While the push for diversity and inclusion has seen tremendous progress in recent years, there are still some areas in which many organizations struggle to demonstrate their commitment to DEI. One of the most common? The website! Surprising or not, many websites fall short of truly illustrating an organization’s commitment of DEI, no matter how well-implemented DEI policies themselves are incorporated into their workplace. This blog intends to share five tips for DEI website best practices.
1. “About Us”
The “About Us” page tends to be one of the most visited on a website, containing information on an organization, their leadership, and more. As a result, it is imperative that this page illustrate an organization’s commitment to DEI. Vision and mission statements should include specific references to DEI and its role in the organization. For example, the statement might articulate why diverse and inclusive leaders and employees are critical to helping the organization achieve their mission and vision. It should be emphasized that while these statements are not expected to display every aspect of DEI in the organization—we’ll get to that in a moment—they must not be vague and nondescript, either. The more specific a statement is written, the more genuine it reads, because greater specificity is indicative of a deep, extensive commitment to DEI, not a shallow, superficial one.
2. DEI Page
Some organizations have a page dedicated to DEI, but lack sufficient content. Others may not have DEI information at all! But once we have that crucial page available, the next step is ensuring it is suitably comprehensive. The DEI tab should be visible and accessible from the main page of the website, and the page should ideally also be linked within the “About Us” section. On the DEI page itself, there should be information about DEI committees/task forces, DEI projects and proposals currently in progress, as well as summaries of both long-term and short-term goals. Links on this page might include DEI-related causes the organization supports, various organizations dedicated to diversity (such as the National Diversity Council), and so on.
3. “Join Us” Page (Recruitment-Related Pages)
“Join Us” pages should have specific information on an organization’s dedication to diverse and inclusive recruiting, hiring, and retaining, such as a statement or outline of how they aim to accomplish this goal. They also might consider linking to the DEI page for more information. Furthermore, on “Join Us” pages with new membership forms, there should be a space where the individual filling out the form can input their preferred pronouns. Alternatively, if the form includes a dropdown box for pronouns, more than simply “he/him” and “she/her” should be listed! “They/Them” is one of the most common gender-neutral pronouns used by nonbinary people, but it is also important to include neopronouns.
4. “Resources”/“Education” Page
While educational pages should indeed provide information about resources dedicated to DEI for the intention of instructing people of majority groups, commitment to DEI resources cannot end there. Information on mentoring for minority groups, especially marginalized communities, for example, must be made available, such as for women, the Black community, Asian communities, Hispanics, the queer community, disabled individuals, and so on. Information on employee networks for people of marginalized groups should be made accessible and available, too. Importantly, these various resources must be intersectional..
5. Gender-Neutral Language & Diverse Photos
The first four tips are primarily dedicated to specific DEI-related pages across an organization’s website, but this final tip applies to the entire site itself. Firstly, ensuring that all writing uses gender-neutral language is a simple but critical way to demonstrate an organization’s commitment to DEI! Remember, “they” is the accepted singular, gender-neutral pronoun in English (and has been used for centuries); avoid using “he or she,” “s/he,” or the universal masculine. Secondly, it is critical that diverse photos be intentionally incorporated across appropriate pages of the website. Generic stock photos are not only often white-centric but are often ungenuine. Pictures of an organization’s employees of all races, ethnicities, and genders should be displayed across the website, thus illustrating the diversity already present within the workplace.
And there we have it—five tips for DEI best website practices. But today, there is a bonus section of this blog:
+1. Beyond the Website
Many organizations use at least one form of social media, if not more. From Facebook to Instagram to Twitter, demonstrating a culture of inclusion doesn’t have to end at the boundaries of the website! Some excellent DEI practices for social media include:
Using diverse clip art and/or photos (again, preferably of the organization’s actual employees, not stock photos) in social media posts;
Developing a multicultural marketing process to widen target audiences beyond majority groups, such as by researching values held amongst diverse groups in order to effectively and respectfully appeal to them;
And last but not least, honoring celebrations of diverse communities. Many people and organizations acknowledge Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but what about Indigenous Peoples’ Day (the second Monday of October)? Transgender Day of Visibility (March 31st)? International Asexuality Day (April 6th)? Lunar New Year (beginning the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ending on the first full moon)?
Illustrating an organization’s commitment to DEI across their website and social media may seem like a daunting task, but hopefully these tips show that all one needs is the willingness to sit down and start making changes. Now go forth and turn practice into progress!
Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company with a primary mission for advancing individuals in leadership. Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential. In addition, she provides guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within the organization.
Reach her at DimaGhawi.com and BreakingVases.com.
