How women in business promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace

1. Foster inclusion through women’s resource groups

“The significance of initiating and/or engaging in an existing women’s employee resource group, often referred to as circles, can play a vital role in fostering a supportive and inclusive work environment, not only for women but also for other underrepresented team members. These circles serve as a valuable platform where team members can connect, exchange experiences, and amplify each other’s voices. They create a space for learning, growth, and mutual support.

“In my capacity as a leader, I am also committed to serving as a mentor, as mentorship plays a pivotal role in helping individuals unlock their full potential and navigate their professional journeys. I’ve been fortunate to have many mentors throughout my career, and I pay this forward now by actively participating in mentorship programs offered by various women-in-business organizations. By contributing our own experiences and providing guidance and support, we can enable more women with opportunities to thrive and succeed.”

—Heidi Hauver

2. Ensure diversity in the interview process

“As a hiring manager, I only move to a subsequent stage of interviews once I have seen a diverse group of candidates. That is to say, even if the best candidate turn out to be a white male, I take time to interview women and people of color, if they come through as applicants.

“It’s worth noting that women typically wait to apply for a job until they believe they’re qualified. In my experience, men are more comfortable entering a career opportunity with only some of the desired qualifications and more confidence to learn on the job.”

—Morgan Jaros, Royal Private Wealth

3. Promote inclusion with flexible work options

“I’m proud to work on a diverse team with other powerful female leaders. Part of what’s helped us create a DEIB- (diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging) friendly culture is offering more flexible work options, including the scope to work from home. These options allow some underrepresented professionals, including parents, the opportunity to work without sacrificing their personal priorities.

“Whenever you can reduce the competition between personal and professional priorities, you even have the playing field for women (and other underrepresented groups) to seek out bigger and better roles.”

—Milly McEwan, RJ Living

4. Maintain a safe space through shared experiences

“In my HR leadership role, I have a significant impact on the culture our employees experience, and I am aware of that in every conversation I have with leadership and our employees. I create safe places by sharing not only my lived experience as a woman, mother, daughter, and spouse, but also as a white woman who has not experienced the same personal and professional challenges as my women of color peers. I let it be known that I am not the expert in the lived experience of others, and I am here to listen, learn, honor, and support.

“By modeling this behavior, without any initiative, proposal, or approval, I am able to create shifts that bring inclusion into the cultural norm, have equity ingrained in policy and practices, and experience diversity that is well represented by data, but isn’t fueled by it.”

—Brittany Brazell, Our Children’s Trust

5. Push for an equitable pay structure

“The other women in our office and I have strived to promote diversity and inclusion by pushing for an equitable and gender-inclusive pay structure. We did this by ensuring the company was more transparent in benchmarking salaries against external data. We also instituted a basic pay framework that outlines compensation and benefits in all job postings.

“Lastly, we now have a job evaluation platform to determine roles on a similar level and link them to a pay structure that’s equitable and inclusive. This last initiative has been the most successful as it’s increased transparency and made our company a better place to work!”
—Janet Patterson, Highway Title Loans

6. Make a business case for diversity

“As a Black woman, it is incredibly important that I promote diversity and equity in business. Diversity has become an almost taboo subject, and while I know that creating diverse teams is the right thing to do just because it is the right thing to do when making business decisions, I have to create a business case.

“Study after study has shown that diverse teams outperform homogeneous teams, so I stick to that data when I talk to leaders about casting a wider net to attract underrepresented candidates.

“Hiring managers tend to say they want to hire for merit and are often shocked when I agree. My question to them, however, is how do they know that they are getting the best and brightest candidate? Have they tapped into all parts of the talent pool, or are they just staying in the shallow end because it is safe and familiar? Creating exposure to those candidates has been extremely rewarding, as has being able to show the increase in results that diversity brings to the teams.”

—Tamica Sears, Sears Coaching

7. Innovate inclusion with reverse mentoring

“One program that has yielded outstanding results is what we call reverse mentoring. In a twist to traditional mentoring, we have younger female employees taking on the role of mentors to our senior-level executives. This allows fresh perspectives on issues like gender equality, diversity, and workplace inclusion to reach the highest levels of our organization. The beauty of the reverse mentoring program is that it turns the tables, enabling younger women to educate our seasoned executives about the unique challenges they face.”

—Ester Puleo, EnergyCasino

8. Create opportunities for neurodiverse women

“I focused on D&I in several ways when I worked in corporate, including making job descriptions and interview processes more equitable, and ensuring that everyone in the organization had access to multiple ways to contribute to meetings, activities, conversations, and feedback opportunities.

“Now in my own business, I work with women leaders with high sensory intelligence (a.k.a. high sensitivity—approximately 20 to 30% of the global population), ADHD, and other neurodiverse traits, individually and in groups. These are extremely bright, creative, intuitive, super-conscientious leaders who, because of their sensory processing sensitivity, tend to (among other traits) prioritize others over themselves and experience burnout more quickly and easily than others.

“Once they learn to embrace their superpowers, advocate for themselves, and start to thrive, they’re ideally positioned to create psychologically safe, inclusive workspaces in their own organizations.”

—Rachel Radway, RER Coaching

9. Cultivate a network of empathy and mentorship

“My passion has driven me to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and respected. Fostering a culture of empathy and understanding is one of the most successful efforts I’ve executed. This not only raises awareness, but also stimulates free dialogue, breaking down boundaries and misconceptions.

“In addition, I have developed a mentorship program within the company, partnering experienced employees with newcomers, with a particular emphasis on women and people from varied backgrounds. This mentorship program provides a supportive network, enabling female entrepreneurs to grow and attain their full potential.

“Through these programs and through ongoing dialogue, we are cultivating an accepting environment in which every individual, regardless of background or skills, can participate effectively. This strategy has not only improved our workplace culture, but also enhanced productivity and innovation, demonstrating the benefits of embracing diversity and inclusion.”

—Saskia Collins, Safelane Healthcare

About the Author

Post by: Brett Farmiloe

Brett Farmiloe is the founder and CEO of Featured, a platform where business leaders can answer questions related to their expertise and get published in articles featuring their insights.