From Policy to Practice: Making EDI a Reality in Your Business

August 12, 2025

Practical ways SMEs can build inclusive workplaces beyond the diversity policy

Many Irish employers now have a written diversity, equity and inclusion (EDI) policy, but turning that policy into a lived workplace culture is a very different challenge.

For SMEs, it can feel like EDI is something reserved for big corporates with DEI teams and budgets to match. But in reality, small and medium-sized businesses are often better placed to make real, practical progress because they’re more agile, closer to their teams, and can implement change more meaningfully.

Here’s how to move from policy to practice when it comes to EDI in your business.

1. Start With Leadership – Even If It’s Just You

In an SME, culture starts at the top. Whether it’s a leadership team or just one or two directors, your approach sets the tone.

That means:

Calling out inappropriate behaviour early
Being conscious of inclusive language and communication
Being visible in your commitment to fair and equal treatment for all

EDI needs to be owned by leadership, not just HR or an outsourced provider.

2. Make Recruitment More Inclusive

Even small changes to your hiring processes can make a big difference:

Use gender-neutral language in job ads
Avoid overly corporate or coded language that might put off certain groups
Ensure interview panels (where possible) are gender balanced
Focus on skills, competencies, and potential, not just credentials

Using standardised scoring or structured interviews can also help reduce unconscious bias.

3. Look Beyond Obvious Diversity Markers

Diversity isn’t just about gender or ethnicity. It also includes:

Age and generation
Disability and neurodiversity
Socioeconomic background
Family status and caring responsibilities
Religious or cultural identity

Creating an inclusive culture means making space for different life experiences, communication styles, and needs, not just visible traits.

4. Listen to Your Employees

Formal staff surveys are great but SMEs often benefit from their size when it comes to communication.

Create safe channels for feedback (anonymous if needed)
Be clear that inclusion is everyone’s responsibility, not just HR’s
Watch for patterns of exclusion, e.g. team outings that don’t cater to all (eg. too physical), cliques, or assumptions about availability

Sometimes it’s small adjustments, asking pronouns, offering flexible work options, or recognising different holidays, that make people feel seen.

5. Train Your Managers – Not Just Once

One-off unconscious bias training is not enough. But regular, practical sessions for line managers are a good investment.

These should cover:

How to manage diverse teams fairly
Inclusive language and conflict resolution
Managing flexible work and reasonable accommodations
How to respond to inappropriate comments or microaggressions

If you're not ready to roll out full training, even short manager toolkits or lunch-and-learn sessions can start the conversation.

6. Review Policies Through an EDI Lens

Your HR policies might be neutral on the surface, but still impact people differently in practice.

Ask:

Do our policies accommodate different religious or cultural needs?
Are sick leave, parental leave and carers' leave applied equitably?
Is our flexible working process inclusive for people with disabilities or caring responsibilities?

If you’re not sure, ask your employees, or seek external HR advice. A quick policy audit can highlight unintended barriers.

7. Celebrate Diversity – But Authentically

Pride month, International Women’s Day, and cultural celebrations are great opportunities to recognise diversity, but they shouldn’t feel tokenistic.

Involve your team in choosing what and how to celebrate
Share real stories from staff (with consent)
Tie celebrations back to your values and goals

EDI is about everyday actions, not just calendar events.

Why It Matters

An inclusive workplace isn’t just good ethics, it’s good business. Teams that feel respected and included tend to perform better, stay longer, and contribute more.

For SMEs, this is especially important: attracting and retaining great people is key to growth, and culture plays a major role in that.

Want to Take Inclusion from Idea to Action?

At MSS The HR People, we don't just help you design EDI policies, we support you in making them real.

Join our Inclusive Leadership with Unconscious Bias course on 9^th September 2025 (online - CPD-accredited & worth 4 CPD points):
mssthehrpeople.ie/unconscious-bias
Gain practical tools to recognise and reduce bias in decision-making, communication, recruitment, and company processes
Learn to foster inclusive leadership across your organisation, not just in HR, but at every management level