What does it mean to review policy from a D&I lens?
Reviewing policy from a D&I lens means looking at your organisational policies, procedures and strategies, and considering how they will affect a diversity of people. This includes considering whether the policy may have unintended consequences for specific groups of people, such as:
- whether the language used in the policy excludes or disadvantages certain workers
- what kinds of barriers the policy may pose for certain workers
- what impact this policy may have on certain workers’ feelings of inclusion (feeling respected, connected, valued and progressing).
This could take place as part of a scheduled review process, or in response to specific concerns being raised.
What kinds of policies should your organisation review from a D&I lens?
All organisational policies can benefit from review with a D&I lens. As a starting point, we suggest looking at policies that affect a significant number of employees, or policies that have a significant impact on marginalised employees.
These might include (but are not limited to):
- Complaints handling policies
- Flexible working policies
- Parental leave policies
- Recruitment, selection and promotion policies
- Sexual harassment policies
- Work health and safety policies
Why is it important to review policy from a D&I lens?
Organisational policies, procedures and strategies are often intended to be neutral and apply to all relevant employees, regardless of their differences. However, taking a neutral approach often has unintended consequences, as it doesn’t capture the diversity of the workforce and people’s differing needs and experiences.
This can mean that our policies, procedures and strategies don’t meet the needs of a diversity of people or may lead to unintended discriminatory effects.1
For example, if a recruitment policy requires all applicants to do an online aptitude test or cognitive test, this can disadvantage:
- people from lower income households with less access to digital devices to take the test
- people with English as an additional language
- neurodivergent applicants, and
- those who need assistive technology adjustments.2
Reviewing policy from a D&I lens allows us to anticipate the differences in the way that policies may impact on a diversity of people and put in place measures to address any inequities that are found.
Using a D&I lens to review policy can also be considered a business improvement practice – by ensuring that the policy works for all the people is it designed to work for.
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- VicHealth (2016), ‘Applying a gender lens in the workplace: learnings from the Generating Equality and Respect program’.
- Diversity Council Australia (R. D’Almada-Remedios, A. Kaabel, and J. O’Leary) (2022), ‘Inclusive Recruitment: How to Tap into Australia’s Overlooked and Underleveraged Talent’.
- Diversity Council Australia (Mapedzahama, V., Ojinnaka, A., Deo, S. and O’Leary, J.) (2024), ‘Centring Marginalised Voices at Work: Lessons from DCA’s Culturally and Racially Marginalised (CARM) Women in Leadership Research.’
- ibid
- Diversity Council Australia (Mapedzahama, V., Ojinnaka, A., Deo, S. and O’Leary, J.) (2024), ‘Centring Marginalised Voices at Work: Lessons from DCA’s Culturally and Racially Marginalised (CARM) Women in Leadership Research.'
- Diversity Council Australia (R. D’Almada-Remedios, A. Kaabel, and J. O’Leary) (2022), ‘Inclusive Recruitment: How to Tap into Australia’s Overlooked and Underleveraged Talent’.
- Fair Work Ombudsman (2022), ‘Consultation and cooperation in the workplace - best practice guide’.