Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (also known as DEI) in the workplace is fortunately not a brand new concept to most companies, but it can be a challenging field to navigate as it continues to evolve.
It’s no longer enough for a company to simply release a statement on its stance against racism, sexism, ageism, etc. It’s not enough to write a check to your local philanthropic organization. Supporting DEI activities is no longer seen as solely an HR competency that’s discussed at annual HR conferences.
Diversity and inclusion efforts are a necessary & vital piece of a successful company culture that fosters equality amongst all employees. You can partner with a company like Bambee to help you create a more inclusive working environment.
A robust DEI program should extend beyond recruiting a diverse workforce and mandatory corporate training programs. Great DEI activities help bring your DEI pillars to life. Rather than reading about the importance of diversity and inclusion, employees are able to experience the significance of DEI in action.
Free bonus: Download the 11 Diversity & Inclusion Statistics That Will Change How You Do Business. If your leadership team or key stakeholders need a bit of a nudge, this fact sheet showcases some of the most compelling D&I statistics around.
Alex Gorsky, CEO of Johnson & Johnson, stated that,
“The best innovations can only come if our people reflect the world’s full diversity of individuals, opinions, and approaches.” This inclusive mindset has a direct impact on not only the culture of a company but its revenue potential as well.
In a McKinsey & Company DEI report, they found that “companies in the top quartile of gender diversity on executive teams were 25 percent more likely to experience above-average profitability than peer companies in the fourth quartile.”
Additionally, when it came to ethnic and cultural diversity, they saw a similar spike in profitability. Companies in the top quartile outperformed those in the fourth as it relates to profitability by 36%.
With the rise in hybrid and remote work, it can be harder than ever to host diversity and inclusion exercises for your teams. Don’t worry– we’re here to help you navigate how to host fun and useful DEI activities both in person and virtually!
Before we share our favorite diversity activities, let’s first define the components of DEI and just what exactly DEI activities are.
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What are Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Activities?
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Activities (or DEI activities for short) are exercises you can do with your team to promote a workplace culture that values every employee’s unique individuality while also creating a sense of acceptance and belonging.
While diversity, equity, and inclusion are related concepts, they do have their own distinct definitions and values.
- Diversity in the workplace means your workforce is made up of people of different races, genders, ethnic groups, sexual orientations, ages, religions, and additional background factors.
- Equity in the workplace means all employees are treated in a fair and just way. A crucial part of equity is ensuring that every individual employee has what they need to succeed and opportunities to do so.
- Inclusion in the workplace means creating an environment where groups who may have been historically excluded due to gender, race, sexuality, etc., are actively included and valued for their different perspectives.
It’s critical that all three of these concepts are embedded in your company culture and goals.
Now that we understand what DEI is and what DEI activities are, let’s talk about 11 tangible ways you can bring valuable DEI activities to your team!
List of Diversity and Inclusion Activities For Your Team
1) Support DEI Mission-Driven Brands
Supporting brands with a DEI focus is an easy way to begin implementing a DEI initiative at your company. Consider partnering with a black-founded brand or a corporate wellness company that compliments your DEI efforts.
What this diversity activity supports: This DEI activity helps to uplift minority brands who may have been overlooked or are struggling to compete against larger, more established companies and fosters an inclusive workplace.
Tip: Create a diversity and inclusion moment during a meeting by encouraging your team to share 1 of their favorite brands, companies, or products that are either minority-owned or pushing DEI efforts forward in an impactful way.
➤ How to do this DEI activity in person: Stock the break room with diverse brands of all shapes and sizes. There are tons of delicious snacks out there that are healthy to boot!
➤ How to do this DEI activity virtually: Send employees the Amplify Gift Box, which includes exciting products from emerging companies that are women, black, or people of color founded brands.
2) Find Out How Employees Feel
This may seem like an obvious step in launching a DEI project or initiative, but it’s often overlooked. You want to ensure that the roadmap and activities planned are meeting your team’s needs and expectations. It’s also important to set milestone check-ins with your employees to gauge the effectiveness of your diversity and inclusion exercises and overall employee satisfaction levels with the larger DEI initiative.
