Trust is defined as “a psychological state comprising the intention to accept vulnerability based upon positive expectations of the intentions or behavior of another”. It is vital to have a high level of trust that encourages discussion and exploration of new attributes like those that contribute to diversity, equity and inclusion within and organization.

Each person experiences their own evolution of purpose in the workforce. Life changes, situations changes and challenges change. Professionals follow a different path of career growth based on a multitude of factors and not everyone is ready for advances and changes at the same time in their career. In this regard, building trust between the employee and management is crucial to maintaining an environment of equity. Herein lies the tie to a strong diversity equity and inclusion program.

Most professionals in the workforce strive to grow and desire to feel like they are trusted and valued because of their talents, skills and contributions to the organization. But the challenge for organizations is to develop a program that evolves with each individual employee. The program must be built upon as the employee transfers and advances throughout the organization. To execute this requires significant trust, transparency and awareness in the organizations. Many experts indicate that when diversity practices and trust both exist in an organization, employee engagement increases. When engagement increases, inclusion increases.