Equity

“Equality is leaving the door open for anyone who has the means to approach it;
equity is ensuring there is a pathway to that door for those who need it.”

~ Caroline Belden

Equity versus equality in the workplace

Although equity and equality sound similar, they are not synonymous. To properly plan for a more equitable workplace, it’s important to have a strong understanding of how these terms differ.

Equality

Equality seeks to provide all employees with access to the same resources, regardless of the pre-existing barriers they may face. This can refer to an equal distribution of money, resources or opportunity between workers at a similar level. 

Equality is in many ways a beneficial concept that can push company culture in the right direction. However, it often fails to address problems of underrepresentation or an unfair status quo.

Equity 

Equity is distinct from equality in that it doesn’t provide the same resources and opportunities to everyone. 

With equity, an organization will recognize that each employee has varying access to resources and privileges. And those with less access may need more support in order to take fair advantage of opportunities within a given company.

(Definitions from Instride.com)

LinkedIn Learning Shorts
To access LinkedIn Learning courses, sign in with your Berkeley Lab ID/Password  

LinkedIn Learning Full Courses
To access LinkedIn Learning courses, sign in with your Berkeley Lab ID/Password  

Equity First: The Path to Inclusion and Belonging - 1 hr 24 min
This course will help you gain a better understanding of what equity is, shows you some of its benefits, and offers some practical advice on fostering equity in hiring, promotions, and development. The instructor highlights how equity makes organizations stronger, then goes over what equity in the workplace looks like, and discusses gender equality, racial and ethnic equity, sexual orientation equity, and equity for people with disabilities. 

Toolkits & Presentations

Berkeley Lab is a Corporate Program Member of the VMware Women's Leadership Innovation Lab at Stanford University. (To access the content below, click on this link for the document that contains the login information to the member section.)

Critical Assignments Tool 

Critical work assignments propel employee growth and are essential tools to increase diversity, equity and inclusion on your team. The tool provides you with an equity-minded assignment framework that lays out a three-pronged approach to connect assignments to DEI strategy.

Equity in Allocating Stretch Assignments presentation

Equity in sharing high-visibility assignments across employees is a key driver of organizational resilience, according to Lab Senior Research Scholar Dr. Shannon Gilmartin and Research Data Analyst Gabriela Gall Rosa.  In this presentation, the two discuss strategies for building accountability and fairness around allocating stretch assignments.

Do you need another slide for a quick meeting opener or a prompt to start a longer discussion on inclusion? Check out the One Minute for IDEA slide library. 

Berkeley Lab Shorts

Berkeley Lab employees share their thoughts on equity, including the idea that equity is giving everyone a fair chance, it is a way for everyone to contribute, and it is the way we’re going to make things fair for everyone.  What does equity mean to you?
Equity is about opportunity parity. It is about removing barriers to access, fair treatment, opportunity, and advancement. Berkeley Lab’s Chief Diversity Officer Lady Idos has reflective questions for teams on equity.
Equity is giving people the opportunity to excel at whatever they do according to Theresa Triplett, Manager, Assurance and Integrity, at Berkeley Lab. Theresa talks about how, when people can be their best self when they bring all of their skills and talents to address workplace challenges.