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Australian companies love to talk about diversity.

But without properly considering how diversity and inclusion work within an organization, it’s just that: a word.

Companies that fail to implement integrated strategies for diversity and inclusion at all levels – from college graduates to boardrooms – are left behind, according to a recent panel discussion by Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPoC) executives. They also lose great opportunities to improve their organization in many areas, especially when it comes to attracting new, qualified talent.

Late last year, management consultancy Bain & Company (B & C) dedicated a full day of Diversity, Justice and Inclusion (DEI) training to train management and employees about the importance of understanding and implementing diversity and inclusion across the workplace to enlighten.

Agathe Gross, a B&C partner leading its DEI efforts in Australia, says the company has established a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council. The council’s goal is threefold: to improve Bain as an employer; Assisting its clients in integrating DEI into the boardroom; and lead community initiatives to combat systemic racism.

“We believe that the first step to better recruiting and retaining BIPoC professionals is to take responsibility for the fact that we have not taken steps in the past to address unconscious bias and poor BIPOC representation,” said Agathe opposite the women’s agenda.

“We recognize that color women in particular often face a variety of challenges in the workplace.

“To remove blockers … we’re educating ourselves on anti-racism to become better allies, and changing the way we hire, support, empower and retain BIPoC professionals in our company.”

During an online panel discussion by B&C, moderated by Hema Kangeson, a career coach and founder of InSpur, the BIPoC leaders discuss the importance of modeling anti-racist and inclusive behavior at all levels of an organization.

Indigenous lawyer Karri Walker admitted that there is no “quick fix or easy answer” to racism in companies in Australia. However, talking about diversity and inclusion in a company is the first step.

It is important to create opportunities for younger women in color and provide them with a “map for them” so that they understand how to achieve their goals.

“I know I would have found it incredibly valuable if I had seen there were other People of Color, women in these really high positions,” Karri told the panel.

Modeling the pathways for BIPoC women in leadership positions is critical to realizing diversity integration in an organization. Without them, young BIPoC people feel alienated and unsupported, which leads to high sales.

BHP Director Christine Smith emphasized the importance of corporate commitment to including diversity in leadership. When she was contacted by BHP in 2019, she immediately began investigating the commitment to diversity in leadership roles.

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“When I saw People of Color there, I returned the call and said,” Yes, I would like to have another conversation. “

She says that while building a pipeline of high schools and universities in graduate roles is important, candidates also need to see people in culturally diverse leadership roles.

Mariam Veisdadeh, Advisory Director of the Diversity Council of Australia, says the key to diversity is that inclusion resides at all levels of an organization that advocates inclusion – rather than just trying to achieve it at the graduate level.

“If you don’t get into your organization, you can bring as much diversity as you want at entry level, but it won’t improve the leadership positions,” she told the panel.

“Likewise, they’ll burn out and probably go and your sales will be pretty high.”

Authenticity is also crucial, says Mariam. This includes creating an environment in which people “can really be themselves” rather than “remembering that every sentence that comes out of their mouth sounds good” and feel confident about their differences.

According to the panelists, companies need to invest in inclusion. How does it look?

According to Mariam, companies need to invest in building an inclusion pipeline. The pipeline needs to include things like sponsorship where BIPoC executives sponsor younger BIPoC professionals throughout their careers.

The pipeline should also consider mentoring emerging BIPoC professionals and programs to identify diverse talents both within an organization and externally.

This article was first published by the Women’s Agenda.