Written by Ashley Phillips

DEI in the Workplace

Diversity, equity, and inclusivity (DEI) are vital to a company’s core values if it would like to appear progressive, welcoming, and innovative. Working with different perspectives and backgrounds allows employees to share a variety of different ideas and challenges other employees to collaborate. Having a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion tends to reduce turnover rates and increase the amount of people interested in working for the company. Many companies are beginning to implement DEI into their company missions and values, but some standout companies are going the extra mile.

Sodexo

The first standout company is the food and facility management company Sodexo. DEI is rooted deep within the company’s purpose and values. Sodexo strives to provide fair treatment and equal opportunities and resources for its employees. The company is dedicated to promoting gender equality, elevating equity by addressing unconscious bias, providing opportunities for disabled individuals, and advocating for all sexual orientations. Some of the efforts Sodexo is implementing to remain on track are offering a mentoring program to build strategies and develop relationships. They also have launched a Self-ID campaign to emphasize the importance of self-identification and create a more welcoming environment.

Marriott

The next company that has gone above and beyond is the hotel company, Marriott. The Marriott won 17 DEI awards in 2023 as well as developing an app to empower individuals with disabilities. The Marriott set corporate objectives to incorporate DEI into their daily activities. One of their goals is to increase the presence of women and people of color at the vice president level and above. The company also created a board-level inclusion and social impact committee that oversees and provides feedback on Marriott’s efforts. Marriott holds itself accountable for the goals it set and is constantly pushing itself to improve the culture of their workplace.

Boston Consulting Group

Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is another company striving for excellence in the DEI category. This past year 52% of the new hires BCG hired identified as a woman and the total ratio of men to women in the company was 50/50. To prevent unfair wages the company regularly conducts a pay equity analysis. The company also partners with the Southern Community Initiative to prevent the racial pay gap in six southern communities. Boston Consulting Group has completed over 180 racial equity projects since 2020. The company continuously updates its data and publicly releases its reports annually to remain transparent with its consumers and employees.

Paradigm

The final company that has done a standout job is the education company Paradigm. This company helps other large companies incorporate DEI training and education into its workplace. Paradigm offers online training programs, and in-person training workshops, and provides analytics. The company provides analytics to determine the maturity of a company and then will deliver a strategy on how to improve the current position. Some major corporations this company has assisted include Patreon, American Express, Air BnB, New York Times, and Zillow.

These companies are great role models if a company is looking to improve its DEI position. The best way to understand a company’s DEI position is to look into a company’s values and propositions page to see what initiatives and steps the company is taking to improve. How a company is working to incorporate DEI into the workplace can say a lot about the atmosphere, conditions, and practices. DEI is the future, and it is crucial for companies to continuously improve and set new goals while remaining transparent with its stakeholders.

References

Deady, D. (2024, February 2). 9 companies around the world embracing diversity in a big way. SocialTalent. https://www.socialtalent.com/blog/diversity-and-inclusion/9-companies-around-the-world-that-are-embracing-diversity

Diversity, equity + inclusion. Marriott Bonvoy Hotels. (n.d.). https://www.marriott.com/diversity/diversity-and-inclusion.mi

Dei training: Online & consulting diversity equity inclusion training. Paradigm. (n.d.-a). He, G. (2023, December 11). 15 top dei companies to work with in 2024. teambuilding.com. https://teambuilding.com/blog/dei-companies

Our people and culture. BCG Global. (n.d.). https://www.bcg.com/about/people-culture

Programs and initiatives. Sodexo USA. (n.d.). https://us.sodexo.com/corporate-responsibility/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/programs-and-initiatives.html