Many organizations have adopted or renamed their diversity and inclusion programs as “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.” In this sense, equity addresses the disparities that historically marginalized and/or minority groups have experienced in society and that can carry over into the workplace or even arise in the workplace. This addition of “equity” to the broader concept reflects the important effect that social equity can have on organizations. In this context, “equity“ can refer to, for example, the following:

• • Social justice – Fairness and equality for all
  • Equal employment opportunity – Freedom from discrimination based on a personal characteristic, often defined by law
  • Fairness in employment conditions – Impartial and just treatment in the workplace

These concepts may be partly addressed by, for instance, an organization’s non-discrimination, equal employment opportunity, and/or affirmative action employment programs. Still, these programs may not respond to non-discrimination or equal opportunity for the range of diversity characteristics, especially where the law is silent.

These programs also may not focus on a hidden dimension (that we will discuss shortly) that continues to create inequity, such as personal and structural biases that continue to limit individuals from historically marginalized or minority groups. Nor might these programs address other issues of workplace equity. The fact that society continues to reveal new insights in how inequity manifests, especially with respect to these historically marginalized or minority groups, indicates that this is a continuing challenge, both for society and for organizations. For these reasons, “equity” fulfills an important role in the DE&I triad.

Many organizations incorporate “equity” objectives and elements to advance and support other DE&I program goals.

An organization’s equity-related goals can include efforts to:

• • Help address broader social equity as a means to: (i) Improve and expand an organization’s labor pool; and (ii) Improve employees’ own social conditions to lessen outside distractions that would otherwise reduce their focus and effectiveness at work.
  • Improve workplace fairness that can carry over from outside social equity issues. For instance, leaders who wince at news events on social issues may be unconsciously influenced in how they respond to related issues at work.
  • Exhibit an organization’s commitment to social equity as part of its broader commitment to customers and other constituents. For instance, consumers and communities increasingly expect that companies they buy from or host broadly reflect their demographic makeup.

The Critical Role of Inclusion 

Attracting and hiring a more diverse workforce only is effective if individuals are included in the organization’s activities. Once a broader diversity of staff are hired, the organization must find ways to include everyone (respective of roles and positions) in business activities to garner the benefit of the diverse experiences and perspectives that this staff brings. This inclusion of a more diverse staff means that projects, processes, and related decisions are infused with a stronger spirit of creativity and innovation due to a greater disparity of ideas and solutions. 

One challenge that an organization likely will face is the tension between attracting and integrating individuals with diverse characteristics into the organization’s unique culture. This effort to bring in “outside” perspectives while still reinforcing an existing culture that has led to the organization’s success creates a seeming dichotomy unless the effort is deftly handled. The most straightforward approach is to recognize the need for all workplace cultures to evolve as they integrate a wider range of perspectives, while still holding true to their essential principles. 

DE&I Resources

To learn more about this important topic, including the essential role of Diversity in DE&I, we recommend our core course, Diversity and Inclusion: Valuing Differences for Mutual Success, and the new Essential Guide to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion whitepaper.

About the Author

Jason Lunday is the Chief Compliance Officer at Syntrio, a global leader in governance, risk, compliance, and human resource solutions that help organizations manage risks, empower culture and accelerate performance.

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In order for our security awareness programs to be as successful as possible, they need to mitigate every threat–not just the ones with top billing. Although phishing attacks are extremely common, there are other threats quickly catching up. The change in priorities and environment brought on by the shift to remote work last year highlighted several areas of weakness that may not be getting enough attention, including password security, network protection, safe web browsing, and general remote work best practices. So, while users may be incredibly adept at spotting phishes, they could be jeopardizing organizational security in a number of other areas without even knowing it. 

Password security

Passwords and authentication are an easily overlooked area of security training simply because they’re so “simple.” Administrators commonly make the crucial mistake of assuming that their employees already understand how password security works. Unfortunately, the number of breaches over the past few years enabled by weak credentials would indicate otherwise. Infamously, the massive Equifax breach, which exposed the personal data of 143 million users, was partially caused by a username/password combo of “admin/admin.” The shift to work-from-home and the increased use of cloud services has also initiated credential-related hacking attempts; if there were ever a time to hone in on password security, it’s right now.

Network protection

Back when everyone still worked from an office, locked-down office networks and an on-site IT team could be counted on to bolster the organizational firewall. Home networks, on the other hand, throw an extra wild card into the mix. While employees may have been instructed how to set things up properly (assuming there were enough time and resources to do so), continued upkeep and proper usage aren’t a given. Many of the habits that ensure secure networks, such as installing updates, need to be repeated often; regular network security training is an effective way to keep best practices top of mind and encourage formation of those habits.

