Diversity and inclusion can’t just be lip service

Diversity and inclusion may be namechecked in the mission statements of most large organisations, but when it comes to its everyday execution, how do you embed it into company culture and not simply pay lip service to lofty goals?

Lorraine Roche, HR director at law firm Matheson, says she has seen huge change in terms of how firms approach D&I in the last couple of years. She believes there's been a change in the bells-and-whistles approach, with companies bringing it back to brass tacks.

“Certainly, D&I is finally on top of everyone’s agenda but people do just pay lip service to it and try to do everything in a big, bold way. But you have to look after the basics and ensure it is embedded into the firm’s culture. That’s what we firmly believe here.”

Matheson launched a new commitment to D&I at the beginning of this year, and she says this was an opportunity to define what that meant to them as a firm.

“Obviously, the whole area of D&I is vast so we decided that to do it properly we should see what’s important to our employees and focus on that as a priority.” This led to the identification of six pillars of Matheson’s D&I commitment: generational, family, gender, LGBTQ+, multiculturalism and social mobility, and disability. Underpinning all of this is an ongoing commitment to mental health, adds Roche.

“D&I has to be everyone’s responsibility, so we invited people to become ambassadors for each pillar and they will be the spokesperson for their team when it comes to discussing D&I plans and initiatives,” she explains. Matheson also recently hired in a dedicated D&I resource, which Roche says has been a fantastic addition.

Walking the walk

Global pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb is another example of a company walking the walk when it comes to diversity and inclusion, with a number of initiatives designed to ensure D&I is an inherent part of company culture.

According to HR lead Louise Prendergast, it’s not simply about having an inclusive hiring policy – she says the organisation is committed to ensuring every employee in the organisation is mindful of D&I in their everyday work.

“As a leadership team, we track how diverse and inclusive we are across the site and departments – this is in terms of teams, open roles and hiring as well as employee retention and attrition.”

This ensures management is always aware of areas of the business that might need some attention with regards to D&I, she adds.

BMS also has a number of people and business resource groups (PBRGs), which serve to support the business objectives, career advancement and development needs of employees. These include B-NOW (Bristol-Myers Squibb Network of Women), DAWN (Differently-Abled Workplace Network) and LGBTA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Allies). Employee volunteers – as well as senior management – align themselves closely with a particular group.

“At BMS Ireland, our PBRGs have volunteer members across our three locations of Shannon, Cruiserath and Plaza, each of which have a huge influence in terms of site engagement and events,” says Prendergast.

In 2018, BMS launched the POSSIBILITY Lives campaign globally; according to Prendergast, this behavioural and communications initiative aims to help shape a culture of inclusion using ground-breaking science, habit formation and specific actions directly tied to the BMS behaviours. “Employees are encouraged to adopt habits in order to create a more inclusive environment,” she explains.

To do D&I in a half-hearted way is to do all employees a disservice, both women agree.

“If it’s going to be embedded into the strategic goals of the business, it has to be part of the culture. This feeds into everything – for example, in meetings, we encourage diversity of ideas, diversity of thought, etc,” says Roche.

“At BMS we encourage our people to look through the lens of inclusivity at all times,” adds Prendergast.