'To sit back and say, 'We're done enough' is an absolute mistake'
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are all part of Australia's DNA.
This is according to Mary-Beth Hosking, DEI advocate and founder of Quantum Transformation, as she underscored the importance of maintaining DEI programmes and policies in Australian organisations.
"We are a multicultural country. DEI is in our DNA," Hosking told HRD. "To sit back and say: 'No, we've done enough' or 'We're not going to do any more' is an absolute mistake."
She made the remarks amid recent global developments on DEI, particularly in the United States, where organisations are scaling back or retiring their initiatives due to a shifting legal landscape.
Some of these organisations include Accenture, Amazon, Meta, Walmart, McDonald's, among others.
"Cutting down these DEI initiatives globally, I find this incredibly concerning," Hosking said. "I think that we are actually going to be taking steps backward. We've made such headway, but we have such a long way to go."
Hosking noted that Australia follows trends in the United States, so there is potential that firms across the country might follow the American footsteps when it comes to DEI. But she warned that eliminating DEI efforts in Australian workplaces will have consequences, as these policies bring a variety of benefits for organisations.
"Diversity, equity, and inclusion across the board in organisations across Australia, regardless of size, will always bring improved innovation and creativity," Hosking said. "With that diverse workforce, you just get a greater range of perspectives, a greater range of learned experience, lived experience."
She stressed that DEI initiatives will also deliver increased productivity.
"Inclusive workplaces foster greater collaboration, people talking, sharing their lived experience. So therefore, it can foster greater productivity."
Throwing out all DEI measures in place will make the talent pool much smaller, according to Hosking, and will limit what organisations can do and who they can hire.
"So, if we really wanted to make sure that you have access to this amazing talent pool in this multicultural country that we live in, you need to have these DEI processes in place and these initiatives must increase," she said.
There is also a risk of potentially driving away a diverse customer base when DEI efforts are cut, warned Hosking.
"If customers cannot see themselves in the way that a retailer hires or the way that they promote their organisation, then are they more likely to buy from you or to buy from somewhere that they feel understands them and their specific needs?" Hosking said.
Overall, cutting down on diversity will jeopardise a company's performance.
"There is a great deal of diversity that we do need to be tapping into because if we don't, then they can kiss stronger financial performance away because research consistently shows that the more diverse your teams are, the better they are at decision making, the better they are at problem solving, the better they are at profitable value creation," she explained.
Diversity in the context of workplaces does not just refer to gender, according to Hosking.
"Diversity is much bigger than that," she said. "We're talking about neurodiversity. We are talking about gender diversity. We are talking about intersectionality. We're talking about so much more than just women versus men."
Hosking stressed that meeting targets is just one step, as making sure that DEI policies are sustainable is just as important.
"If you've done it, how are you going to maintain it? Because it's not just enough to get the individuals into your organisation, you need to retain those individuals," she said.
"Inclusivity is about having something for everyone, right? Everyone has an opportunity to succeed. That's what inclusivity is talking about. It doesn't talk about: 'Oh, you need to hire somebody because they are female.'"
Maintaining DEI initiatives in the wake of an increasingly hostile environment against such measures can be difficult. Hosking, however, said scepticism or pushback against these initiatives can be answered with education.
"It's easy for people to feel skeptical. It's easy for them to feel like there's that preferential treatment, but you use data. Data to back up what it is that you're saying."
"If you're an HR leader, you're the head of people and culture, you need to use data because if you're speaking to a CEO, that's what they're going to respond to. They need to have your data behind you," she said.
"We need to make sure our DEI goals really align with our organisations' goals, our vision, and our mission. We need to link DEI to that. And if we link DEI to it, then it's just part of our DNA."
