Frequently Asked Questions

What can 3in Consulting do for you?

At 3In Consulting we work on a collaborative basis with you. We recognise that each organisation is unique having its own culture and DNA. Therefore, it is important that we work with you to understand where your organisation in on the Diversity & Inclusion journey so that we understand your mission, your goals and your specific needs. We customise our engagements to meet your requirements whilst working to a scope and duration that suits your organisation. As we work with you we share our insights into wider diversity and inclusion and tailor solutions to align to your own organisation.

 

We are a result oriented company that takes time to understand your organisation so that we can shape our engagements and deliverables to help you. This can be achieved by providing basic assessments and a presentation to your executive and senior leader of your current D&I status for awareness and action. Alternatively, to assist you on the journey we can undertake a comprehensive assessment of your organisation, assist the definition of a D&I strategy and establish an implementation plan delivered through a programme of initiatives. 3In Consulting can also manage the D&I programme, either in the short term or a longer assignment, whilst embedding the change within your organisation enabling ongoing self-sufficient oversight.

 

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Isn't Diversity and Inclusion just a whim of an HR initiative?

Inclusion is not some vague notion developed by HR people. Diversity and Inclusion has been proven to add value to an organisation whilst engaging employees, increasing customers and benefiting the organisation bottom-line. The beginnings of diversity and inclusion in an organisation is often founded in law, e.g. Equality Act 2010 in UK, and therefore frequently starts within an HR department. However enlightened organisations realise the benefit of D&I and launch initiatives led by the enterprise itself. These initiatives drive better business outcomes for the whole organisation.

 

Organisations should not consider a diversity and inclusion programme as a finite objective. It’s not a one and done programme. It’s important to continually improve and develop further. Treating D&I as a project results in stagnation and inhibits learning and growth. The key is an embedded cultural change that values its employees. This is a journey which is ongoing and therefore requires continual self-assessment and re-evaluation of achievements to identify further areas of development.

Why is Diversity and Inclusion important?

Creating the right environment and culture for your organisation is vital for success and growth. Part of creating an inclusive culture is allowing people to be themselves at work. Being yourself; being Authentic improves performance and fosters inclusiveness. Allowing your people to be themselves in the workplace and valuing the rich diversity of that employee base maximises every individual’s contribution and infuses diverse thought. Inclusiveness nurtures an environment where people respect each other and work together as a team. Working together stimulates ideas and improves team performance which facilitates organisational growth.

 

Your employees are the bridge to your customers they bring unique insights to your business, and by having a diverse employee base your organisation will more accurately reflect your customers. Engaging your employees, working together in teams, will foster ideas that meet your customers’ needs. Encouraging your employees to contribute to your organisation will reap reward.

 

Successful organisations use their employees’ skills, experiences and diverse backgrounds to maximise and transform their business and culture. They establish networks, resource or affinity groups which enable and foster inclusive ecosystems that encourage career development, support, coaching, networking, mentoring / reverse mentoring, and community opportunities. They also actively engage employees who are more motivated to contribute to the organisation’s offering through its products and services. This has been proven with enlightened organisations that have a diverse yet inclusive workforce and results in greater customer engagement which improves outcomes and profit.

 

Diversity and Inclusion should be a part of the fabric of your organisation through your goals, strategy, its practices and policies, and its business functions becoming the DNA that strengthens the organisation.

What should my organisation do?

Your organisation should commit to a Diversity and Inclusion initiative and consider this to be a journey.

 

The first stage is to assess where the organisation lies on this journey then it should coral resources to develop itself further and progress on this voyage.

 

3In Consulting can help you. We can work with you to assess your status then help you develop a D&I strategy that aligns to your organisation’s mission and goals, and aligns to your business strategy. In doing this your organisation should demonstrate four components to the strategy:

 

  • Empowering Your Employees
  • Transforming Your Culture
  • Delivering Business Growth and Benefit
  • Delighting Your Customers

 

Your organisation will soon reap the rewards of undertaking this journey.

My organisation is diverse and inclusive - surely I don't need to have a Diversity & Inclusion initiative?

Many organisations and their employees think that because they have a diverse workforce, adhere to legislation and have processes in place that they are a truly diverse enterprise. Frequently both leaders and employees who have an open approach / mindset think they are being inclusive. However, they’re limited by what they see and their actions. They don’t appreciate that not everyone is treated fairly and that people do have biases. Even organisations have cultural biases developed over the years – it becomes part of their DNA, their culture. Training is important and there are two key areas where all employees should have awareness training 1)Diversity and 2) Unconscious Bias.

 

Diversity training should raise awareness of the various aspects to diversity which extend beyond race, gender, disability, sexual orientation and age to other areas like flexible working, (mental) health and wellbeing, religious and cultural differences, flexible working arrangements, languages, etc. With these various characteristics it is typically only the visible ones that are considered and addressed the invisible ones are often ignored. The analogy for this is an iceberg where only the tip is visible and there is a bigger aspect that can’t be seen.

 

Organisations and their employees should be open to learning and growing by understanding their biases (we all have them even if we don’t realise that we do). By understanding unconscious bias, it helps to create an organisation where people understand people and empowers employees to create an inclusive productive environment. Recognising your own and others’ biases allows you, and the people around you, to change the way you think and operate.

Isn't Diversity & Inclusion just a popular fad in organisations right now?

In today’s global, economic, political and social climate Inclusion has greater visibility with a high degree of focus on the value of Diversity. Embedding Diversity through an inclusive culture facilitates success within organisations. Monitoring and measuring D&I through KPIs demonstrates the value of having an inclusive culture. In turn this creates greater employee motivation and engagement as well as attracting and retaining talent. It’s not a fashionable trend in organisations that see the value and it makes business sense.

