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👋🏽 Hey there, friends! It’s time we talk about moving beyond surface-level diversity efforts within organizations. Let’s dive into how we can create meaningful diversity within our organizations.

What is Tokenism?

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Tokenism is when organizations seek to create the illusion of diversity by promoting token individuals to represent groups within the organization. These efforts can include one-off events, photo ops, or selecting token individuals simply to check a box of diversity initiatives, but these efforts lack meaningful action towards creating true diversity.

A piece of jigsaw puzzle, with a single puzzle piece that's brightly colored

Understanding True Diversity

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True diversity is about actively seeking inclusion and equity for all members of your organization, regardless of their background. It’s about creating opportunities and environments where everyone can succeed, regardless of their race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, or any other factor.

People of different races, genders, and cultures working together and celebrating diversity

Create a Safe and Inclusive Workplace

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Creating a safe and inclusive workplace means taking action to make sure everyone feels valued and respected. This includes creating policies that prevent discrimination, harassment, and bias, as well as creating an environment where individuals feel comfortable speaking up when needed.

A diverse group of coworkers, all smiling and laughing together

Diversify Your Hiring Process

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Diversifying your hiring process means going beyond traditional recruitment methods, such as job postings, to reach a wider range of potential candidates. This can include developing relationships with diverse organizations, such as those focused on minorities, or actively seeking out diverse candidates through social media channels

A job fair booth with a diverse group of people, all networking and chatting with potential employers

Prioritize Diversity in Leadership

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Diversity in leadership is crucial because it creates role models, cultivates more diverse opinions and perspectives, and generally leads to a more inclusive culture. Prioritize diversity in hiring managers and executive leaders, and implement training programs to help them understand and support diversity efforts within the company.

A diverse group of executives in a meeting room, collaborating and sharing ideas

Learn From Mistakes

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When mistakes happen, it’s important to learn from them. Acknowledge the areas where you weren’t able to create meaningful diversity, and use that as an opportunity to reflect and adjust your diversity and inclusion efforts. This helps to create a more inclusive culture that continually grows and improves.

An individual looking back at a previous mistake, and then using it to inform their decision-making process

Conclusion

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Creating true diversity and inclusion in the workplace takes time and dedication, but it’s an important step towards creating a better world. Use these tips to move beyond tokenism and create a workplace culture where everyone feels valued and respected.

A diverse workplace, all gathered together in celebration of their team's successes

That’s it for now, folks! We hope you found this helpful – feel free to leave any additional tips in the comments below. 👇🏽