Diversity and inclusion are critical talent and growth issues for organizations around the world, impacting everything from productivity to profitability. An area impacted by diversity and inclusion that is perhaps often overlooked, however, is safety.
During a recent webinar presented by the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), panelists discussed how safety directors can help ensure that all workers feel welcome, appreciated and accepted, and how that engagement can help improve an organization's overall performance. And, in light of recent world events, there may be no better time to make diversity and inclusion a focal point of your organization.
"It's really important to recognize that over the past several months, the world has shifted," said Jennifer McNelly, CEO of ASSP. "We're responding to a public health crisis and an economic crisis, [as well as] a shift in civil society and the advancement of the Black Lives Matter movement. It's important to understand the impact all of these facets have on the opportunity to strengthen diversity and inclusion."
The panelists first explained the difference between diversity and inclusion, and how one builds a pathway to the other.
A diverse workplace is one that acknowledges people have different identities and experiences, and with those often come different perspectives. However, workplace diversity is not necessarily enough to create an environment where difference is respected and valued -- to get there, a workplace needs to be inclusive.
Inclusion is achieved when those differences are brought to bear in ways that foster an environment in which the advantage of different perspectives is used to address specific problems. In short, diversity leads to inclusion, and inclusion leads to improved operations.
"It's really important to think about risk on the individual level," said Lindsay Bell, regional health and safety manager for Solvay. "When we're talking about inclusion, especially from the perspective of a woman in safety, a lot of the time our controls and the ways we protect people are geared toward men. They're geared toward people 6 inches taller than me or who are much bigger than me.
"We need to think about how to make things work for everyone, or make them adjustable for everyone."
The difference between "equality" and "equity" should also be taken into account by workplaces looking to diversify their workforce. While workplace equality assumes that all employees should be given identical resources, equity involves distributing resources based on the needs of the recipients. While equality seems like an admirable goal for an organization, equity is what should be strived for, as different groups with different backgrounds and experiences may be in need of different toolsets to help them achieve the optimal level of work performance.
While there is no one path to achieving workplace equity - different organizations will have varied demographics and therefore must pursue unique solutions - it's important that company leadership puts time into understanding the needs of its workers.
All of these points are crucial to safety professionals because when employees feel included and their perspectives are valued, they feel much more comfortable expressing concerns so that positive change can occur. If they don't feel their opinions will be valued, safety personnel will miss countless opportunities to institute positive change.
