Earlier this year, Shalin Kothari tore a rotator cuff in his shoulder. The injury prompted him to think more about his own workplace and its workforce. Kothari had what he deemed a short-term disability, which, even its limited duration, restricted the way he could interact with the office environment. “Other individuals have a permanent situation we need to think more deeply about,” said Kothari, the VP of people and diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy at Schneider Electric, a multinational energy-management company.

Kothari shared his insight as part of an executive panel discussion during From Day One’s June virtual conference, moderated by Fast Company senior editor Lydia Dishman, on bringing a more broadly inclusive approach to DEI. His story reflects the fact that there’s still a lot of work to be done in terms of DEI because we’re not always looking at the whole picture. Examples: An estimated 15% to 20% of the population is neurodiverse; about one-fourth of the U.S. adults have a disability; more than 70 million Americans have a criminal record and 8 million have served time in prison, according to research by the Brennan Center for Justice.

While, in the past, the term diversity was mostly focused on gender and ethnicity, organizations are now looking at disability, neurodiversity, and other characteristics to broaden the search for talent by looking to traditionally marginalized populations.

Bringing the Unseen Into Conversation

“What I learned in 6.5 years, it’s that we have different definitions based on our experience and our exposure,” said Bridget Hurd, a VP and chief diversity officer for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, who mentioned being immunocompromised as her unseen condition. “When you talk to boomers, they talk about race and gender. When you talk to younger millennials or Gen Z, they talk about different perspectives and abilities. Diversity is multifaceted and includes all of those things: the more we define, the more comfortable leaders become.”

Having leaders ease into new definitions makes them comfortable, which, in turn, allows for better ways to take action. “Working in many different organizations, when you find the right one, having the conversation is a lot easier,” echoed James Deignan, business development director at Texthelp, which makes technology to help people communicate. “I had the experience where I was met with resistance–that was a signal to me I had to find the right organization.”

Carlos Cubia, who until recently was the SVP and global chief diversity officer at Walgreens Boots Alliance, believes that education, in the form of actual tools and skills, is paramount. However, it should not be the sole burden of DEI specialists to educate, he believes. “I want people to take initiative to educate themselves,” he said. As an example, he cited the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd. “Sometimes,” he said, “you find yourself in a situation where you’re the poster child for filling in the blanks. Push back and force other people to work–education has to happen.”

Business leaders cannot, however, ignore the fact that we live in a capitalist society, so education and awareness aside, decision-makers need to see ways that a more encompassing definition of DEI benefits them materially. “You can show a business case, and show them how this makes them money–and then put a face to it, said Bethany Saint Clair, director of equity, diversity, and inclusion at OpenText, an information-management company.

Getting Everyone to Buy In

Since diversity is something that interests humanity as a whole, conversations around it need to be reframed, starting with empowering the workers and employees. “Empowerment is an interesting word,” said Cubia. “What we’re doing is embedding this notion that the DEI journey belongs to everyone. The DEI team sets the strategy, but the development and deployment is the responsibility of every individual.”

“Combine top-down and bottom-up,” said Kothari. “To really create that inclusive culture, it’s not just the top leader saying we need change. We also need the grassroots approach by having leaders transform the organizations as well, really making sure employees feel their voice is heard, and change the organization based on their input as well.”

This also means heeding the policy dissenters as well. “We want you to disagree. We want you to respectfully bring your dissenting opinion to the table,” said Cubia. “We’re getting the voices, the dissenters, and different values. It’s making us a better company, but it’s hard.”

Making sure dissenters are heard is a crucial strategy, according to Saint Clair, as dissenters are oftentimes ignorant of the fact that they’re dissenting about someone else’s existence and lived experience. “We’re dismantling a system that’s been around for hundreds of years,” she explained. “There’s ancestral trauma on both sides. Dissent is, ‘I am not gonna be able to thrive anymore.’ It’s fear, worry, shame of their own existence.”

Leaning Into More Autonomy 

Now that workers are returning to offices and embracing hybrid-work schedules, there is a learning curve for employers, who for the past two years did take notice of the benefits of remote work, especially for marginalized populations within the workforce. In this context, autonomy is slowly becoming a benefit. Kothari, while acknowledging that his company is far from perfect in this regard, illustrated how leaders were actively engaging with accessibility and accommodations within the worksite, but not at the expense of work flexibility. In fact, his company is actively providing work-from-home packages that can support the ability to work remotely. “Yeah, more people are coming back, but we’re not forcing them to come in every day,” he said. “It’s as needed, when it makes sense.”

This is a boon for people who live with disability and are neurodivergent. In fact, Deignan notes, they are both less likely to hold a a full-time job and struggle with employment. “In tech, though, these individuals thrive,” he said, taking into consideration the fact that tech has been known as a flexible workplace in terms of where the individual conducts their day-to-day work, even before the pandemic. “Given the right tools, these individuals can be great fits.” Saint Clair, who is an engineer, notes, in fact, that many engineers are indeed neurodivergent. “Let the employee tell you what they need,” she suggested, noting that it’s a question that doesn’t have to be conveyed in condescending tones. “Be flexible, take them at their word and let them show what their best selves are. As long as they get it done, they get it done.”

Angelica Frey is a writer and a translator based in Milan and Boston.