From Awareness to Action: Living DEI Daily
Binisha Backer
L&D Specialist | HR Roots in Engagement & ER | Career Development Advocate | Open to Roles in Learning & Development, Employee Relations and Engagement | #OpenToWork #Canada #AvailableImmediately
Maya was the kind of professional who believed in staying in her lane. As a mid-level manager at a busy manufacturing firm, her days were filled with deadlines, dashboards, and deliverables. She cared about her team, worked hard, and assumed that was enough. When it came to things like Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), she figured that was not really her responsibility.
Maya had always thought of DEI—as HR’s job.
Training sessions. Hiring targets. Maybe a few posters on the office walls with catchy taglines. To her, DEI felt like a compliance checkbox—important, but distant. Something handled elsewhere, by someone else.
So, when yet another DEI coffee chat appeared on her calendar, Maya joined out of courtesy, not curiosity.
But that conversation changed everything.
Anika, a senior HR leader, sat across the table with a quiet confidence. “The real issue,” she said, stirring her tea, “is that most people believe DEI isn’t their job. But inclusion lives in the everyday—how we speak, listen, welcome, and work with one another. It’s how we show up for people.”
The words were simple. But they stayed with Maya. And something started to shift.
It began in a meeting room.
The team was deep into a budget review. Voices clashed. Ideas flew. But Maya noticed something—Sam, a junior analyst, kept trying to speak. Every time he started, someone talked over him. It happened once. Then again.
By the third time, Maya felt a tug.
She cleared her throat gently. “Let’s make sure everyone gets to finish their thought,” she said. “Sam, I think you were saying something?”
The room paused. A small silence—then a shift. Sam spoke. His idea sparked discussion, and days later, it turned into a cost-saving strategy.
That moment stayed with Maya. Respect, she realized, wasn’t built through policies—it was shaped in small, spoken moments.
Later that week, Maya passed by the break room and saw Ali, a warehouse supervisor, setting up a long table with dishes labeled in different languages.
“Cultural lunch day,” he explained with a grin. “Some of the newer team members used to eat alone. So, we started this. Now it’s a tradition.”
She watched as people from different teams—admin, factory, logistics—gathered. They laughed, swapped recipes, shared stories.
“Inclusion,” Ali said, “just needed a table and some food.”
Maya smiled. It wasn’t just about big initiatives. It was about belonging.
A few days later, Maya was invited to observe a hiring panel. Priya, the Sales Manager, had reworked the process: interview questions were shared in advance, breaks were added, and overly stressful activities were removed.
“We want to be more inclusive for neurodiverse applicants,” Priya explained. “Small adjustments, big impact.”
One candidate, who had previously struggled in interviews, excelled this time. They were hired.
Maya left that room thoughtful. Inclusion wasn’t about lowering standards—it was about redesigning spaces so more people could shine.
At the monthly IT town hall, Maya found herself half-listening—until a quiet intern named Jordan raised a hand.
“Do our apps work with screen readers?” he asked.
The room froze. No one had an answer.
But that single question triggered an accessibility audit. Weeks later, updates were rolled out company-wide. All it took was someone asking.
Maya saw it again—inclusion didn’t always need a spotlight. Sometimes, it just needed a voice.
Then came the company-wide gathering.
The CEO stood on stage, reading anonymous employee questions. One caught everyone’s attention:
'Why isn’t there more diversity in leadership here?'
The room was still.
The CEO paused, then said, “We’re not where we should be. But I’m listening—and I want your help.”
That honesty sparked conversations in hallways and inboxes. A mentorship program was born—peer-led, not policy-driven. Maya signed up to mentor.
She didn’t need a title or a formal role. She just needed to show up.
As she packed up her things that evening, Maya thought back to Anika’s words: “Inclusion lives in the everyday.”
She finally understood.
🌟 It Starts With Us
DEI isn’t a department—it’s a daily decision. It's not just about policies or programs; it’s about people. And the small moments we choose to make inclusive can add up to a truly equitable culture.
No matter your title or team, you play a part. Because inclusion isn't someone else's job. It's yours too.
As mentioned in the story, it can be about:
💬 What about you?
Have you ever had a “Maya moment”—where you realized DEI lives beyond HR? What small actions have you taken (or witnessed) that made someone feel included?
Drop your thoughts in the comments. Let’s learn from each other. 👇
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