Developing an equitable HR philosophy

Introduction to ARAO & JEDI in Nonprofit HR

Equity in HR should be top of mind for nonprofits that want their internal practices to reflect the social good they aim to achieve through their mission and programs. Equity goes beyond fairness by focusing on creating equal conditions for people to participate fully in society. Equity acknowledges that some groups face more barriers than others through no fault of their own, meaning that providing only equal treatment is not enough to close the gap.

The difference between equity and equality, Source: Ciell

There is no one-size-fits-all standard for equity, but more nonprofits are adopting an equity framework to guide their mission, programming, and internal policies. Two of the more common frameworks are JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) and ARAO (Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression). Both frameworks share many similarities in practice, but the language can land differently for different groups.

As frameworks, JEDI and ARAO can provide a foundation for building equitable HR practices. Apply the framework that your organization already uses to HR policies and procedures. If your organization hasn’t yet chosen a framework, you may choose one in the interim to guide your efforts to create or reimagine HR policies and practices for equity.

Why equity in HR?

Equitable workplaces tend to translate to happier and more productive employees. More equitable employee policies, people practices, and supports can help address some unique HR challenges in the nonprofit sector as well.

Reduces rates of burnout. Nonprofits are facing high rates of burnout, with about one-third of Canadians experiencing burnout. As of 2021, some nonprofit sectors were facing burnout rates as high as 53%.
Reduces turnover. Retaining employees keeps costs down, as replacing an employee costs about 21% of their salary to train a replacement. This cost doesn’t include knock-on effects like delayed projects or temporarily increased workload on other employees.
Promotes diversity. You are more likely to retain a diverse workforce when your workplace policies and cultures are equitable. And, research has found that diverse teams perform better and ward off groupthink.
Promotes psychological safety. A psychologically safe workplace is one where employees feel safe enough to openly express ideas, concerns and even disagreement without fearing consequences, i.e. a safe workplace for employees to contribute fully, regardless of their backgrounds. More psychological safety helps reduce rates of burnout and turnover as well.
Reputational risk management. For nonprofits that serve marginalized communities, being an equitable workplace is important to the integrity of their mission. It can be a reputational risk to perpetuate the same problems that your organization is trying to address.

HR’s role in equity

HR teams play a pivotal role in making organizations more equitable. Employee policies and practices shape a great deal of workplace culture. For example, having a more diverse and inclusive workforce depends on recruitment and advancement policies. Sometimes HR teams may be called People & Culture teams to reflect their strategic influence on employee wellness, workplace culture, and learning and development.

HR teams that are best positioned to advance equity tend to have a few of the following qualities:

Flexible. They recognize that policies are a guide to help people work well together, rather than to control people. They recognize that people’s day-to-day realities can be complex, and that best practices evolve over time.
Learning mindset. Equitable policies and practices are rooted in a strong understanding of the historical and current impacts of oppression. Conversations in JEDI and ARAO are ever-evolving, and are rarely one-and-done, and HR professionals interested in equity must remain open to new information.
Courage to change, and able to manage change. Equitable HR is courageous HR. Making any system more equitable means breaking conventions and challenging leadership to make the necessary changes. Knowing how to effectively manage and communicate change will go a long way in maintaining good relationships with executives and employees alike.

Choosing an equity framework

Having an equity framework helps you take a thoughtful and organized approach to developing equitable HR policies and practices, and supports you in explaining the reasons behind your decisions. In this way, a framework can be more useful than reading someone else’s step-by-step guide. What equity looks like will differ between each organization.

A common mistake that teams make is trying to implement equity in small ways that don’t necessarily connect to each other.

For example, you may want to start sending job candidates interview questions ahead of time as an equitable practice. But things can still feel disjointed if other steps in recruitment feel less equitable, such as not disclosing salary ranges in the job posting, or if you have biased interview questions.

If your workplace hasn’t adopted an organization-wide framework for equity, you may choose a framework just for HR in the interim. You may want to see if the programming or fundraising teams already use frameworks, as cohesion can streamline decisions in the future.

