Introduction
In our recent webinar, we were delighted to welcome Marie Louise Sunde, the founder and CEO of Equality Check, a Norwegian company dedicated to helping organisations succeed with workplace equality. The event was attended by people representing businesses from across the Nordic region, who enjoyed an engaging discussion on the evolving landscape of workforce diversity and the imperative of a data-driven approach in addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) challenges.
The presentation was preceded by a short introduction from Nigel Wright’s Tove Bruhn, who explained how Scandinavia’s homogeneous workforce witnessed significant changes in the mid-1990s with an influx of refugees, workforce immigrants, and increased gender equality. Tove emphasised the shift from under-represented groups to a broader diversity management perspective, aligning with societal movements like Me Too and events such as George Floyd’s death.
Strategic advantages for businesses in adopting inclusive policies were underscored, setting the stage for a data-driven approach advocated in the webinar.
Marie Louise Sunde’s DEI Journey
Inspired by a pivotal moment at the UN’s HeForShe IMPACT launch in 2015, Marie initiated a social media campaign in Norway focused on unconscious bias. This led to her interest in data-driven approaches in DEI, and in 2018, she founded Equality Check, a platform which uses data to diagnose issues and implement evidence-driven DEI solutions. This can help to reduce turnover risk and improve performance by ensuring equal opportunities for unleashing the full potential of every individual in the workplace, regardless of who they are. Equality Check’s subsequent addition of ‘belonging’ to the DEI acronym (DEIB) reflects the continuous evolution of their commitment.
Understanding Diversity Beyond Gender in Scandinavia
Addressing Scandinavia’s progress in terms of DEIB, Marie acknowledged that while the region’s businesses excel in balancing work and family life, there is still a low representation of women in management positions. Further, she emphasised a persistent lack of interest in diversity beyond gender, as well as the prevalence of unconscious biases, as being notable concerns. These issues challenge the commonly held view that Scandinavia is an inherently fair and equal place to live.
Importance of a Data-Driven Approach
Although companies are aware of the many benefits of having a diverse workforce, they struggle to translate this awareness into concrete actions. According to Marie, employees today value equal opportunities, work/life balance, and inclusiveness, and businesses not meeting these expectations risk talent loss and inefficiency. Marie emphasised how a data-driven approach to addressing DEIB
becomes essential for making diagnoses, identifying focus areas, and achieving tangible DEIB results that directly relate to business performance.
DEIB Strategy Rooted in the Entire Organisation
Marie highlighted the need for businesses to develop a DEIB strategy rooted in the entire organisation, not solely within HR. While HR and DEIB officers provide valuable expertise, it is top management that ultimately bears the responsibility for driving behavioural change. Drawing parallels with the deployment of cybersecurity initiatives, Marie emphasised that senior leadership commitment through to organisation-wide training is necessary to address DEIB effectively.
Comprehensive Mapping of DEIB in Organisations
Going into more detail on the need for a comprehensive data-driven approach to DEIB, Marie outlined several data points and actions that companies should consider. They included collecting employee (e.g. gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, disability status, etc.) HR and payroll data, as well as performing a seed map analysis, alongside continuous monitoring. This holistic approach helps firms to visualise the DEIB landscape and reveals actionable insights for improvement.
Identifying Under-Represented Groups
Marie addressed under-representation beyond gender by stressing the importance of gathering granulated data on areas such as ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and sexual identity to tailor specific measures for effective DEIB strategies. According to Marie, centering the concept of intersectionality in their DEIB strategy will help organisations to better understand the challenges faced by individuals with intersecting identities, as well as overcome friction and inclusion issues.
Creating a DEIB Strategy
Companies interested in developing a systematic DEIB strategy were encouraged to access Equality Check’s free DEIB strategy builder tool, available via its website. Marie explained how the tool utilises data-driven insights to identify focus areas, predict potential risks, and suggest evidence-based measures. Further, it provides detailed information on each measure’s impact and the effort required to implement actions, allowing firms to customise strategies based on industry benchmarks.
The future of DEIB
According to Marie, organisations increasingly recognise DEIB as a means to unleash employee potential and acknowledge its positive impact on innovation, talent attraction and retention, and decision-making. Although she has an optimistic outlook on the future trajectory of DEIB, Marie stated how there is still work to be done to move the conversation from DEIB being considered as a strategic option, to it becoming widely regarded as a strategic imperative for all types of businesses.
Conclusion
Our webinar provided a valuable overview of the complexities and opportunities surrounding diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Marie’s insights underscored the importance of a comprehensive data-driven approach to DEIB and the continuous evolution of initiatives to address the unique challenges faced by organisations. Looking ahead, an emphasis on systematic, evidence-driven approaches promises to shape a more inclusive and equitable professional landscape.