Embrace Equity

When I was asked to organize an APeeling event/book on the topic of “Equity in the Workplace,” I thought - stocks, bonds, and tangible assets. 

 

Not that kind of equity…

 

From the presenters in this book, I discovered equity can mean something different than financial assets. It’s about providing employees with an equitable opportunity… 

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Isn’t equality good enough?

 

Equality is the idea that we all are equal under the law and should have the opportunity to achieve what we want in life based on our efforts and not our birth right. Equality happens when society agrees that people have the same rights and protections under the law.

 

We achieved equality in the West. 
 

We took a birds eye view of the population and saw every head as having the same worth and right to the things provided by society for its citizens. 

 

Democratic governments legislated that everyone has certain rights we deem important for our citizens. For example, every child has the right to education so, governments created public schools where every child can go to school without paying to attend. What this right doesn’t guarantee is that every child will receive an education. The doors are open, they must attend, but that is where equality stops and equity begins. 

 

The problem with equality
 

Equality assumes everyone starts at the same place, with the same advantages, tools, and opportunities. 

 

This is not true. 

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The starting line is not a straight one where everyone gets an equal position. When we zoom in closer to the population, we start to see that the individuals are different from each other, with each one having their own strengths, talents, and short-comings. We can also see that not everyone is afforded the same opportunities due to their socio-economic status and other variables. Our start in this life depends on the values of society, access to resources, the decisions our parents and ancestors made.

 

Let’s take a closer look at the children within our schools. As we look at each individual child, we see some have a learning disability, which makes it harder for them to understand what they are being taught. If equality is opening the doors to all children, equity is giving each student their own individualized education plan to ensure they can learn based on their own strengths, weaknesses, and talents. 

 

What is equity?

 

Equity is giving people what they need to get to the starting line to run a fair race. 

Think about the Olympic oval. When the runners line up at the starting line, they don’t stand in a straight line. Each lane’s starting line is staggered depending on the ‘extra’ distance they must run by being further out from the shorter inside lane. 

 

Perception is everything.

 

If the camera focuses only on the starting line, it will look unfair to the viewer because those on the outside lanes are getting a head start compared to those on the inner lane. However, as the camera pans out, the viewer begins to see the whole racetrack and the ‘extra’ distance the runner in the outside lane has to run before they can join the pack in the inside lane. 

 

All the runners are given the opportunity to train, to have a coach, to eat well, to be at the starting line, and run the same distance. 

 

Still there will only be one winner who has something that gives him or her an edge over the other runners to come out on top, even with the staggered starting line ensuring they all have an equal distance to run. 

 

Equity is giving people an equal chance… What they do with it is completely up to them. 

 

I’m NOT a DEI expert. I’m a wordsmith trying to define what equity means in this context. Which is why 

 

I have 5 DEI Experts in this book  to explain equity and how you can embrace equity in your workplace.

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