Ensuring Workplace Equity: 5 Strategies Every Employer Should Know
Ensuring workplace equity is more than a buzzword—it’s a vital component of any truly inclusive organization. As the saying goes, “Inclusion without equity is an illusion.” While equality aims to give everyone the same resources, equity recognizes that different individuals need different support to thrive. In this article, we explore five actionable ways for ensuring workplace equity that go beyond surface-level commitments.
This article was originally published on December 9, 2021 and was last updated on March 30, 2025.
Ensuring workplace equity means providing fair access to opportunities, resources, and support—regardless of an employee’s background, identity, or circumstances.
Employers can start ensuring workplace equity by implementing inclusive DEI policies, offering bias training, and fostering a safe, respectful culture.
Ensuring workplace equity helps build a more productive, innovative, and inclusive organization where every employee feels empowered and valued.
Five Effective Ways for Ensuring Workplace Equity in Your Organization
Establish Clear DEI Policies and Procedures
Ensuring workplace equity begins with well-defined Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies that apply to everyone, regardless of race, gender, age, disability, or background. These policies should go beyond generic statements and include specific anti-discrimination measures, such as zero-tolerance policies for harassment and bullying. To support equity in the workplace, employers must also implement a transparent reporting system that empowers employees to safely report incidents of discrimination or harassment without fear of retaliation.
Train Your Managers and Employees in DEI
Ensuring workplace equity doesn't stop at policy—education is key. Once you have established your company’s policies and procedures, it’s essential that managers and employees receive adequate training. Effective DEI training helps staff recognize and challenge unconscious bias, understand cultural sensitivity, and actively support diversity and inclusion initiatives. By providing your team with this important knowledge, you create the groundwork for building a workplace culture that is more equitable, respectful, and inclusive. This ensures an environment where everyone has the opportunity to succeed and truly thrive.
How Not to Ensure Workplace Equity: A Case Study from San Francisco
A recent exposé by the San Francisco Chronicle revealed troubling allegations against Kimberly Ellis, Director of San Francisco’s Department on the Status of Women. Staff accused Ellis of fostering a “culture of intimidation and fear,” leading to widespread turnover since her appointment in 2020. Concerns include mismanaged public funds—such as $80,000 spent on photo and video shoots that never materialized—and contract awards to personal associates. These actions have prompted an official investigation by the city attorney’s office.
This case serves as a powerful reminder that ensuring workplace equity requires more than surface-level commitments; it demands accountability, fairness, and ethical leadership at every level.
Read the full article at SF Chronicle (March 11, 2025)
Invest in Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives
Ensuring workplace equity means going beyond written policies to actively promote inclusion across all levels of the organization. Employers should invest both time and resources into meaningful diversity and inclusion initiatives. These efforts might include hosting workshops, creating mentorship programs for underrepresented groups, offering supportive resources, or even providing diversity and inclusion promotional items that celebrate diversity. Such initiatives play a vital role in fostering a workplace culture where everyone, regardless of background, feels seen, valued, and empowered to contribute.
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Foster a Positive and Inclusive Work Environment
Ensuring workplace equity involves more than just policies—it requires creating an environment where employees feel safe, valued, and supported. Employers can support this by meeting individual needs through resources like flexible working hours, access to mental health support, and thoughtful amenities. Even subtle elements, such as a business background music system, can contribute to a more calming and inclusive workplace culture. When people feel happy and comfortable at work, it strengthens the foundation for ensuring workplace equity across all teams.
Be Willing to Make Changes That Support Workplace Equity
To ensure equity in the workplace, it is essential to maintain a consistent to making changes. Employers need to be open to modifying existing policies, revising current procedures, or starting new initiatives. This ongoing effort is crucial to providing everyone with equal access to opportunities and ensuring fair treatment for every employee.
This includes recognizing existing inequalities and taking deliberate action to foster a more equitable work environment. Whether it’s rethinking recruitment practices or revising internal structures, these changes help ensure every employee feels valued, respected, and empowered—regardless of their background.
Ensuring Workplace Equity Creates a Culture of Inclusion
Ensuring workplace equity is essential for building an inclusive, fair, and productive work environment. By applying the strategies outlined above—from clear DEI policies to ongoing training and inclusive initiatives—employers can demonstrate a genuine commitment to equity. Understanding how to be inclusive means going beyond performative gestures and embracing structural change that prioritizes fairness at every level. This helps create a safe, respectful, and empowering workplace where all employees feel valued and supported, regardless of their background.
Want to promote inclusion in real life?
💡 Be Inclusive Every Day →
Shop the Inclusive CollectionExplore our collection of inclusive apparel designed to spark change and conversation.
Brendan McDonald
Brendan McDonald, the author of "Ensuring Workplace Equity: 5 Strategies Every Employer Should Know," is a seasoned writer and former humanitarian aid worker who is becoming recognized as a voice in the DEI space. Drawing from over two decades of frontline experience in global crisis zones—including Kosovo, North Korea, Sri Lanka, Libya, Jordan, and Iraq—Brendan brings a deep understanding of systemic inequities, workplace trauma, and cultural complexity to his writing on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), peripheral neuropathy, and bicuspid aortic valve disease (BAVD), and having lived with clinical depression and burnout, Brendan channels his lived experience into advocacy that centers marginalized voices and champions inclusive organizational change. His intersectional lens—as someone navigating cancer, chronic illness, disability, and mental health—offers a unique and powerful perspective on what true inclusion requires.
Brendan holds a Bachelor of Professional Studies and a Master of Social Science. His work spans the themes of cancer, mental illness, chronic illness, DEI, social justice, and human resources. His advocacy has reached global audiences through publications like The Guardian, helping drive institutional change and wellbeing reforms in both humanitarian and professional sectors.
