Organizations committed to positive change in today’s working culture are taking action-oriented steps toward better diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Diversity in the workplace is already a familiar concept to forward-thinking companies. But in recent years, increased awareness around social exclusions faced by people from marginalized backgrounds has prompted the term “equity” to be at the forefront of conversations around diversity and inclusion.

As business leaders continue to strategize how to foster a culture of belonging among their employees, they must add the idea of workplace equity to their leadership toolkit.

In this article, we’ll discuss the meaning of equity, why it’s important and how you can build an equitable working environment for your employees.

Workplace equity is the concept of providing fair opportunities for all of your employees based on their individual needs. Before we dive into the details of what this looks like in practice,  let's run through a couple of important definitions.

Although equity and equality sound similar, they are not synonymous. To properly plan for a more equitable workplace, it's important to have a strong understanding of how these terms differ.

Equality seeks to provide all employees with access to the same resources, regardless of the pre-existing barriers they may face. This can refer to an equal distribution of money, resources or opportunities between workers at a similar level. 

Equality is in many ways a beneficial concept that can push company culture in the right direction. However, it often fails to address problems of underrepresentation or an unfair status quo.

Equity is distinct from equality in that it doesn’t provide the same resources and opportunities to everyone. With equity, an organization will recognize that each employee has varying access to resources and privileges. And those with less access may need more support to take fair advantage of opportunities within a given company.

Equity can be complicated to demonstrate in the workplace. This is because what constitutes fair and equitable treatment is often subjective and unique to the experiences of every individual employee.

However, an organization can show equity in the workplace by first recognizing this reality. Fostering an equitable workplace begins with cultivating a safe environment that allows for open discussion and understanding. We’ll talk more about specific steps to take towards equity in the next section.

Equity in the workplace is about “leveling the playing field,” and giving every employee the unique resources they need to have access to opportunities at a given organization. Here are a few ways you can implement a practice of equity within your company.

Here are seven examples of how you can enable an equitable working environment.

There's no surefire method for accurately measuring equity in the workplace, which makes it challenging to know the impact of your efforts. A common tactic for understanding the state of equity in your organization is through employee satisfaction surveys or net promoter scores (NPS).

Here's an example of some survey questions you can include that specifically speak to equity:

Additionally, it's important to collaborate closely with your people management team and train them on how to have open conversations about DEI with their direct reports. Managers are in a unique position to build trust with their teams and solicit honest feedback.

Equity, the practice of meeting the unique needs of individual employees, is a vital concept for today’s workforce. Implementing equitable actions in your organization has the potential to change the lives of your employees and affect positive change in the wider world.

Ready to take greater action on DEI? Download this free diversity presentation template to access industry benchmarks, project roadmaps and other useful tools to power your DEI strategy forward.