Equity is imperative in every workplace. Equity means relative representation for the same opportunities or the proposal that all employees are provided with fair and equal opportunities based on their individual needs.
With equity, all employees have access to the support, resources, treatment and the opportunities they require to succeed in the workplace.
Healthy workplaces are those that provide all workers with the equipment necessary to do company-related work, have access to the same opportunities for advancement and salary increases-but not basing on racial and gender discrimination.
The Merriam Webster defines equity as justice according to natural law or right and being free from bias or favoritism.
Essence of equity
According to Mutesi Gasana, a businesswoman and the founder of Ubuntu publishers and Arise Education Rwanda, creating equity isn’t that easy, because it often depends on the exclusive experiences of each employee, and calls for dedication.
She says that equity curbs employee turn-over, when managers and employees create strong company culture where each employee has equal access, it enhances the morale of the team, thus constructing their trust in the management.
If communication is effective and workers offered great education programs that assist them to grow in their positions, it increases their satisfaction and improves company growth, Gasana notes.
It’s obvious that employees are motivated if given the right tools, and resources needed, he adds.
"Equity assists in creating experience, solving problems and generating inventive products or services.”
Tips to encourage equity
Gasana stresses that all employees should be given a chance to mentorship programs so as to advance in their personal roles and eventually grow the company.
While recruiting, she believes that people who are capable and experienced shouldn’t be denied job opportunities for lack of credentials.
For her, such people shouldn’t miss out on the chance of acquiring jobs if they’re skilled.
The businesswoman adds that regardless of gender classification, or sexual orientation, managers ought to provide benefits such as health insurance, financial and retirement plans, maternity, and paternity leave, vacation, and employee discounts for everyone.
Stella Keza, an employee at an IT firm states that employers ought to provide the same opportunities for growth, for example, utilising the same standards to assess all employees, and given an opportunity of growth in positions of leadership.
She adds the equity enables workers to access all premises at work, even those that are physically disabled.
"The company culture should be improved by creating an environment where all employees feel valued and their ideas heartened,” she says.
She believes that supervisors and managers should carry out a survey to know the current situation of workers, as that way, they revise means of creating guidance and programs to enable them to be better at their work.
Keza further states that organisations that practice equity ought to accept employees, as that’s how discrimination and aggression can be curbed.
She explains that nurturing equity in the workplace is great for innovation, creating it a competitive border for organisations searching to shove ahead of limits and unravel problems more resourcefully.
Experts explain that self-service technology is one way to put employees in control of their interactions at work, which is why technology should be accessible and designed to be instinctive, user-friendly, and add value to end-users.
Equity and equality differ; equality is accomplished when all individuals in the workforce feel empowered to share their contributions because they know their leadership values them equally, whilst equity is a state that’s established when every single individual in the workplace has the explicit support they need to succeed and grow.