EDI Challenges for Managers

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI; also known as DEI) is vital because organizations are made of people, each with unique needs that should shape decision-making and strategy. Thriving businesses that want to outperform competitors and exceed objectives must weave EDI into everything they do.

I help businesses to make inclusion an automatic, integral part of how they operate, moving beyond tokenistic actions. Organizations that want to outperform the competition, meet the needs of their customers and exceed their strategic objectives should have EDI built into everything that their people do.

This article will explore some of the challenges that managers I’ve observed have when it comes to EDI. It will cover what hasn’t worked, and practical approaches you can take to lead with EDI at the forefront of your mind, enabling you to build it in as a core part of how your team operates.

How Do I Have Conversations About EDI With My Team?

Let’s take a look at some of the common challenges that leaders and managers face when it comes to EDI in their organization and teams.

Feeling the Fear

Many leaders find themselves paralyzed with fear about saying or doing the wrong thing when it comes to EDI. This makes them hold off from doing anything because they’re afraid they might cause offense. Even worse, they feel that they might create more work for themselves by trying to drive EDI, and then discovering that their teams feel that the organization isn’t truly committed to it. Here’s the rub, though; if we avoid things because they make us uncomfortable, they’ll continue to be uncomfortable.

What to Do

Do it anyway. Leading on EDI starts with you. Successful organizations know that leadership means modeling inclusion, even if you do it imperfectly. If you’re not from a marginalized group, your voice is even more crucial. People often listen to those they identify with. Most power lies with dominant cultures, so your influence can catalyze change. It might not feel fair, but you have the power to drive inclusion. Use it effectively to create the change you want to see.

Not Knowing How to Start

Many leaders I work with say that they don’t know where to start in implementing EDI, or how to know what their people want from them. The thing is, until you ask, how will you know?

What to Do

Not all employees feel safe sharing feedback, especially those from marginalized groups. I remember the anxiety of speaking up about unequal treatment. That’s why leaders must provide varied and safe ways for employees to share their experiences. Try the following:

Allow employees to share insights without fear of being identified or judged.

Dedicate time to discuss both performance and personal experiences, leaving room for open, constructive feedback.

Engage external facilitators to create safe spaces for honest conversations about EDI challenges and opportunities.

How Do I Address Unconscious Bias?

Unconscious bias is made up of the automatic and intuitive preferences or prejudices we hold toward particular groups. These are often shaped by our upbringing and environment. Daniel Kahneman’s System 1 and System 2 theory explains it perfectly. Our brains rely on fast, automatic processes (System 1) that can perpetuate biases unless consciously challenged by slower, rational thinking (System 2). [1]

What to Do

Address unconscious bias by following these steps:

1. Acknowledge it. Accepting that we all have biases allows us to remove blame from the picture and focus on negating them. Recognizing them is the first step toward retraining our brains and unlearning harmful patterns.
2. Expand your circle. Look at your professional and social networks. If everyone in your circle looks like you or shares the same background, it’s time to widen your horizons. Engaging with people from different walks of life challenges stereotypes and broadens perspectives.
3. Challenge your thoughts and behaviors. Examine how your biases may influence your perceptions or interactions. For example, are you labeling someone as “lazy” based on a stereotype rather than an isolated incident? Awareness helps us avoid reinforcing harmful narratives. [2]

Change starts with us, and if we are able to do the uncomfortable work of challenging our own biases, we’ll develop the tools and confidence to recognize and challenge them in our teams too.

Ensuring Inclusion in Recruitment, Retention and Progression

I entered the EDI space to help create workplaces where people from all backgrounds could reach their full potential. My lived experience has shown me the barriers that exist in recruitment, retention and career progression, and how leadership diversity, or a lack of it, plays a major role.

What to Do

To overcome these challenges, it’s important for leaders to embed representation and inclusion throughout the employee lifecycle:

Recruitment

Ensuring inclusion in recruitment is essential to building a fair and equitable workplace. Here are some strategies to consider:

Remove names and ages from resumés to reduce unconscious bias at the application stage, leveling the playing field for all candidates.

Ensure that recruitment panels are diverse, and not just in gender. This enables interviewees to have a fair chance at being recruited into roles that might previously have recruited people from the same traditional backgrounds.

Retention

Retaining employees is as important as recruiting them. Here are some key practices to enhance retention:

Pair employees from marginalized backgrounds with mentors who can support their growth and provide a safe space for them to voice concerns.

Inclusion requires intention and action. For example, think inclusively when arranging team activities, to accommodate different cultural and personal preferences.

Career Progression

Career progression is a cornerstone of employee satisfaction and organizational success. By adopting inclusive practices, leaders can ensure that opportunities for advancement are equitable and reflective of diverse talents. Consider these strategies for fostering inclusive career growth:

According to McKinsey, meritocracy-based approaches to career progression increase retention. [3] Involving diverse leaders in decisions about career progression within your team, is a great way to ensure that meritocracy leads those decisions.

Join panels or discussions about career progression to ensure diverse perspectives are represented, especially if yours is missing.

How Can I Gauge Effectiveness and Impact?

In 2022/23, U.K. public sector organizations spent over £557 million on EDI roles. [4] The private sector spend isn’t as publicly known, but I assume it’s significant. It’s therefore important for us to understand the effectiveness of our approach to EDI within our own organizations.

Here are three immediate ways to evaluate your organization’s approach to EDI:

1. Look at your team. Does it reflect the society you operate in and the customers you serve? Representation is a good starting point for assessing inclusivity.
2. Ask your team. Dedicate time in team meetings to gather feedback on recent EDI initiatives. Were they impactful? Did they feel authentic? Listening to your team’s experiences will provide valuable insights.
3. Review the results. Examine your organization’s EDI policies and commitments. Use your team as a case study to measure success against goals like diverse recruitment or retention targets.

In Summary

Leaders, especially those that might be new to management, can feel like their impact is limited when it comes to progressing EDI within their organizations. The truth is that it takes every single one of us to drive real inclusive change that sticks. I hope that this article has you feeling empowered to effect change in the spaces you take up.

Let's Act

As a manager, one immediate step you can take is to initiate open conversations about EDI within your team. Begin by dedicating time in your next team meeting to discuss inclusion and equity, sharing your commitment to these principles. Ask your team open-ended questions like:

• What does an inclusive workplace mean to you?
• How can we better support each other to create a sense of belonging?

Encourage honest dialogue and ensure everyone has an opportunity to contribute. Make it clear that feedback is valued and will guide your actions. By starting this conversation, you set the tone for a more inclusive and engaged team culture.

About Me

I am an Inclusion Strategist and Coach with more than 15 years of experience and lived experience of marginalization. I identify as Black, a woman, a breast cancer survivor and someone who was raised in a family from a lower socio-economic background. I’ve seen first-hand how embedding EDI enhances engagement, performance and retention. While many organizations understand the "why," few truly build EDI into their DNA.