What this diversity activity supports: Finding out how your employees feel creates a happy workplace where every employee has the opportunity to voice their unique perspectives.
Tip: Don’t limit this practice only to DEI. Gather feedback from your team on other key business and workplace topics as well. You can get more acitionable tips by downloading the free 11 Diversity & Inclusion Statistics That Will Change How You Do Business
➤ How to do this DEI activity in person: Print and circulate a DEI survey in the office and set up a dropbox where employees can deliver their surveys anonymously.
➤ How to do this DEI activity virtually: Utilize Bonusly to create and launch an employee engagement survey encouraging your employees to share their candid feedback.
3) Play DEI Themed Games
Whether looking to host an online group game, find the perfect icebreaker, or host an event in person, there are many DEI-themed games you can do with your team. DEI games allow your team to learn, grow, and have fun all at once.
What this diversity activity supports: Participating in DEI games is a fun way to support employee engagement & learning while also creating a sense of belonging.
Tip: We recommend encouraging team members to participate in DEI games, but not requiring them to do so. Everyone’s comfort level varies depending on the activity and engagement tends to be higher when employees opt in.
➤ How to do this DEI activity in person: Host a fun office activity like Step Apart, Step Together. In this game, 2 team members step apart when the team calls out something they have a difference and step together when they share a similarity. It’s a great way to celebrate differences but shows that commonality exists as well.
➤ How to do this DEI activity virtually: If you’re looking for a virtual event idea, partner with an awesome vendor like Confetti who offers DEI-centered experiences.
4) Share Real Life Stories
DEI training courses can sometimes fall flat when it comes to bringing the importance of DEI to life. Sharing real-life stories add a much-needed personal touch to DEI activities and encourage employees to open up and be empathetic. This is also an awesome way for your employees to get to know one another on a deeper level and appreciate each individual’s experiences & perspective.
What this diversity activity supports: This activity is a great employee engagement idea as it encourages employees to share and actively listen to one another.
Tip: Set some parameters around this activity so people don’t feel forced to share or cornered into speaking about something they’re not comfortable with.
➤ How to do this DEI activity in person: Host small, optional group sessions in the office led by a DEI professional.
➤ How to do this DEI activity virtually: Encourage employees to share their unique stories on a company-wide recognition platform like Nectar.
5) Host A DEI-Focused Lunch And Learn
Lunch and learns are a great team-building activity for work because they provide your employees with an opportunity to collectively learn about an engaging topic. Hosting DEI-focused lunch and learn events are a non-intimidating way for your employees to learn more about DEI topics in a more relaxed setting.
What this diversity activity supports: DEI lunch and learns is a fun way to motivate employees to continue their DEI learning journey.
Tip: Generate excitement around the event by sending out invite information well ahead of the event date. Consider recording the lunch and learn session for those who can’t attend.
➤ How to do this DEI activity in person: Partner with a local minority-owned restaurant to have food delivered to the office for your lunch and learn session.
➤ How to do this DEI activity virtually: Ahead of your remote lunch and learn, send your employees a digital credit card so they can order from a local restaurant or eatery.
6) Big Company-Wide Goal
As mentioned earlier, the best DEI programs are embedded within the overall company culture and goals. DEI efforts should not be treated as a checklist, but rather as an ongoing and critical company objective aimed at creating an inclusive culture. By including DEI as a core company pillar, you’re encouraging each employee to add DEI-focused efforts to their goals as well.
What this diversity activity supports: This activity empowers both your leadership team and every employee to prioritize diversity and inclusion activities in order to achieve both their collective and individual goals.
Tip: Utilize employee recognition software to encourage high participation and DEI learning amongst your team.
➤ How to do this DEI activity in person: Host an in-person town hall where leadership can share out the company DEI goals along with the steps planned to achieve them. Be sure to leave time for Q&A towards the end.
➤ How to do this DEI activity virtually: Partner with an employee engagement software platform like Kazoo to create special initiatives and rewards for your employees.
7) Follow The Diversity Calendar
When trying to foster a diverse and inclusive work environment, it’s important that your company calendar reflects that diversity. Your calendar should be inclusive of all multicultural and religious holidays, events, and celebrations. It should also take into account important month-long initiatives such as black history month, women’s history month, and LGBT history month, so you can plan meaningful DEI activities and events accordingly.
