Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Is Important … Now What? How To Get Started
By: Shelly-Ann Wilson Henry, CEO & Strategic Communications Leader
Empathy does not mean acceptance. Taking a stand to speak out against injustices and creating a supportive and equitable environment for everyone is just being human. If you fear that you will offend your board of directors, senior team, staff, and customers by being human, you have a bigger problem. After hearing this insightful perspective on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), it’s hard to comprehend why anyone would deem it unnecessary.
With the recent calls for justice and equality for all, many organizations now recognize that DEI is important but there is a far way to go beyond issuing a statement to doing the work required to support the movement. A recent CNBC article titled Companies are making bold promises about greater diversity, but there’s a long way to go, reiterated that “While companies, at least outwardly, agree on the importance of diversity across organizations, the available data shows that women and minorities are drastically underrepresented when moving up the ranks,” for example. As a result of the data supporting this and other issues, some organizations are already putting strategies and plans in place, and others have recruited DEI talent to help them chart the way forward, but some are not sure where to begin.
With the multicultural, multigenerational, and multigender workforce that exists today, treating the employee experience as you do the customer experience is a smart way to approach DEI. The former does have a direct impact on the later, so it makes sense. The policies that you establish should bear in mind the life cycle of the employee and their challenges. Think about the experience and culture of belonging that you want to develop in recruiting, learning and development, retention strategies, and even how employees are supported as they exit the organization. As noted in this article on ADP.com titled Improving the employee experience through diversity, “There is evidence of a direct link between organizations with diverse workforces and improved financial performance, engagement, and high performance. The message is clear: Employers can generate loyalty and benefit from increased engagement and employee retention by optimizing the employee experience.”
As you wrap your head around what a DEI strategy could look like for your organization, here are some things to consider to get you started:
Ask yourself WHY - Why is a DEI strategy important to the organization? Do you want to be equitable? Is it to comply with legal requirements? Is it due to a lack of diverse talent? Do you want to mirror your customer base? Are you aiming for diversity of thought? The answers to these questions will help as you develop a business case for DEI and garner board and executive support for the strategic plan.
Incorporate the voice of your people - Conduct a survey or cultural assessment to gather employee feedback and give you an idea of where you are. This will serve as a guide when you are measuring the impact of the policies and initiatives you put in place.
Establish goals and objectives – Ensure that they are measurable and realistic and will help to push the DEI needle further in your organization. These should be based on the approved business case and information gathered from employees. It is also helpful to emphasize the importance of tying these goals and objectives to key performance indicators (KPIs) at the corporate or executive leadership level. So, they are weighted along with other business imperatives on the annual scorecard.
Put a policy in place - Create a policy document that includes the goals and objectives, strategic plan, initiatives, budget, and owners of the projects and initiatives. Consider incorporating mission and vision statements that guide all stakeholders.
Foster a culture of belonging - Facilitate and encourage employee or business resource groups to create a supportive environment and a culture of belonging for staff. These resource groups are centered around many of the EEOC Federal Law Classifications, but employees come up with creative and dynamic brands that speak to the strength of the affinity. Representatives from these groups also help to form a DEI council, that is responsible for communicating the needs of the groups to the executive leadership team and reporting on the progress of diversity initiatives across the organization.
Establish meaningful initiatives - Think about initiatives that would be helpful and relevant based on the gaps to be filled from survey results and the goals and objectives of the organization. One of the initiatives that may come to the fore is periodic training sessions on unconscious bias, microaggressions, cultural competence, and so on. Another initiative could be partnering with organizations to support diverse groups in the community or to help in having a more diverse recruiting pool. You may also want to showcase the work that the organization is doing to advance DEI on your website. So, folks external to the organization, like potential employees and customers, know what matters to the organization.
As you begin your DEI journey, you may uncover many gaps and blind spots. It is important to take into account the feedback received from employees who live different experiences and see the world through different lenses. Also, pay special attention to representation across the various levels of the organization, lower, middle, senior leadership, and the board. Look at the numbers! DEI is important and meaningful work that takes time, it is a journey, not a sprint. Take one strategic and realistic step at a time and celebrate the small and big wins. Let us know how we can help. Schedule a consultation and let’s create a strategic plan together.