Making Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Impactful In The Workplace-The JEDI Way

Alex Obuhatsa, Head of Talent & Organisation Development at SBM Bank Kenya

Our world is characterized by difference and diversity, yet at the same time individuals seek similarity and inclusion. In one of the storytelling platforms known as ‘Engage’ in Kenya, Kendi Kamanja Oketch, a Dyslexia awareness champion shared about her struggles during the course of her studies in school and later, securing employment and maintaining performance at work. She experienced a breakthrough later after getting an official diagnosis for Dyslexia, a learning disability, albeit after experiencing emotional turmoil from being ridiculed in school, inability to engage effectively during job interviews and in social circles and in general, the despair from experiencing exclusion.

This story is not uncommon for many; desiring to belong but left out for being different from the rest. In Kendi’s case, she was excluded on account of a learning disability and the reasons vary for many others. Inclusion is an innate human need and desire given our social nature. It speaks to the feeling of belonging where someone’s participation in the collective   activities of a group or a society. Diversity will always be present in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, skills, religion, ability/disability etc. What makes inclusion critical is   the fact that individuals within a group will always desire to participate in the activities of a group, in spite of their different qualities.

Equity on the other hand addresses the elimination of barriers that enable someone’s participation; creating a pathway that considers one’s unique context and abilities or limitations. Altogether, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) seek to create a world where a society achieves success by uniquely enabling the individuals within it. This is also recognized in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) in which inclusivity is featured on aspects such as provision of inclusive and quality education, reducing inequality that excludes persons with disabilities, making cities inclusive and safe and putting up transport systems that are accessible to all and collection of data and monitoring accountability on the SDGs.

The work place is a critical area where DEI come into play as this is where individuals spend up to 30% of their day. At a topline level, diversity may be seen in terms of generational gaps, skill level, ethnicity, race, disability and gender. The nuances around this come up in conversations around-

• who gets hired when they have a known disability, whether to award a promotion to a younger qualified employee versus an older one,
• what policies to set up to ensure women have a level playing field with the male counterparts,
• which shield them from missing opportunities due to childcare obligations additional to their full time job,
• dress code policy in a work place which has employees that wear unique attire on account of their religion, or have a preference based on their age group/personal style (for example, GenerationZ’s preference for jeans/casual wear, whether to allow tattoos/piercings, unconventional hairstyles),
• how to enhance access and inclusion for staff and customers with various disabilities,
• how to support employees with mental health challenges,
• enhancing team work in a set up that has baby boomers, millennials, GenerationX’s, GenerationY’s, Generation Z’s and Generation Alpha’s and how to handle cases of illness versus work demands, health and safety. 

It may seem impossible to make everyone feel included, considering the unique needs of each group while balancing with the organization’s interest and need for high performing teams.

Closer home, at SBM bank Kenya where I serve as the Head of Talent Management & Organization Development, DEI is central to our culture and is instrumental to the delivery of a positive employee experience, in addition to being a key pillar of our brand as employer of choice in our markets. I am passionate about building organizational leadership capability and generating talent solutions that foster superior organizational performance while offering compelling career journeys to employees.

“Our world is characterized by difference and diversity, yet at the same time individuals seek similarity and inclusion.”

Throughout my 15 years plus experience in Human Capital I have encounter diversity first hand and come to appreciate various facets of it; on the one hand, we work to harness the richness of talent and the unique strengths of a team which has diverse range of skills and abilities; on the other hand we embrace the complexities that emerge when attempting to accommodate the unique qualities and needs of all individuals while prioritizing the needs of the customers, and the organization's interests.

All the time striking the right balance in a set of intricate priorities. Our rallying tagline when discussing diversity at SBM Bank is the “Face of Kenya”. Serving a community and customers from all walks of life through race, ethnicity, gender, faith and religion, generations, and disability, it is our resolve to ensure that our organization also reflects the safe face of this nation.

