The Many Dimensions of DEI

“It’s looking at each individual and what their needs are, as well as the organizational needs and finding the right fit,” Mitchell said. “This is where equity and equality don’t always match.”

For example, some employees might have to be in the office more often than others—management can make those decisions based on what the work requires. This doesn’t mean employees don’t have access to the same opportunities, such as professional development and career advancement, Mitchell said. But because some differences may appear inequitable, employers need creative approaches to workforce management.

“It’s walking a fine line of how we make them feel valued, but also still getting the work we need to be done,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to come up with different solutions that don’t rely on the same previous structure.”

Mensa employees are required to be in the office one day a week. “In my philosophy, it’s always about what it takes to get the job done,” Mitchell said. He describes himself as an extrovert who enjoys face-to-face interactions, while acknowledging that those interactions are not all it takes to work effectively.

“A lot of people hold onto the pandemic like it’s a temporary thing and we’re going to return to the ways things were. It’s not going to happen,” he said. “It really gives us an opportunity to make sure we’re really engaging with our employees singularly as well as collectively about really understanding what they need.”

Finding a new balance isn’t easy, but “if we’re not thinking through some of those processes and making those adjustments now, we’re going to have an even harder time in our recruitment efforts because that’s what employees are going to be looking for from their next job.”

Watch Your Language

The multiple dimensions of DEI also require careful use of language. “All the things that make us different and the same is ever-changing,” Mahmoud said.

For example, the terminology related to sexual orientation and gender identity has evolved over time. The plus sign in LGBTQ+ was added because the term represents a continuously evolving community, she noted. And because these concepts and labels tend to be transitional, it’s important to keep the language in your organization’s plans and policies open, inclusive, and transparent, Mahmoud said.

Ultimately, the policies, plans, and language need to work for the people that they’re made for. When you invite people from across the organizations into conversations on these important issues, “it’s not just some select group of people sitting in an ivory tower creating policies and procedures for people without really engaging,” Mahmoud said.