Inclusion, Diversity and Equality: What’s the Difference?

You’ve no doubt heard the terms equality, diversity and inclusion – they’re commonly-discussed topics that provoke a great deal of discussion, for good reason. However, they’re also shrouded with a degree of confusion. For example, the terms are often used interchangeably – but there are important differences between the three concepts that should be noted.

As we know, definitions matter. In order to appropriately protect and prioritise equality, diversity and inclusion, we need to know what they are. In this guide, we’ll explore the definitions of equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I), what they mean for your organisation and culture and how you can begin to measure inclusion, diversity and equality.

What is Diversity at Work?

Let’s start with the idea of diversity. A diverse workplace is becoming increasingly important when it comes to recruitment and retention, with 83% of Generation Z candidates saying a company’s commitment to diversity plays a key role when choosing an employer. Neglecting diversity could ultimately cost you valuable, top-performing employees and ruin your company’s reputation in the long run.

In essence, diversity means including, and involving, people from diverse backgrounds. In the workplace, diversity can apply to colleagues of different races, ethnicities and cultures. Being diverse can also apply to other aspects of an individual, such as age, gender, religion and disability. 

It’s important to note that diversity extends beyond how people look and sound – known as non-visible characteristics. Such characteristics include sexual orientation, education, socio-economic background and neurodivergence.  

A truly diverse environment, in fact, is one where people of different backgrounds, identities and abilities gain respect and experience interactions free from bias. Diversity, furthermore, is something to be celebrated and valued and is proven to have a positive impact on aspects of business performance.  

At People Insight, we measure our diversity through an employee’s ability to be their true self at work. Below, we’ll explore how to reliably and accurately measure diversity in the workplace.

Introducing a D&I programme? Read our article: Building the business case for diversity

What is Equality at Work?

Once you are comfortable with the concept of diversity, it is important to then look at what we mean by equality, often referred to as equal opportunity. Workplace equity stems from treating employees without discrimination.  

Very simply, equality means making sure that everyone has access to equal job opportunities and equal pay. Equality at work removes barriers, ensuring fair and equal opportunities to work, develop, learn and grow. Equality is not only fair, but necessary according to law. It’s illegal to treat people unfairly because of reasons protected by discrimination law as laid out in The Equality Act 2010. This list of protected characteristics includes:

• Disability
• Age
• Gender
• Race
• Sex
• Sexual orientation
• Religion or beliefs
• Marriage and civil partnership
• Pregnancy and maternity
• Gender reassignment

At People Insight, we measure equality through an employee’s perceived ability to succeed at work.  

 Workplace Equity vs Equality

Just as there is a degree of confusion surrounding the difference between inclusion, diversity and equality, there is a certain amount of uncertainty when it comes to how equality differs from equity in the workplace.

Both equity and equality promote fairness. However, equality achieves this by treating everyone the same, whereas equity does so by treating people differently depending on their needs. Put another way, equality is the act of ensuring that everyone working at your organisation gets the same opportunities for success. However, there are circumstances where not everyone is at the same level due to race, gender, income, sexuality or another defining factor. Some groups or individuals require more treatment and support to get them to an even playing field.

Equity is more of a holistic approach, putting into place measures that take into account various needs and requirements and, with them in mind, permitting the opportunity to truly achieve equality. It can be argued that in order to truly achieve equality, equity is needed to give everyone the same chance of getting there.

As activist DeRay Mckesson says:

“The difference between equity and equality is that equality is everyone gets the same thing and equity is everyone gets the things they deserve.” 

How Can We Define Inclusion in the Workplace?

Inclusion, on the other hand, involves creating an environment where everyone feels valued and welcome, with the ability to contribute. Inclusion is typically seen as an organisational effort that provides individuals with a sense of belonging and promotes working inclusively. This concept puts emphasis on the way people feel. 

An inclusive culture, in essence, is one where employees feel that there are no barriers to being open and true to themselves. The goal is for employees to feel a sense of involvement and the ability to contribute to company-wide discussions and projects.  

For diversity and inclusion to be successful within your organisation, you must understand that diversity without inclusion is useless, especially when the voices from diverse groups are not heard. Rather, data has confirmed the reality that when creating a diverse workplace, extra care and action needs to be taken to create a more welcoming, inclusive place of work.

As Robert F. Smith puts it,

“You have to create a workforce process and a workforce environment that makes people feel not just invited to the party, but also asked to dance.”

At People Insight, we measure inclusion in the workplace through the employee’s sense of belonging. 

What’s the Difference Between Inclusion, Diversity and Equality?

So to summarise, the difference between equality, diversity, and inclusion is that equality means making sure everyone can access the same opportunities, whereas diversity means valuing the differences between people and inclusion is a measure of how safe and welcome people feel in their environment.

The difference between diversity, equity and inclusion is significant and important to recognise. By understanding these, you can build more diverse and inclusive workplaces and create a culture where everyone feels connected, involved and respected.

Let’s delve more into why inclusion, diversity and equality are important, how we can improve them within our organisations and how we can appropriately and accurately measure them.

Why Are Inclusion, Diversity and Equality Important?