Web browsing

The web has always posed a significant risk to security, from malicious ads infected with malware to fake web pages used to harvest credit card information. Add to that a home/work environment with less oversight and fewer organizational controls, and browsing the web may be even more of a risk than it was before. Even if users theoretically understand the basics of web security and what warning signs to watch out for, the distraction of remote work could cause an inadvertent slipup. Beyond that, the threat landscape in this area is constantly shifting and becoming more sophisticated, putting even the most knowledgeable users at risk.

Remote work security 

Again, remote work introduces a plethora of new security threats that simply weren’t an issue before. The fact that work is suddenly intermingled with kids, remote schooling, even visitors to the house means that employees need to work harder than they would at the office to maintain a secure, separated work environment. Devices are more likely to get lost, damaged, or stolen, sensitive documents can get picked up or misplaced, and conversations may be overheard by people who shouldn’t be hearing them. In general, organizational privacy is a lot more difficult to maintain. If employees haven’t been trained on how to protect their data and devices at home, they need to be, before a major breach occurs.

Achieving security awareness in all these areas might seem like a difficult task, especially if it means pivoting from a phishing-centric program to a more holistic one. Thankfully, it doesn’t need to be. General security awareness courses are specifically designed to train users across all aspects of security, while being mindful of employees’ time constraints and attention spans. If you haven’t considered general security awareness training, there has never been a better time.

About the author

Larry Cates is the President and CEO of Global Learning Systems, a leading provider of enterprise security awareness and compliance training solutions to Fortune 1000 clients. Working directly with senior-level executives and security officers, Mr. Cates advises and consults on the design and implementation of client-tailored continuous learning and behavior management programs to address key security concerns and prevent security breaches related to inappropriate user actions.. Mr. Cates and the GLS team are actively developing new solutions and capabilities that promote an organizational security culture through user assessments, security metrics and goals tracking, as well as game-based learning, behavioral analytics tools and just-in-time targeted user training. 

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When evaluating fleet driver safety training services, look for programs that follow the four principles developed by Malcom Shepherd Knowles, an American educator, who is renowned for his authoritative work in the field of adult education. He proposed that the following should be applied to all adult learning activities, including driver safety training:

• • Adults need to be involved in the planning and evaluation of their instruction
  • Experience provides the basis for the learning activities
  • Adults are most interested in learning subjects that have immediate relevance and impact on their life
  • Adult learning is problem-centered rather than content-oriented

Sophisticated training providers that incorporate Knowles’ four principles can deliver driver safety programs that not only focus on traditional advanced driving skills and situational awareness but also “higher-order cognitive skills” (e.g., perception, insight, and motivation). A study conducted in 2011 (Isler, Starkey, and Sheppard) determined that participants who received higher-order driving skills training showed a significant improvement in relation to visual search, improvement in hazard perception, safer attitudes to close following and dangerous overtaking, and a decrease in driving-related overconfidence (e.g., speeding, aggressive driving, etc.). Their attitude and behavior toward risk were also changed to support these important safety functions.

The driver, after mastering the necessary advanced driving skills, should also be encouraged to engage in the focus and outcome of his or her training. In other words, a program that coaches drivers through a self-assessment process that can reveal and personalize the experience based on how the individual really performs behind the wheel. Through this coaching process, drivers learn to acknowledge the dangerous level of risk from their activities and behaviors and can reinforce the safe driving techniques through e-learning opportunities on specific problem areas such as aggressive driving, distracted driving, or speeding. 

It’s important to ask questions and to keep Knowles’ four principles in mind when evaluating the design of your provider’s suite of services. Look for programs that coach your drivers to be self-aware, improve diminished skills and reinforce safe driving habits.

The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety, (2016). Cost of Motor Vehicle Crashes to Employers – 2015
Isler, R.B., Starkey, N. & Sheppard, P. (2011). Accident Analysis and Prevention 43, 1818-1827

About the author

Art Liggio, CEO and president at Driving Dynamics, is guided by a passion for elevating awareness and improving the capabilities of all drivers on the road and a focused commitment to helping organizations greatly improve their fleet safety performance. Recognized as an industry leader and pioneer with more than 30 years of experience helping fleet-based operations manage driver safety and mitigate losses, in 2020 Art was inducted into the Fleet Hall of Fame. 

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