Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) represent the strategies and practices companies implement to foster a workplace that embraces differences, values individuals for who they are and ensures fair access to opportunities for all employees. When looking at examples of DEI in the workplace, it’s essential to recognize that these efforts are built on three interconnected principles:
- Diversity reflects the demographic makeup of an organization. Although it often highlights gender, racial and ethnic diversity, workplace diversity can also include age, disability, sexual orientation and educational background, among other factors.
- Equity means ensuring fair treatment, access and opportunity for every individual.
- Inclusion relates to creating a supportive and welcoming company culture where employees feel valued, respected and have a sense of belonging.
As DEI practices encounter evolving cultural and legal challenges, building an inclusive workplace that values diverse perspectives remains a powerful driver of organizational success. While there are numerous approaches to DEI in the workplace, it’s essential to tailor strategies thoughtfully to ensure their impact aligns with your company’s unique needs. This article explores examples of DEI in the workplace, showcasing initiatives that have made a meaningful impact and providing strategies to help ensure their success.
Why prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion
DEI has a positive effect on individual employees and companies as a whole, research consistently shows. Plus, business leaders are embracing DEI initiatives. According to a recent national survey of senior executives in large companies, 82% of business leaders consider diversity initiatives essential to their business strategy.
DEI efforts accelerate the advancement of marginalized groups and contribute to a stronger leadership pipeline. DEI programs increase employee engagement and morale, which are critical for productivity and retention. Companies tend to attract a more diverse talent pool and connect with a broader client base when they actively work to promote diversity and foster an inclusive environment.
Statistics demonstrating the performance value of embracing DEI include:
- Companies with representation of women exceeding 30 percent are significantly more likely to financially outperform those with 30 percent or fewer, according to McKinsey.
- Diversity among company leaders results in more innovation and improved financial performance.
- When employees have a sense of belonging in the workplace, they are 5.3x more likely to feel empowered to do their best work.
- Organizations with inclusive cultures report 22 percent lower turnover than their less inclusive counterparts, according to Deloitte.
Examples of DEI in the workplace
Organizations have multiple options for DEI initiatives depending on their goals and resources. Here are some examples of programs that companies commonly utilize to help meet their DEI goals.
Mentoring
Mentoring offers multiple benefits for organizations and employees, but it’s especially valuable in supporting DEI goals. Mentoring programs work to advance diversity at the managerial level, increasing representation of Black, Hispanic and Asian American women, as well as Hispanic and Asian American men, by 9% to 24%, Harvard Business Review reported.
Traditional mentoring, in which a more experienced employee offers guidance and support for a less experienced mentee, is very effective in helping any employee develop key networks, get personal advice and learn key skills that can help them advance in their careers. However, mentoring can take several forms and should always be personalized to the needs of participants. Here are a few arrangements particularly suited for a DEI mentorship program:
Diversity Mentoring: This form of mentoring focuses on offering members of underrepresented groups opportunities to develop with a one-on-one mentor. Diversity mentoring helps employees grow within a trusting relationship and receive intentional support to help them realize their potential.
Reverse Mentoring: This format often pairs a younger mentor with a seasoned employee to offer insights on new technologies and workplace trends — but it can also be used to transmit cultural understanding among people of different backgrounds. Reverse mentoring promotes DEI by sharing perspectives across different generations, experiences or identities, creating interconnections and awareness among different groups.
Mentoring Circles: Mentoring circles are peer-based group arrangements in which employees with shared interests learn together. In terms of DEI, this can be used to bring together employees with similar backgrounds or identities for mutual support. Employee resource groups (ERGs) often leverage this type of mentoring. Mentoring circles can also be used to bring together people of diverse demographics in an opportunity to share experiences and promote understanding.
Inclusive hiring and onboarding
When companies practice inclusive hiring, they actively promote diversity and minimize bias throughout the recruitment and hiring process so that job applicants have equal chances to apply and be evaluated for positions. The goal of inclusive hiring is to prevent discrimination based on characteristics such as race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation or religion. Companies accomplish this using practices such as:
- Blind hiring
- Standardized interview questions
- Inclusive job descriptions
- Targeted advertising to diverse candidates
- Diverse interview panels
Onboarding plays a crucial role in fostering an inclusive workplace. New employees from diverse backgrounds may join a company without the same established networks that often benefit other groups. To address this, companies can introduce an onboarding buddy system, pairing new hires with mentors or organizational ambassadors. By intentionally creating diverse pairings, organizations promote equitable support from day one, encourage meaningful connections across teams and demographics, and help new employees quickly adapt to the company culture. Such examples of DEI in the workplace not only demonstrate a commitment to inclusivity but also show that every employee’s success is a priority from the start.
Employee Resource Groups
ERGs are networks for employees who have common identities, backgrounds or interests, offering them an opportunity to come together for mutual support, growth and community building. Often grassroots and run by volunteers, ERGs frequently also receive official support from their organizations.
These groups may also be called business resource groups or affinity groups and often focus on underrepresented groups that can include women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA, employees with disabilities, veterans and more. However, ERGs can also be formed around mutual experiences such as parenting, mental health or caregiving.
ERGs offer many benefits to participants, including:
- Fostering connection: ERGs can help employees feel connected and valued, especially within large companies or in hybrid environments where personal connections can be more difficult to make.
- Enhancing morale: ERGs foster positive relationships and show that the organization values employees’ development and well-being.
- Empowering employees: ERGs unify employees around shared needs and offer an opportunity for their voices to be heard.
- Building community: ERGs represent an opportunity for companies to build strong communities and cultivate safe spaces where employees can show up as their whole selves.
