“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences”. Famous African American feminist poet Audrey Lorde published this powerful quote in 1984. The quote couldn’t be more relevant and crucial today.
October is Global Diversity Awareness Month, and it’s a great time to understand some of the critical building blocks of a truly inclusive workplace. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are not just popular buzzwords but, if understood correctly, are cornerstones of a thriving work environment.
Let’s understand them briefly:
- Diversity
Diversity encompasses a range of areas where individuals are different – age, sex, ethnicity, race, and sexual orientation. We cannot change these aspects of ourselves.
- Equity
Equity and equality are not the same. Equity is a step beyond equality. It refers to an environment where everyone gets the resources and support to meet their unique needs. This enables them to access the same opportunities as everyone else.
- Inclusion
An environment of inclusion is where everyone thrives and feels included, valued, and respected. It means creating a space that enables and encourages everyone to bring their authentic selves to work.
Ethnically and culturally diverse organizations have proven to:
- Create innovative solutions
- Showcase better team performance
- Improve decision making
DEI-sta
Building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace and technology is a core commitment at Dista. Being a platform company with a suite of location intelligence products, the leadership at Dista understands and acknowledges DEI’s social impact and business benefits.
We have launched an official program called ‘DEI-sta,’ which aims to create an equitable work environment with diverse perspectives and an inclusive product and workplace culture. DEI-sta stands for building Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Software, Teams, and Alliances. Under the purview of DEI-sta, we keep a weekly watch on key metrics to influence our program goals.
We are also committed to raising awareness within the company on various aspects of diversity, establishing key differences between equality and equity, and why we are committed to the latter. Our main aim is to build inclusivity in the fabric of our workplace and our tech platform.
GoD+ess – a self-driven community of ‘Girls of Dista and the Extended Social Sphere’ is focussed on the women employees and women in the partner, vendor, and customer circle of the company as also has under its fold the women members of our employees’ families. The GoD+ess community often meets for workshops and sessions like #IAmRemarkable workshops and Women’s Day celebrations, among other engaging and inspiring sessions.
A key focus of DEI strategy should be educating and teaching your employees critical skills for cross-cultural interaction. Afterall, only being aware of cultural differences is not enough, to be better colleagues and allies; it is critical to know and do the right things.