Why do I need 3In Consulting to help me?

3In Consulting is a consultancy committed to Diversity and Inclusion. We have the time to work with you to develop a D&I vision for your organisation. We are passionate about the work we do and keen to help your organisation become preeminent on D&I with your peers.

 

Many organisations do not have the expertise or the resources available to assess the organisation’s D&I status, to develop a strategy, or to run a programme of initiatives. Like other organisations you will have time poor resources who are focusing on priority work activities as their day job.

 

At 3In Consulting we can provide dedicated resources to you and tailor our services to meet the need of the business. Additionally, we can help you capitalise on the diversity of your people to maximise ideas and solutions that benefit the organisation.

 

Typically, there is considered to be five levels to the D&I journey where many organisations aspire to reach the pinnacle but very few attain. In some cases, there is a pre- journey category making this a 6 stage maturity model. The six levels are:

 

  • Level 0 – Avoidance / Unaware – where organisations do not even recognise the issue of diversity and inclusion.
  • Level 1 – Basic / Foundational – where organisations have this on the radar but there are no tangible plans in place.
  • Level 2 – Awareness / Enlightened – where organisations increasingly understand the value of diversity and inclusion but activities are patchy or local.
  • Level 3 – Understanding and Application / Embraced – Leaders recognise the benefits and their role in championing D&I for an inclusive culture.
  • Level 4 – Integrated – where D&I is integrated in day to day activities across the whole organisation.
  • Level 5 – Sustainable / Institutionalised Inclusion – D&I is part of how an organisation does business and is totally embedded. Leaders are visionaries that support other organisations.

 

3In Consulting can help your organisation understand its placing on this diversity and inclusion maturity model and help deliver change to embed D&I. We can take you on the journey to success.

Do I need 3In Consulting or can I do this on my own?

It is possible for your organisation to strike out on its own if you have the time and resources to dedicate on D&I and you know what requires to be done.

 

At 3In Consulting we establish your organisations specific needs and then tailor the services to meet these needs. We do not offer an ‘off the shelf’ solution. Our approach is to provide a unique design and customise our engagements to suit your needs.

 

To ensure you achieve a clear and comprehensive understanding of diversity and inclusion in your organisation we can undertake assessments, audits, health checks and investigations. This can be conveyed to executives and senior leaders as well as demonstrate to your employees that your organisation cares about employees welfare and development though valuing diversity.

 

Our engagements also allow us to work remotely, if appropriate, or we can base ourselves, with your team, at a location convenient to you.

How do I know I need 3In Consulting?

Here are some questions to consider whether you have the expertise to undertake this activity or whether you would benefit by working with 3In Consulting. This list is not exhaustive but provides a flavour of the questions you should ask yourself and your colleagues.

 

  • Is the organisation meeting the regulatory requirements and does no more that implement policies to adhere to legislation?
  • Does the organisation understand the financial impact of discrimination in the workplace should it be taken to a tribunal?
  • Does the organisation have a Diversity & Inclusion strategy? Is it understood across the organisation and is it effective?
  • Are the executive proactively engaged in D&I activities, promoting its importance, and are they held accountable for its outcomes?
  • Can the organisation identify if D&I contributes to delivery of its business performance goals?
  • How does D&I factor into business decisions on key topics such as customers, products and services?
  • What mechanisms and KPIs are in place to monitor and respond to what is not working or capitalise on what is working successfully?
  • How well does everyone across the organisation understand diversity, inclusion and unconscious bias, and that they are not only for minority groups?
  • Do your employees understand and feel that they play an important part to the success of the organisation?
  • How effectively do D&I initiatives create a more inclusive environment rather than perpetuate a more diverse culture?
  • Do you undertake any activities to increase inclusion and value diversity in your organisation?
  • Are you looking to recruit and retain diverse talent to grow your business?
  • Do you know how your business measures up to your competitors and what they are doing differently to achieve their success?

How do we demonstrate that there is business benefit to diversity and inclusion?

Organisations offer feel that there is no benefit to a D&I programme of activity and feel that the cost does not yield any tangible benefits. Successful organisations understand that an investment in employees can and does reap rewards, some of these can be substantial. A narrow focus on cost cutting demotivates employees and results in them being engaged in many activities that do not add value or over burden the workforce.

 

Investing in initiatives and sustainable benefits to employees raises staff morale and engagement which encourages and fosters a culture of participation in the business. Enlightened employers realise this so they develop their organisations and the culture bolsters the brand, and achieves lucrative outcomes.

 

The bottom line is that organisations require to understand the Return On Investment (ROI) for diversity and inclusion initiatives. It’s not a tick box exercise! For many years organisations have survived without considering diversity and inclusion and they have not included them within their organisations Key Performance Indicators (KPI). Some organisations now refer to ROI as the Return On Inclusion.

 

Measuring an organisation’s journey and how it brings value together with favourable culture change is an important aspect in today’s complex economy. There are several metrics and KPIs that an organisation can use to first shock itself into action and then to measure its journey, its maturity and its success by being an inclusive and learning organisation. Below are some of the metrics that an organisation can assess / measure. Each of these metrics have an ROI rationale:

 

  • Improved decision making through engaging a wider and diverse pool of resources, experiences and thinking.
  • Increased brand positioning and customer engagement.
  • Value-added and productive supply chain experiences.
  • Improved productivity levels within the organisation including reduction in bureaucratic procedures.
  • Increased innovation and competitor advantage.
  • Enriched employee experiences with higher staff motivation / engagement – employees treated with respect and dignity not as human capital.
  • Better recruitment and retention of diverse talent.

 

These KPIs are some of the key performance indicators organisations use but each company will have their own unique insights and requirements. Developing a company’s own measurements is an important step in developing a diversity and inclusion programme.