What this diversity activity supports: Following the Diversity Calendar helps employees of every background feel included and respected in the workplace.
Tip: Do your research when creating your company’s diversity calendar to ensure you don’t miss any critical holidays, events, or opportunities to host timely DEI activities.
➤ How to do this DEI activity in person: The month of March is women’s history month, so consider hosting an in-person seminar centered around empowering women in business & how to be an ally.
➤ How to do this DEI activity virtually: Host a company-wide virtual webinar with a guest speaker who specializes in a DEI topic that is relevant for that calendar month.
8) Set Up A Diversity Committee
Implementing an effective and robust DEI program doesn’t happen overnight and requires some heavy lifting. Rather than saddling down 1 or 2 employees with the task of bringing DEI initiatives to life, create a diversity committee with individuals owning different pieces of your DEI plan.
What this diversity activity supports: Setting up a Diversity Committee helps ensure your DEI goals for every DEI pillar are actually accomplished.
Tip: Create BRGs (Business Resource Groups, also known as Employee Resource Groups) dedicated to different DEI initiatives, such as BIPOC, LGBTQ, Women in Leadership, etc.
➤ How to do this DEI activity in person: Host a quarterly in-person panel event where each member of the Diversity Committee provides progress updates against DEI goals and upcoming DEI events.
➤ How to do this DEI activity virtually: Use an HR tool and remote team collaboration platform like monday.com to create a shared workspace for brainstorming ideas and scheduling DEI events.
9) “I Am, But I am Not” Activity
“I Am, But I am Not” is a great diversity and inclusion activity that allows your team to self-identify and then explore stereotypes associated with those identification factors. To start, have each team member fold a piece of paper in half. On the left side, they write “I am…” followed by a self-identifier such as gender, age, race, etc. On the right side, they write “but I am not…” followed by a common stereotype about that identifier. This will result in the phrase, “I am ___, but I am not ___.”
What this diversity activity supports: This activity helps colleagues get to know each other better and helps to dispel common misconceptions and stereotypes.
Tip: Have each participant write down 5 “I am, but I am Not” phrases so they are able to pick and choose which statement(s) they’re comfortable sharing with the group.
➤ How to do this DEI activity in person: Break out into small groups in the office and try to include people of different backgrounds in each group. Sharing in a smaller group setting creates a safe space allowing participants to open up more.
➤ How to do this DEI activity virtually: Host a virtual version of this DEI activity. Start in a large group call to introduce the activity and review the activity parameters. Then utilize smaller break-out rooms for the actual activity and sharing out of statements.
10) Start a Book Club
Starting a book club is an easy yet fun way for employees to explore DEI topics through reading. Books, both fiction and nonfiction, provide readers with a window into different perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences. Book club also provides team members with a great opportunity to have an open dialogue about important DEI topics.
What this diversity activity supports: Reading diverse stories helps employees to empathize with others from different backgrounds or different ethnicities and also explore their own identities in a meaningful way.
Tip: When deciding what books to read, try to select a variety of topics so each month the team is expanding their knowledge. When possible, match up book topics with history months or holidays. For example, May is Mental Health Month, so you could select a book that touches on this topic.
➤ How to do this DEI activity in person: Select a book written by a BIPOC author and gather your book club members together to share their thoughts.
➤ How to do this DEI activity virtually: Choose a book from this list of DEI Book Club picks and set up a virtual book club to discuss themes and takeaways from the selection.
11) Have An International Potluck
What better way to experience different cultures than through food? Hosting an international potluck is an awesome and interactive way for employees to learn more about various cultures. It also helps bring these cultures to life in a unique and delicious way.
What this diversity activity supports: This activity helps employees embrace their own culture through sharing it with others while simultaneously encouraging them to learn more about other cultures.
Tip: If doing this activity in person, create a signup sheet for people to enter what they’ll be making in order to avoid duplicates and track diversity in dishes.
➤ How to do this DEI activity in person: Have employees bring in a dish that celebrates their culture for lunch and encourage your team to talk about their favorite traditions with each other.
➤ How to do this DEI activity virtually: Use a food delivery service like Uber for Business to easily deliver international cuisines to your team.
