"First, I believe it's essential that leaders understand the difference between equity and equality. Equity means providing equal opportunity and equal access to everyone, no matter their situation. If I noticed an equity problem in the workplace, I would explain to my colleagues that equity is our approach to achieving equality. I would research which groups felt impacted by this lack of equity and what was causing the impact. Then, I would create measurable initiatives and an action plan with a specific improvement-related goal. For instance, in my current position, I heard from an employee that their family did not receive equal treatment when it came to company health insurance benefits. I came to find that our spousal health insurance benefits did not mention same-sex partners. I immediately contacted our HR department, who put the wheels in motion to change the language attached to our benefits plan. Leaders must be highly conscious about equity when they create policies, procedures, and workflows so that everyone can benefit from an environment that truly supports equality."
