Organizations and people are waking up to the fact that diversity and equity aren’t just about checking boxes on a form. They are evolving processes that draw in different opinions, backgrounds, and perspectives to leverage them for the best results.

When an organization is too focused on checking boxes to be equitable or diverse, they miss out on real chances to change for the better. In order to have more equitable outcomes organizations should intentionally evaluate their policies and practices and overall organizational culture by applying an equity lens.

But what do mean when we talk about equity?

Equity means promoting justice, fairness, inclusion, and creating conditions in which everyone can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential. Equity for your clients may mean requesting feedback to make sure you treat them as they would like to be treated; ensuring you have a sliding scale of pricing so those of different socioeconomic backgrounds can access your business; or providing services in a language they can understand. Equity for employees may mean ensuring that all employees regardless of their race or gender receive equal pay, as well as equal access and opportunity to all of the career advancement programs you offer.

That may sound daunting, but there are some simple tips and tricks that most companies or organizations can do to increase equity in the workplace:

1. Recruit and retain staff from diverse backgrounds

2. Provide linguistic competency in all aspects of the organization by providing interpretation services and written materials in multiple languages

3. Measure the level of cultural competence of you organization

4. Provide diversity, inclusion and cultural competence training to all employees

5. Incorporate culture-specific attitudes and values into promotional tools such as your marketing campaigns, advertisements, and public relations messaging

6. Include the whole team, and even community members, in your decision making processes

These steps don’t just create a work environment that feels more inclusive. They also create more efficient processes, because staff are naturally more ‘bought in’ to a process they had a say in creating. Consensus building results in more opinions, which results in a better end product. A person who is normally marginalized may feel powerful enough to speak up when they have a good idea, and don’t you want the best ideas for your products, services, and company?

And it is always a good idea to bring in a third party professional who can partner with you to help create an ideal vision for your organization, develop a solid plan to achieve it, and generate sustainable change . Many organizations now realize that participating in an organizational assessment around diversity, equity, and inclusion is not a shameful practice. It is a best practice.It is a proactive first step that can become a cornerstone upon which your more equitable business can be built.

Equity may have gained popularity recently, but it has been a long time coming. And organizations and people who start implementing real, meaningful changes now will have a head start over those too stubborn to realize that diversity and equity are a source a strength, not a cause for concern.