People Also Ask These Questions About DEI Activities
Q: Why are inclusion and diversity activities important for teams?
- A: Inclusion and diversity activities are important for teams because they create a workplace environment where all individuals feel safe, seen, and valued.
Q: What are the benefits of doing DEI activities for work?
- A: Some benefits of doing DEI activities for work include higher employee engagement, an increase in employee happiness, and stronger work output since different perspectives are able to contribute.
Q: What are examples of promoting inclusion?
- A: Some examples of promoting inclusion are following the Diversity Calendar and setting up BRGs (Business Resource Groups) focused on reaching company DEI goals and creating an inclusive environment.
Q: What is a DEI program?
- A: A DEI program is an action plan put into place to promote the representation of people from diverse backgrounds and equitable treatment of all employees so their unique needs are met.
Q: How do you implement DEI activities remotely?
- A: You can implement DEI activities remotely by hosting virtual team lunch and learn events, having guest speakers on webinars, or partnering with external vendors who specialize in virtual DEI events.
FAQs
What questions do you still have about diversity equity and inclusion? ›
- What is your biggest piece of advice for getting started with DEI? ...
- How do we get the entire company—including our leadership team—on board with DEI initiatives? ...
- What would you say is the most difficult part of implementing a DEI program?
The principle of inclusion is a component of accessibility, availability, acceptability and adaptability.
How do you answer diversity Equity and Inclusion questions? ›When asked a question about diversity, discuss your direct experiences with people of different cultures. Refrain from saying you don't see color. Instead, explain the value of honoring diverse cultures and learning from others. If you are sincere in your answers to diversity questions, your true character will shine.
What are the 6 elements of successful inclusion? ›- Introduction.
- Educate Your Leaders.
- Form an Inclusion Council.
- Celebrate Employee Differences.
- Listen to Employees.
- Hold More-Effective Meetings.
- Communicate Goals and Measure Progress.
- Do you feel a sense of belonging at work?
- Do you feel engaged at work?
- Do you feel you can be your authentic self at work? ...
- Are you discriminated against at work? ...
- Do you feel comfortable with raising concerns about discrimination or harassment?
- What is your definition of diversity? ...
- What is your definition of inclusion? ...
- Why now? ...
- What has influenced your thinking around D&I and motivated you to get involved in being an advocate for change?
- Are there new and/or diverse groups of people in your organization?
Share an example of how you made others feel included in your current or previous position. Your answer to this question should highlight a specific way that you embraced and uplifted team members with different backgrounds and demonstrate how you helped make them feel welcomed.
What are the 6 best strategies for working with diversity? ›- Start the conversation. ...
- Increase accountability and transparency. ...
- Develop inclusive leadership skills. ...
- Notice the diversity (or lack of it) during discussions and decisions. ...
- Pay attention to how all people are treated. ...
- Act as a vocal ally.
- Educate Managers on the Benefits of Diversity in the Workplace.
- Create More Inclusive Workplace Policies.
- Communicate Clearly and Create Employee-Led Task Forces.
- Offer Meaningful Opportunities for Employee Engagement.
- Create Mentorship Programs.
- [
- Improve awareness of diversity and inclusion issues in the workplace. ...
- Promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace. ...
- Start a mentorship program for diverse employees. ...
- Start an ERG (Employee Resource Groups) ...
- Develop strategies to recruit talent from diverse backgrounds.
How do you answer DEI interview question? ›
Example answers:
“In a nutshell, I believe prioritizing DEI is about empowering all people by respecting and appreciating what makes them different, in terms of their age, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, education, and other identity aspects.
The Golden Rule of Inclusion states that a teacher must find a balance between “maximising the individual potential” and “maintaining the Integrity” of the game.
What are the 3 pillars of inclusion? ›- Employees are treated with respect. A culture of inclusiveness is rooted in respect. ...
- Employees are valued for their strengths. ...
- Leaders do what is right.
- Create a consistent routine.
- Provide a visual schedule.
- Prepare students for an upcoming transition.
- Provide Your Context. This is where you write your life's story. ...
- Identify Your Diversity Conflict. Why are you committed to diversity? ...
