racism.
✓ Open up dialoges about how things like race, age,

gender, backgrounds, abilities make us different
and celebrate the differences
✓ Encourage inclusive thinking in meetings
✓ Provide a range of ways for employees to have their opinions

heard: e.g. email, Slack, in-person, suggestion boxes,
anonymous feedback, emojis, etc.

STEP 3:
Starting on the right foot

Once you have leadership buy-in and/or you are starting a business
from scratch and want to ensure DEI is stitched into every fabric of your
business you can be more formal in your approach. This includes things
like documented policies and measurable programs that you can lead.
✓ Document your DEI philosophy and vision in a DEI statement.
✓ Introduce your position on DEI with a formal presentation

that includes all of your senior leadership and that sets
expectations for employees and conduct.
✓ Commit to hiring a substantial number

of underrepresented populations
✓ Commit to developing and promoting a substantial

number of underrepresented populations
✓ Celebrate your commitments by publicly and frequently

recognizing the ways in which you company is choosing
to behave in alignment with the dismantling of social injustice
✓ Speak at community events and advocate

for greater diversity and inclusion
✓ Pay people fairly
✓ Support various cultural holidays to diversify

an Anglo-American perspective
✓ Offer a flexibly holiday schedule that makes room

for broader spiritual beliefs or practices
✓ Buy marketing ads in diverse publications

03
Conclusion
Getting started with DEI doesn’t need to be hard.
Whether or not your business is ready to formally
launch a DEI program, employees, HR leaders
and business leaders can start making subtle
but important changes into their work conduct
everyday... starting today.
Once your company is in a position to more formally recognize its

commitment to a greater focus to DEI you can develop more formalize
approaches including writing out a DEI statement and creating benchmark
hiring figures for underrepresented populations.
If and once you do so, your business stands to gain the rewards of greater
inclusivity and diversity: better hiring and retention of top talent, greater
cash flow, greater innovation, and greater revenue.

Continued reading
& human connection
This publication is an adaptation from the book People Operations.
We encourage you to buy the book if you’re looking for more
progressive people management perspectives and how to unleash
the full potential of your workforce.
If you have more DEI suggestions, or have questions about this

document, please write to [email protected]
LEARN MORE
zenefits.com
Disclaimer: The materials available in this publication,

as well as use of, and access to, this publication or
any of the emails, marketing materials, or derivative
assets, are for informational purposes only and not
for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should
contact your attorney to obtain advice with respect
to any particular issue or problem.
© 2021, YourPeople, Inc., d/b/a Zenefits.

All rights reserved.

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Diversity, equity

We hope not. Building company values think with a social-equality-first

In this guide we aim to help HR leaders or business owners understand the

✓ What younger generations are seeking from employers

Let’s jump in.

Diversity, equity and inclusion for HR leaders | 2

Companies like Patagonia, an outdoor apparel

This change was certainly brought about

Diversity, equity and inclusion for HR leaders | 4

Employers, wake up. If you want to attract,

Diversity, equity and inclusion for HR leaders | 6

19% lift in revenue 1.7 times more innovative

Diversity, equity and inclusion for HR leaders | 7

Assess your workplace readiness

✓ Talk to senior management and get a feel for how

✓ Make sure you’re aligned and together in this effort.

Diversity, equity and inclusion for HR leaders | 9

Subtle changes you can make today

✓ Promote corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities that

✓ Ensure a diverse interview team to promote diverse hiring

✓ Support employee-led affinity groups

✓ Support education around how to identify

✓ Open up dialoges about how things like race, age,

✓ Encourage inclusive thinking in meetings

✓ Provide a range of ways for employees to have their opinions

Diversity, equity and inclusion for HR leaders | 10

Starting on the right foot

✓ Document your DEI philosophy and vision in a DEI statement.

✓ Introduce your position on DEI with a formal presentation

✓ Commit to hiring a substantial number

✓ Commit to developing and promoting a substantial

✓ Celebrate your commitments by publicly and frequently

✓ Speak at community events and advocate

✓ Pay people fairly

✓ Support various cultural holidays to diversify

✓ Offer a flexibly holiday schedule that makes room

✓ Buy marketing ads in diverse publications

Diversity, equity and inclusion for HR leaders | 11

Once your company is in a position to more formally recognize its

Diversity, equity and inclusion for HR leaders | 13

If you have more DEI suggestions, or have questions about this

Disclaimer: The materials available in this publication,

© 2021, YourPeople, Inc., d/b/a Zenefits.

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