ERGs also contribute directly to DEI initiatives. These groups offer support and opportunities that can help members of underrepresented groups develop and advance.
Employee groups can also be an important source of employee-driven policies that contribute to a more inclusive workplace. One study of women who work at companies with ERGs found that 85% of respondents said participating in an ERG benefitted them and their career, while 70% said their ERGs had helped to create changes in policy at work.
DEI training
A practical approach to promoting DEI in the workplace involves implementing DEI training, one of the most common initiatives. These training sessions help employees understand DEI issues and develop the skills needed to cultivate a workplace culture that aligns with DEI values. Examples of DEI in the workplace through training can include various formats, such as:
- Unconscious bias training: This focuses on identifying the source of biases — often unconscious — and their effects on others in the workplace.
- Cultural sensitivity training: This centers on helping members of a dominant group better understand other groups.
- Allyship training: This teaches employees how to create an inclusive environment by actively supporting marginalized groups.
- Skills-based diversity training: This focuses on interpersonal skills such as empathy, active listening and communication to help create positive interactions on diverse teams.
- Microagression training: Microaggressions are subtle, discriminatory comments or actions that are often unintentional. This training focuses on awareness of microaggressions and the ways employees can avoid committing them or deal with them when they occur.
DEI training is often the backbone of DEI initiatives, but it’s only part of the bigger picture. Training should be combined with other DEI efforts such as mentoring, inclusive hiring practices and employee support programs for comprehensive organizational change.
DEI transparency
Many enterprises set internal DEI goals, but some go the extra mile to make their DEI progress publicly available. Microsoft, for instance, has released an annual Global Diversity & Inclusion Report since 2019. Within the report, the company shares data such as the percentage of the workforce made up of underrepresented groups and how those numbers have changed year to year and over longer periods. Deloitte offers similar data on DEI initiatives in its annual DEI Transparency Report.
Google also releases an annual DEI report, which highlights the company’s workplace DEI initiatives, such as refining hiring practices to build more workplace diversity, investments in community diversity projects and technological innovations that support equity.
DEI transparency publicly affirms an organization’s commitment to promoting a diverse workforce, creating an inclusive culture and cultivating an equitable workplace. It also offers employees, stakeholders and the public an opportunity to hold the company accountable for its progress in meeting its DEI goals.
What makes DEI initiatives successful
DEI initiatives represent a commitment of company time and resources to the mission of achieving DEI progress. So it’s important to make sure DEI initiatives are implemented with careful planning and intention to ensure success. Best practices for getting DEI right include:
Define clear goals
Setting DEI goals starts with the organization’s DEI program at the highest level. The overall mission should make clear why the DEI program is being created, what the desired outcomes are and how these support the company’s business objectives. Goals should be SMART (strategic, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) and objectives for DEI initiatives should align with those of the overall program.
Aim for real results
DEI initiatives need to go beyond optics to comprise a good-faith effort to create a more inclusive, fair and accepting workplace environment. Can successful inclusion efforts enhance a company’s reputation and its ability to attract high-quality candidates? Yes! But DEI initiatives shouldn’t solely focus on making a company look good — ultimately, DEI posturing can actually hurt an organization’s image.
Gain leadership support
Without a serious commitment from leadership, DEI initiatives are unlikely to get the resources they need to thrive. Ideally, the DEI program will be overseen by a dedicated senior leader who can provide the program with visibility and keep needed support consistently coming. Leadership support also sends a signal to everyone in the organization that DEI is an important priority for the company.
Give employees the right tools
Examples of DEI in the workplace show how meaningful change can reshape how people experience and approach their roles. But this kind of transformation doesn’t happen on its own—it takes education, support and commitment. Employees need to understand the “why” behind DEI, have access to the training and resources to take action, and feel supported by their organization every step of the way. It’s up to companies to provide the tools, skills and encouragement employees need to make DEI a reality.
Measure progress
Measuring the progress of DEI initiatives against defined goals is crucial. Organizations need to measure DEI metrics regularly over time to track progress and determine impact. Using that information to change and adapt a program over time is the next step. When done right, this results in a virtuous circle of measurement, change and continual improvement.
DEIB in 2025 and beyond
The larger discussion on DEI is ongoing, and DEI initiatives will continue to evolve in the future. Already, many organizations are emphasizing DEIB, or Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging. The “belonging” element of this is important because it reflects not just policies, but the emotional outcome of DEI for employees. A sense of belonging is also critical for fulfillment, where employees feel real satisfaction in work that resonates with their personal values and goals. Employees who feel belonging and fulfillment have a deeper relationship and a sense of purpose that keeps them motivated, engaged and invested.
DEI tools will continue to develop as well. Chronus offers technology to help support DEI programs in the areas of mentoring and ERGs. Both platforms help organizations easily launch ERG or mentoring programs, reduce their administrative burden while increasing effectiveness and easily scale with growth. Features include:
- Seamless integrations to streamline workflows and simplify sharing.
- Powerful scheduling and communication tools.
- Granular reporting to track key metrics and identify areas for improvement.
- Training tools to foster development and growth
- In the case of mentoring, automated matching to reduce bias and cultivate successful pairings.
Chronus ERG and mentoring software assists organizations in reaching their DEIB goals — and more importantly, helps employees connect to their purpose, creating meaningful outcomes for both the workforce and the organization. The earlier examples of DEI in the workplace mentioned above, such as mentorship programs and employee resource groups (ERGs), highlight effective strategies for fostering inclusive environments and supporting employee growth.
While DEI initiatives and their methods may evolve, the overall mission remains steadfast: Creating workplaces where diverse backgrounds, identities and experiences are celebrated, every employee has an equal opportunity to excel and all team members feel accepted and valued.