- Demonstrate Your Commitment. ...
- Revise and Refine Your Statement.
- Provide concrete examples from your past. ...
- Discuss your skills. ...
- Demonstrate how your skills fit with this specific company. ...
- Support your answers with data.
Think about: your enthusiasm for the profession and the employer and your desire to make your mark. your personal qualities, such as your drive and willingness to learn. the skills the employer seeks and how you have demonstrated them in the past – your answer should show why you would be competent in the job.
What are the 4 pillars of diversity? ›TTo foster diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), it is critical to have a framework to clearly guide your efforts. The framework we developed at Davis Wright Tremaine sits on four pillars: Community, Growth, Education, and Engagement.
What are 4 main desired results and benefits of inclusion? ›The desired results of inclusive experiences for children with and without disabilities and their families should include, a sense of belonging and membership, positive social relationships and friendships, and development and learning to reach their full potential.
How can I make my workplace more inclusive? ›- Start from the top. ...
- Focus on inclusive recruitment strategies. ...
- Provide safe spaces for employees. ...
- Connect with employees (but be sensitive). ...
- Give employees multiple ways to provide feedback. ...
- It fosters a healthy work environment.
How do you write a good DEI statement? ›
What Should I Include in My DEI Statement? A DEI statement will ideally address multiple facets of how your values and experiences advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in your work. It is customary to write the statement in first person.
How do I write a DEI mission statement? ›- Deliver clarity and purpose—and be authentic.
- Write with a global lens.
- Provide an outline of the steps your organization is taking.
- Include input from key stakeholders throughout the organization.
Diversity exists when you go above and beyond being aware of differences or accepting differences to the point of actively including people who are different from you. Diversity is learning from our differences to make the whole community a better place.
What are the 5 diversity issues? ›Age, race, ethnicity, cultural background, gender, sexual orientation, and religion, immediately come to mind, but have you considered educational background, managerial experience, neurodiversity and even personality traits.
What is the biggest barrier to inclusion? ›Attitudes: Societal norms often are the biggest barrier to inclusion. Old attitudes die hard, and many still resist the accommodation of students with disabilities and learning issues, as well as those from minority cultures.
What are 3 major differences between diversity and inclusion? ›Mitjans: Diversity is the "what"; inclusion is the "how." Diversity focuses on the makeup of your workforce — demographics such as gender, race/ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, veteran status, just to name a few, and inclusion is a measure of culture that enables diversity to thrive.
How do you demonstrate commitment to diversity and inclusion? ›- Be open about gender pay inequality/equality. ...
- Be aware of unconscious bias. ...
- Acknowledge religious and cultural holidays. ...
- Encourage frequent employee feedback. ...
- Be aware of ageism and strive for a multigenerational workforce.
1) Diversity drives creativity and innovation
Every culture, every nationality, every single person sees the world in a different way. Similarly, every culture, nationality, and person has different knowledge, perspectives, and points of view. When all of these different views are shared together, miracles can happen.
In simple words, diversity essays are designed to promote student's diversity. These are quite broad essays can cover anything, starting from one's religion, school, cultural group, extended family, ethnicity, hometown, socioeconomic background, sexual orientation, and activeness in socioeconomic activities.
What are inclusion examples? ›Inclusion is defined as the state of being included or being made a part of something. When a book covers many different ideas and subjects, it is an example of the inclusion of many ideas. When multiple people are all invited to be part of a group, this is an example of the inclusion of many different people.
What are some examples of inclusion in the workplace? ›
- Creating a sense of belonging. ...
- Nurturing empathetic leadership. ...
- Offering employees development opportunities. ...
- Developing a collaborative environment. ...
- Making sure employees feel valued. ...
- Invest in educating leaders. ...
- Create two-way communication channels.
- 7 Ways to Be More Inclusive in Your Everyday Life. ...
- 1 / Mindful communication: listen more, talk carefully. ...
- 2 / Challenge stereotypes. ...
- 3 / Avoid assumptions. ...
- 4 / Ask yourself and others (the right) questions. ...
- 5 / Be aware of your privileges. ...
- 6 / Be proactive in educating yourself on the topic.
- Take a look at your recruiting and hiring practices. ...
