https://www.humanresourcestoday.com/frs/26116903/bridging-the-gap--the-intersection-of-dei-initiatives-and-employee-benefits Unlock the secrets to transforming your organization’s employee benefits into a strategic tool for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). During this informative session, we will discuss common pitfalls in traditional benefits and then delve into the essence of DEI in employee-centric benefit offerings. This involves not only defining DEI in the workplace but also understanding the pivotal role that employee benefits play in fostering a diverse and inclusive environment. The session will provide actionable insights into creating a robust inclusive benefits strategy, emphasizing the importance of understanding the diverse needs of employees and tailoring benefits to support different demographics, family styles, and generations. Don’t miss this opportunity to revolutionize your approach to employee benefits and make a lasting impact on your workplace culture. Key Audience Takeaways: • Understanding how DEI intersects with Employee Benefits • Creating an inclusive benefits strategy • Affordable and inclusive benefit offerings • Overcoming resistance and challenges • Strategies for implementation • Measuring success and impact

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Introduction to
DEI(B) and EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

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What is DEI(B)?
Diversity: who is represented in the
workplace.
• Gender
• Age
• Ethnicity
• Physical Ability
DEI(B) = Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging
Equity: fair treatment of all people.
• Differs from “equality”
Inclusion: how an organization embraces diversity and
creates programs and opportunities for everyone
Belonging: how employees perceive they fit into an
organization
• Harvard Business Review: 40% of workers report
that they feel isolated at work.

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What is the Objective of Connecting
DEI and Benefits Strategies?
To attract, motivate, and retain
a DIVERSE, HIGH
PERFORMING, TALENTED
workforce that will help the
organization to reach its goals

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US SPENDS $8 BILLION ON DEI TRAINING &
MISSES EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT and INCLUSIVE
BENEFITS

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What percentage of your overall DEI budget do
you actually spend?
A. We don’t have a budget
B. Less than 40%
C. 40-50%
D. 50-75%
E. 75% - 100%
Poll Question #1

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COMMON PITFALLS WITH
TRADITIONAL EMPLOYEE
BENEFITS
Traditional plans do not always meet the needs of
today’s modern and diverse workforce. End the “one
size fits all” approach.
Not having a clear, defined strategy. Benefits should
align with the organizational goals, values, and
culture.
Ignoring legal aspects. Certain traditional
benefits unintentionally exclude classes of
employees.
Defaulting to last year’s plan designs and packages
without reassessing employee needs and workforce
demographics.
Ignoring needs leads to unhappy, disengaged
workforce. Decreases in job performance.

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THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX

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Creating an Inclusive
Benefits Strategy
• Collect employee feedback
• Employee anonymous surveys
• Focus Groups
• Information sessions to gain understanding
• Participate in 3rd party surveys
• Helps to assess what is trending and current
• HR and Total Rewards collaboration
• Tie benefits to HR strategy and culture
• Make inclusivity and equity foundational principles when designing
strategy
• Benefits accessible to all employees

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Creating an Inclusive
Benefits Strategy (cont.)
• Have a thoughtful and deliberate approach
• Employee awareness
• Create clear and inclusive communication campaigns
• Consider the diverse language preferences
• Accessibility needs
• Use various communication channels
• Provide training and educational resources
• Helps employees to make well-informed decisions

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Inclusive Benefits Strategy
• Having that individualized support makes employees feel
more valued.
• Increases loyalty and productivity.
• Higher utilization rates.
• More motivated workforce.
Greater ROI on overall
benefits spend

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Diverse Employee Groups
• 4 different generations in the current workforce
• Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Baby Boomers
• Diversity in ethnicity and cultural backgrounds
• With more remote workers, companies now have
employees from all over the country and sometimes
even all over the world
• Sexual orientation
• Diversity in family make-ups
• Gender identification (now over 80 variations)
• Employees becoming parents at later ages
• Religion
• Disability
• Parental status

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Do you currently track the diversity within
your employee groups?
A. Yes
B. No
Poll Question #2

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INCORPORATE DEI(B) INTO PLANNING & STRATEGY SESSIONS
• Assess the different types of diversity represented within your
company
• Anonymous surveys to determine percentages within each group
• Consider the needs within each group
• Pilot programs to test out a new benefit offering
• Develop a DEI company philosophy, similar to Compensation or Total
Rewards philosophies
• Benchmark benefit programs with similar organizations
• Carefully track utilization, trends, employee satisfaction, and reassess
every year
• Slowly introduce new programs one at a time
• Consider a 3 year strategy
• Too many choices all at once can be overwhelming for employees

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» Extend benefit eligibility beyond healthcare to include domestic
partners
» Diverse preferences in marital status
» Life Insurance options
» Bereavement
» Voluntary supplemental coverages (Accident, Hospital, Critical
Illness)
» Access to mental health care for all employees
» Telehealth and EAP
» Unlimited behavioral therapy
» Consider implementing a flexible holiday schedule
» Allows employees to celebrate the holidays of their choice
» Adjust leave policies to include full parental leave
» Time Off policies if not eligible for FMLA
» Domestic partner child birth
» ”Grand-ternity leave”
» More parents taking care of their grandkids on a temporary
basis (not covered by FMLA)
AFFORDABLE & INCLUSIVE
BENEFIT OFFERINGS

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» Family planning benefits/allowances
» Surrogacy
» Fertility treatments
» IVF
» Egg freezing
» Adoption
» Diverse wellness programs
» Some programs automatically exclude certain classes of employees
» Lifestyle Spending Account
» Allows choice and flexibility
» Inclusive education benefits
» Moving from “Tuition Reimbursement” to “Education Assistance
Programs”
» Pet Insurance
» Voluntary benefit (employee paid) or Company paid
» Provides financial protection again large vet bills
» Pets are children to some
AFFORDABLE & INCLUSIVE
BENEFIT OFFERINGS (cont.)

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OVERCOMING RESISTANCE
AND CHALLENGES
4 Common Causes
For Leadership Resistance
1. Misunderstanding/lack of knowledge
2. Lack of communication
3. Concerns about timing of the change
4. Belief that it is misaligned with company goals

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OVERCOMING RESISTANCE
AND CHALLENGES
Strategies For
Overcoming Resistance
› Communication and education
› Participation (keep leadership in the loop & involved
in the process)
› Provide data from surveys to show what competitors
are doing
› Emphasize the ROI
› Keep leadership informed of the success even post-
implementation

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Which of these benefits do your company currently offer?
Poll Question #3
A. Domestic Partnership benefits
B. Access to mental healthcare to all employees
C. Flexible holiday schedules
D. Family planning allowances (besides adoption)
E. Diverse wellness programs
F. Inclusive education benefits
G. Pet insurance

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SUCCESSFUL
IMPLEMENTATION
Heavily consider employee feedback
Develop a communication plan
Don’t be afraid to lead your competitors
Keep in mind both internal and external factors
Align the DEI benefits strategy with the organization’s
long term & overall business strategy

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MEASURING
SUCCESS AND IMPACT
Conduct follow up surveys or
focus groups to get real-time
employee feedback
Have a clear definition of what
success means for your DEI
Benefits/Total Rewards Strategy
Determine KPIs/metrics to evaluate and
measure the programs
Don’t be afraid to reassess and start again!
Remember, DEI(B) is an ongoing and evolving
process.

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