It is against this backdrop that the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) approach to inclusivity was adopted at SBM bank. This is a toolkit which contains a repository of resources and ideas offered to support all efforts to improve justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. The JEDI program at SBM Bank covers three major audiences: SBM Employees, SBM Customers, and the Community around us. The justice component has recently gained much significance globally following the Covid-19 pandemic. Attention has been drawn to the most vulnerable populations that we dubbed “essential workers / critical workforce”.

At SBM Bank these included our frontline employees who continued to engage customers while many others worked from safe, well controlled environments. We considered what fair application of well-being interventions meant for them and that included offering extra PPEs, engaging medical aid providers to fund testing and treatment, and adjusting work rosters to minimize their exposure to contagion. Turning to Equality, SBM Bank has put in place policies and programs to guarantee that our diverse workforce experiences equal treatment through all elements of their employment life cycle be it equal pay for the same value of work, access to benefits, access to learning and development opportunities, access to promotion opportunities, access to tools of trade, equal participation in recognition and reward programs, among many other entitlements.

I have heard it said before that “if Diversity is inviting me to the party, then inclusion is asking me for a dance”. SBM Bank has made it our greatest agenda to ensure that the uniqueness of our diverse employees is recognized and celebrated in all spheres of work including infrastructure, policies, and frameworks, and that we proactively drive their participation in various bank programs where otherwise they would be excluded from. All employees are consulted on various change initiatives to ensure every voice is heard and that no one is left behind. Altogether these interventions have built a strong sense of belonging. This also makes it possible for us to extend the same sense of belonging to our customers and the community around us, the best example being that a number of frontline employees across all our branches have been trained in sign language to enable effective service delivery to customers with hearing impairment. We have further partnered with the APDK (Association of Persons with Disabilities in Kenya) to run an awareness program across the entire bank de-bunking all myths on disability and educating our employees on how to support individuals with disabilities within our communities.

Moreover, we are proud of some of the strides we have made from a gender perspective among our customers. SBM Bank has ensured that the solutions offered are customer centric and are mindful of the customers’ needs. Top of our list is our women markets program that forms part of the sustainability agenda in terms of equality. We have created tailor made solutions including providing women with access to funding (unsecured lending of up to $38,000), financial literacy and networking platforms which have played a huge role in growing their businesses hence impacting many livelihoods and the community at large.

SBM has been recognized for these initiatives in the Sustainable Finance Initiative (SFI) awards. We also observe International Women’s Day across the entire branch network, as we are a UN Women Empowerment Signatory (UN WEP). Closely connected to this, we have resolved to emulate the government's drive to empower women enterprises by beginning to isolate a proportion of our supplier contracts for women owned businesses. This will be driven through a proactive procurement policy and process that is currently being reviewed to actualize this agenda.

It is our aspiration to be more impactful for our employees through more customized DEI initiatives that aim to transform the individual to enable them realize their full potential. As a HR professional, I look forward to a world where diversity is fully celebrated and harnessed for societal and organizational success. Where future generations will be inspired to foster unity and harmony in their institutions and way of life. 

For now, I appreciate the collective consciousness around inclusivity; the measures and gains made towards eliminating barriers to effective participation in economic and national development and personal growth. I strive to make an impact in the workplace and community, powered by inclusion and the belief in the immense potential in each person. I echo Nellie Borrero (Managing Director, Senior Strategic Advisor – Global Inclusion & Diversity at Accenture) when she says, “Diversity is a fact, but inclusion is a choice we make every day. As leaders, we have to put out the message that we embrace and not just tolerate diversity.”

Beyond my day-to-day work, I have been fortunate to author a book titled ‘The Trinity of Purpose, Talent & Passion’ which provides suggestions on how to find purpose, identify, develop and fulfill your talents, and how to engage your passions in the right areas. In this process, one is able to identify what makes them unique and how to apply their talents to leverage opportunities. In a sense, one needs to recognize their own diversity relative to their spheres of influence, create avenues to inclusion for themselves and others, and address barriers to effective participation.

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