Christopher Bylone van Sandwyk

Equity is about recognizing the roadblocks that impact underrepresented communities and the intentional work needed to remove these barriers of success! Remember: Equality is giving everyone a pair of shoes. Equity is giving everyone a pair of shoes that fits!

I live by the philosophy: Work for your network, so it will work for you! Almost every role I have had in my career has been because someone in my network helped me get the role. This only happened because I am always working for my network. I make introductions of people who I feel need to know each other. I wish someone Happy Birthday or say Congrats on the promotion or new role. A great way to work for your network, amplify their messages. Write a thoughtful comment on their LinkedIn post, better yet share their post with your network! Feed your network like you feed your soul!

Creating truly inclusive policies requires us to empathize with the unique experiences and challenges faced by individuals who identify with multiple intersecting identities. For instance, a policy on parental leave should not only cater to employees who are biological parents but also those who are adoptive parents or have other caregiving responsibilities. This empathetic approach is key to fostering a culture of inclusion.

I use the formula: Belonging = Inclusion * (Diversity + Equity) ^ Accessibility Let’s break it down: Inclusion: Dynamically seek diverse perspectives, promoting open dialogue, and creating an environment where everyone feels they belong. Diversity: Actively recruiting from a diverse talent pool and celebrating the diverse cultures, backgrounds, and experiences within your team. Equity: Implement fair policies and practices, addressing biases, and advocating for equal opportunities. Accessibility: Deploy accessible technologies, accommodate different needs, and remove barriers that might prevent people from fully participating.

When setting goals around representation metrics, being successful and getting the most buy-in from leaders is to be as precise as possible. Here is a great example: When talking about Race/Ethnicity in the United States, do not just look at the national average; get down to the state or even better, city-level data. The demographics of Charleston, WV (82% White) and Atlanta, GA (37.2% White) are very different, so your measures of success in diversifying your employee population are going to need to be different in these two cities.

Here are three areas you can take action in to improve belonging through open dialog: Team Meetings: Regular team meetings where everyone is encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas can foster a sense of belonging. Workshops and Training: Conducting workshops on topics like cultural sensitivity, unconscious bias, and inclusive communication can help create an open dialogue. Feedback Sessions: Implementing regular feedback sessions where team members can express their feelings and concerns about the workplace environment can also foster a sense of belonging.