- Establish mentoring opportunities. ...
- Promote team work. ...
- Make inclusion a priority. ...
- Provide Diversity Training.
- Accept people's differences but find common ground. ...
- Learn something new from people that are different to you, don't shut it down. ...
- Make sure you give everyone a chance to have an opinion. ...
- Avoid using stereotypes and recognise and address your own bias.
The six principles of work equity are diversity, inclusion, equal opportunity, fairness, transparency, and accountability. Combined, they create a fair and inclusive workplace where all individuals have equivalent job and promotion opportunities.
How do you build an inclusive and diverse team? ›- Address all aspects of diversity. ...
- Customize your vision and company culture. ...
- Redefine your recruiting strategy. ...
- Identify and eliminate any bias. ...
- Make employees feel valued. ...
- Practice empathetic leadership. ...
- Celebrate cultural differences. ...
- Provide leadership development opportunities.
The principle of inclusion is a component of accessibility, availability, acceptability and adaptability.
What are the 6 elements of successful inclusion? ›- Introduction.
- Educate Your Leaders.
- Form an Inclusion Council.
- Celebrate Employee Differences.
- Listen to Employees.
- Hold More-Effective Meetings.
- Communicate Goals and Measure Progress.
- Train people managers in diversity and inclusion. ...
- Be aware of protected characteristics - but think beyond them. ...
- Address your unconscious bias. ...
- Promote and support employee networks. ...
- Gather, report and act on diversity and inclusion data.
- Working in pairs, groups, and individually.
- Working on computers and out of books.
- Making posters and other creative materials.
- Reading books.
- Story writing.
- Role play.
- Sporting activities.
- Musical activities.
What are six 6 Examples of types of diversity? ›
- Cultural diversity.
- Racial diversity.
- Religious diversity.
- Age diversity.
- Sex / Gender diversity.
- Sexual orientation.
- Disability.
- Get to Know Your Students. ...
- Maintain Consistent Communication. ...
- Acknowledge and Respect Every Student. ...
- Practice Cultural Sensitivity. ...
- Incorporate Diversity in the Lesson Plan. ...
- Give Students Freedom and Flexibility.
- Start the conversation. ...
- Increase accountability and transparency. ...
- Develop inclusive leadership skills. ...
- Notice the diversity (or lack of it) during discussions and decisions. ...
- Pay attention to how all people are treated. ...
- Act as a vocal ally.
Diversity is a wide array of people that come from different backgrounds, lifestyles, social experiences, races, and religions. A variety. Differing people, perspectives, topics, ideas, etc. I think diversity is embracing people of different backgrounds, whether it be racial, geographic, experience, sex, religion, etc.
What are the 7 key principles of inclusion? ›- ACCESS. Access explores the importance of a welcoming environment and the habits that create it. ...
- ATTITUDE. Attitude looks at how willing people are to embrace inclusion and diversity and to take meaningful action. ...
- CHOICE. ...
- PARTNERSHIPS. ...
- COMMUNICATION. ...
- POLICY. ...
- OPPORTUNITIES.
- Introduction.
- Educate Your Leaders.
- Form an Inclusion Council.
- Celebrate Employee Differences.
- Listen to Employees.
- Hold More-Effective Meetings.
- Communicate Goals and Measure Progress.
- Employees are treated with respect. A culture of inclusiveness is rooted in respect. ...
- Employees are valued for their strengths. ...
- Leaders do what is right.
How Diversity Affects the Classroom. Much discussion about diversity focuses on the following forms of marginalization: race, class, gender, and sexual orientation — and rightfully so, given the importance of these forms of difference.
How do you create an inclusive environment in your classroom? ›- Create a supportive, respectful environment: promote diversity and fairness.
- Have high expectations of all your students. ...
- Create a supportive peer culture both inside and outside the classroom. ...
- Plan learning which includes participation from everyone and encourages success.
- #1. Make your vision clear. ...
- #2. Establish a D&I committee. ...
- #3. Set goals and monitor progress. ...
- #4. Provide training to managers. ...
- #5. Promote inclusive language. ...
- #6. Ensure physical and digital accessibility. ...
- #7. Encourage open communication and accountability.