Written by: Chelsea on November 29, 2023
We’re seeing more and more businesses switching on to the need to prioritise equity, diversion and inclusion (EDI). It’s a positive, exciting time as momentum builds across industries. But that doesn’t stop it from feeling like an overwhelming undertaking sometimes, especially for smaller businesses without full time resources to commit.
It’s not easy to know where to start or how to direct efforts at the most meaningful, impactful areas inside and outside the business. It can also leave those responsible feeling worried about only generating limited progress towards their overarching EDI ambition and vision.
But effective EDI doesn’t have to be about seismic change in one fell swoop. Businesses of all shapes and sizes can move their individual dial, at a scale that’s right for them.
We’ve been working with Don’t be Shy for around two years, and their EDI journey is one worth looking at to see how small changes really can make a big difference. They came to us with the ambition to diversify their talent pipeline, and to formalise policies that they hoped would build a more inclusive culture.
They took a few simple steps with us to begin with:
You’ll see from these simple steps that the beginning of the journey didn’t need to be too taxing. A few simple initiatives worked wonders in terms of internal engagement and knowledge building, and did something worthwhile to build community value.
From there, it’s been a case of regular check-ins and objective updates, and the business has seen some quite impressive results already – an improvement score of 76% in just two years!
Our latest work with Don’t be Shy has been to create a research report about the connection between gender equality and sustainability. An important topic, and one close to our hearts at InnovateHer, but one that’s relatively unknown and unexplored on the corporate agenda.
You can now download the full report here – and enjoy all its insight into EDI tensions and successes!