In practice, most equity frameworks share a lot in common. Whatever you choose, it’s not likely to limit what you can do if the goal is to create more equitable outcomes. The language behind each framework can signal certain qualities to your approach to some audiences. For instance, an ARAO framework implies a more active approach to challenging and rebuilding systems that oppress people. It shows people that you are willing to name racism and oppression as key barriers to a more equitable future.

Explaining equity frameworks

JEDI

JEDI stands for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. It’s a newer framework that’s gained more traction since 2020, and an evolution of EDI (equity, diversity and inclusion). The letter “J” represents justice, especially racial justice. The addition of a justice lens to this framework is where it begins to overlap with the tenets of ARAO.

Justice: an approach encompassing deep systemic change. This means change not only across an organization, but the systems that surround and affect the organization and its communities. While it strongly implies racial justice, it can include related movements, such as disability justice.
Equity: an equitable workplace is one that actively shifts power to those who are most impacted by a decision or issue. In most cases, that tends to overlap with marginalized people.
Diversity: having people from a wide range of backgrounds and identities in your workforce – but their unique needs and perspectives may not be reflected in decision-making, and they may be asked to conform to one set of norms and standards.
Inclusion: an inclusive workplace strives to make every employee feel like they belong, and are accepted and valued for who they are and their unique perspectives. Inclusive workplaces often engage employees on decision making.

ARAO

ARAO stands for anti-racism and anti-oppression, and implies an active approach to combating and eliminating racism and oppression through changing systems, structures, policies and practices to redistribute and share power equitably. ARAO practitioners work on the premise that systems of oppression, like racism, ableism, and sexism, are deeply entrenched, and that we must build new ways of doing things that are free from such oppression.

Anti-racism: Actively challenging systemic racism to create more equitable outcomes for racialized people. Taking an anti-racist approach often includes a commitment to understanding and moving away from the forces that uphold racism, such as white supremacy, colonialism, and anti-Blackness. While anti-racism is part of the umbrella of anti-oppression, it’s named explicitly because of racism’s central role to all forms of oppression.
Anti-oppression: Actively challenging all forms of systemic oppression. Like anti-racism, this philosophy strongly implies a commitment to naming and dismantling oppressive forces.

Additional equity principles

Some nonprofits customize their frameworks to better suit their mission and operations, with important principles such as:

Reconciliation: the act of restoring good relations between Indigenous Peoples, and Canada. This principle is sometimes critiqued for the implication that there were ever equal and friendly relations. This might look like arranging for workshops throughout the year that help employees deeply engage with Indigenous history and ongoing issues.
Decolonization: unlearning norms and standards imposed upon Indigenous people during colonization. Non-Indigenous people are invited to join Indigenous people in unlearning white or Eurocentric cultural norms as well. In HR, this might look like redefining who “family” is so that employees may take family responsibility or bereavement leave for relatives that are considered outside of immediate family under British Columbia law.
Indigenization: a complement to the idea of decolonization, where Indigenous ways of knowing and being are increasingly incorporated as the norms and standards. For example, you might learn how to incorporate Indigenous customs into grievance procedures, such as healing circles or working with an elder or knowledge keeper who may support Indigenous employees when a grievance arises.
Accessibility: ensuring that people with disabilities can access an organization’s information, services and programs as freely and easily as someone without a disability. An accessible office means a wheelchair user can easily use every room and amenity, while an accessible website means that a person who has low vision or uses a screen reader can easily find the information they need.

Making ARAO and JEDI a reality

Whether you adopt ARAO, JEDI, or another variation, prepare for a long and messy journey. Governments, industries, and others in power have shaped our world over centuries to marginalize many to benefit a few. Reversing these harms is a movement that requires each of us to show leadership and commitment from where we stand, but also to know that the responsibility doesn’t rest solely on you and your team’s shoulders.

Ultimately, a framework offers you shared language to speak about your work. What matters most are the actions you take to make that framework a reality.