Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:
Powering the Engaged Workforce of the Future

However, implementing DE&I programs often comes with challenges -- not least a lack of leadership availability, limited budgets, and confusion over how best to design and implement strategies. However, there is help at hand: DE&I learning and development experts such as HSI Blue Ocean Brain can help businesses create personalized, "bite-sized" learning content that supports employees in building their skills and fostering a culture of true inclusion, belonging, and well-being.

Businesses face nuanced challenges when striving to create engaged, supported, and happy workforces. Macro events are making the world feel uncertain, and people are increasingly turning to communities and vocations that make them feel seen and safe. The benefits for organizations that recognize this and invest in DE&I initiatives are numerous: Not only do they have a workforce that stays with the business longer and is more fulfilled, but they often see higher returns and increased margins. A 2023 report by McKinsey & Company, "Diversity Matters Even More" found that companies with representation of women exceeding 30% were significantly more likely to financially outperform those with 30% or fewer. Similarly, companies in the McKinsey study's top quartile for ethnic diversity show an average 27% financial advantage over other companies.

Despite these benefits, leaders often struggle to identify what truly inclusive DE&I programs look like or how to factor them into budgets and schedules. As such, industries earmark DE&I champions or professionals and task them with designing, implementing, managing, and nurturing multiple DE&I projects alongside their "day job." Other times, the DE&I "department" is one person -- typically in Human Resources -- that is struggling to fit DE&I responsibilities into their already-busy role.

Another issue commonly encountered when trying to design and implement effective DE&I learning and development programs is a lack of leadership support. Executive buy-in is crucial for success: The adage "It comes from the top" is never more suitable. Having executive sponsorship means ensuring that they and their DE&I champions have the bandwidth to design truly authentic and engaging DE&I strategies and that they are vocal allies for internal initiatives and public commitments. Employees, partners, and customers with leaders who foster cultures of inclusion and speak out for equity are reassured that the business is truly committed to DE&I. This makes everyone within the organization feel valued, protected, and included.

Another pain point businesses often encounter as they incorporate DE&I is time. DE&I initiatives must work around employee schedules, and not get in the way of their roles and associated demands. Employees often have no more than 25 minutes a week to dedicate to learning and development. Therefore, DE&I learning and development programs must be "snackable" -- i.e., concise and engaging. The programs must also be relevant: Times change quickly, so the content must be updated regularly to reflect the topics and issues we face today.

These challenges might seem overwhelming, but DE&I learning and development programs can make a real difference in helping overcome these obstacles. HSI Blue Ocean Brain is a learning and development partner that works with organizations to deliver ongoing learning tailored to their specific needs. Specializing in nudge learning tactics and modern, relevant DE&I content, HSI Blue Ocean Brain customers achieve a 71% engagement rate.

HSI Blue Ocean Brain achieves this by breaking down larger, nuanced DE&I concepts into digestible pieces to improve learning engagement and retention.

Their microlearning content can live within their proprietary UX or be plugged into a customer’s existing learning and development ecosystem. This flexibility enables the content to function as an extension of the business' DE&I learning hub, enhancing accessibility and usability.

HSI Blue Ocean Brain delivers fresh content daily, while also connecting learners to their employer's other learning and development and DE&I resources. The lesson design ensures that the scenarios and examples are approachable, relevant, and -- crucially -- never punitive. By taking a positive and aspirational approach, employees feel more inspired and compelled to take the learnings on board and put them into practice.

To find out more about how HSI Blue Ocean Brain is helping companies build leading DE&I learning and development programs, and how they can help your organization do the same, click here to schedule a consultation.