We know that on a human level, it’s important to prioritise and cater to inclusion, diversity and equality – but what are the real business benefits? According to the CIPD Inclusion at Work 2022 report, despite the increasing media focus on inclusion and equality, and how important a diverse environment is to jobseekers, only 30% of employers say that their leaders are committed to cultivating an inclusive and diverse workforce. This is short-sighted for a number of reasons, not least because equality, diversity and inclusion can help to:

• Prevent legal issues arising relating to bullying, discrimination and harassment
• Keep employees happy, motivated and engage
• Improve problem-solving and innovation
• Attract and retain top performers
• Promote overall business success (Research suggests that diverse companies are 35% more likely to perform better)

How to Improve Inclusion, Diversity and Equality at Your Workplace

Understanding the value of improving diversity, inclusion and equality is one thing, but taking steps to actively improve them is another. While we could create a whole guide on this topic alone, below are just a few measures for you and your business to put in place to prioritise ED&I:

1. Establish a clear commitment: Start by developing a strong diversity and inclusion policy that outlines your organisation’s commitment to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace. This policy should be clearly communicated to all employees. Most importantly, leadership should demonstrate their support for diversity and inclusion initiatives, further demonstrating how ED&I is a core value for your company.
2. Foster a culture of inclusion: Encourage open dialogue and create a safe space where employees can express their ideas and perspectives without fear of discrimination (in this way, your business is also making clear its dedication to psychological safety). Emphasise the value of diversity and promote a culture that celebrates differences. Encourage teamwork and collaboration across diverse teams.
3. Provide diversity training: Conduct regular diversity and inclusion training sessions for all employees. These sessions can raise awareness about unconscious biases, provide education on different cultures and identities and promote understanding and empathy among colleagues.
4. Recruit and retain diverse talent: It all starts with recruitment. Starting today, implement inclusive recruitment and hiring practices to attract a diverse pool of candidates. Establish partnerships with organisations that focus on underrepresented groups to broaden your talent pool. Review your job descriptions to ensure they are inclusive and do not contain biassed language. You could also focus on retaining diverse talent by providing mentorship programs, advancement opportunities and fair compensation.
5. Create employee resource groups (ERGs): Establish ERGs that bring together employees with shared identities or interests. These groups provide a platform for employees to connect, support each other, and provide feedback to the organisation. ERGs can also contribute to business initiatives by offering insights on specific communities and fostering a sense of belonging.
6. Review policies and practices: It’s not good enough to simply introduce policies – you need to review them periodically to assess their effectiveness. Take the time to periodically assess your policies and practices to identify any biases or barriers to inclusion. For example, review your promotion and performance evaluation processes to ensure fairness and transparency. Consider implementing flexible work arrangements and accommodations for employees with diverse needs.
7. Encourage leadership representation: Strive for diverse representation in leadership positions. When employees see individuals from underrepresented groups in positions of authority, it sends a powerful message about the organisation’s commitment to inclusion and equality. Actively support and develop diverse talent to help them advance into leadership roles.
8. Measure and track progress: Set diversity and inclusion goals and regularly measure and track your progress. Collect data on diversity metrics, such as employee demographics and representation at different levels, and use this information to identify areas for improvement. In the following section, we’ll further discuss how to measure ED&I using employee surveys.
9. Seek external partnerships: Collaborate with external organisations and experts in diversity and inclusion to gain insights, share best practices, and participate in industry-wide initiatives. Engage in community outreach and support initiatives that promote diversity and equality.

How Can You Measure Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I)?

Best practice assessments of how employees are feeling are typically done via anonymous surveys. An Equality, Diversity and Inclusion survey gives an accurate picture of how inclusive and fair people feel your culture is, why they feel like this and what you can do to improve things. It also tells you how the experience differs between your chosen demographic groups. 

People Insight’s organisational psychologists have designed a set of diversity and inclusion survey questions to assess Equality, Diversity & Inclusion. These questions apply to organisations of all sizes and sectors. You can also adapt them to suit your organisation. For example, to align with your D&I strategy; measure a specific aspect or develop a baseline to track progress from. 

 Diversity and Inclusion surveys are based on People Insight’s BELONG model. Learn how BELONG could help you measure D&I at work. 

Survey questions to measure equality, diversity and inclusion

People Insight recommend using quantitative and qualitative diversity and inclusion survey questions to understand how employees experience your workplace culture and highlight priority areas for action.  

Quantitative diversity and inclusion survey questions could include the following questions, to be answered using a Likert scale:   

• People with backgrounds like mine are able to succeed here.  
• If I raised a concern, I feel confident that I would be treated fairly and taken seriously.
• Everyone here has an equal opportunity to develop. 

To provide space for employee comments and suggestions, we also recommend including 1-2 open-text questions in your ED&I survey. For example, you might ask: 

• What types of behaviour or acts make you feel included? 
• What do you like about the company culture and what do you wish you could change? 

Fast and Flexible Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) Surveys

People Insight helps organisations of all sizes and sectors measure inclusion, diversity and equality and use the insights to create a more inclusive workplace. 

Fast and flexible D&I surveys  

• Real-time actionable employee survey results in our easy-to-use dashboard so your organisation can rapidly respond to feedback.  

Pivot between all your survey insights in one platform  

• Assess your organisation’s health effortlessly including Engagement, Diversity and Inclusion, Wellbeing or other ad hoc surveys from the People Insight Platform. 

If you’re looking to carry out employee surveys to measure and track your levels of inclusion, diversity and equality, People Insight can help you. Get in touch today to discuss your needs.