Why Your Company Needs a DEIB Strategy… NOW
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) are not just “nice-to-have” for your business any longer.
To be fair, they weren’t “nice-to-have” to begin with. But rather a necessity, and requirement.
So why is it that companies are still weighing which is more important and urgent…
A DEIB Strategy?
Getting more women into leadership positions?
Dealing with a steady rise in employee churn?
Or hiring new talent to fill hyper-growth demands?
What you might not see is that the golden thread of co-creating belonging runs through each of these issues!
In 2019, Gartner Research found that only 36% of D&I leaders report that their organization has been effective at building a diverse workforce. This is surprising considering that 67% of job seekers say diversity and inclusion (D&I) is important to them when choosing to take a job (Glassdoor, 2021).
Additional reading: “What Job Seekers Really Think About Your Diversity and Inclusion Stats” by Glassdoor
So if most job seekers say that diversity and inclusion are important to them, why are most organizations and companies still lagging behind on implementing a holistic DEIB strategy?
In this article, we’ll walk you through the risk of NOT having a DEIB Strategy and what the business case can look like when you start to implement one.
What is the risk of NOT having a DEIB strategy?
Not having a sustainable DEIB Strategy, and instead opting for a “checklist” approach — such as ticking the box on unconscious bias training or employer branding projects — is a danger to your business bottom line.
Additional reading: “Will Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Be Sustained?” by MarshMcLennan
When companies and organizations approach DEIB from a “one-and-done” effort, rather than the long-term commitment for real and lasting change that is tangible, your risk of backlash is high.
Let’s take some real-life examples that have happened within the past year…
Walk-outs at Netflix, Bandcamp, Activision Blizzard, and Apple (just to name a few).
How a viral LinkedIn post exposed the need for more inclusive HR policies.
And let’s not forget the viral amount of TikTok videos that took over the Internet, sharing how stressed, exhausted, and overwhelmed folx were managing “pandemic-life” and the expectation to keep up with “normal” work production.
This work is messy and uncomfortable, and it most crucially needs to move from awareness into action.
PRO TIP: Your DEIB strategy can make a tangible difference in every employee’s daily work life and if done with that goal in mind, it will be more visible beyond any PR campaigns.
Can Your Employees Trust You to Follow Through?
We’re sure you’ve heard of #TheGreatResignation by now, where employees are talking with their feet and leaving their organizations and companies. This is one of the risks of NOT having a DEIB strategy.
As we mentioned before, 67% of job seekers say diversity and inclusion (D&I) is important to them when choosing to take a job. If companies and organizations are promising inclusive workplaces to new hires, why is it that we’re currently seeing workers quitting their jobs at record numbers and bosses trying to figure out how to keep them?
Not to be biased here (considering we offer trainings on mitigating biases & prejudice), but… we’re going to say a lack of DEIB Strategy and following-through on what was promised.
From 2020 onwards, the world has dealt with a global pandemic, climate crises, social justice uprisings, great loss, and grief. Folx are tired. They are re-evaluating what their priorities, values, and needs are not only in their personal lives but also in their professional ones.
In the United States, the majority of people will spend at least 1/3 of their lives at work — that’s 90,000 hours.
If your company isn’t following through on their initial promises with “simple” things like…
Flexible hours
Remote working
Accessibility
Inclusive HR policies
How can your employees trust you to tackle larger obstacles such as…
Creating a safe space for team members with marginalized identities
Creating an inclusive culture with diverse (remote) teams
Responding to racism/sexism in the office
Pay equity
And more…
Folx are speaking up and out more, and they expect more from their employers.
Additional reading: “The Great Resignation is a Great Re-Re-Evaluation — and the distinction matters.” on the #RadicallyHuman blog.
Examples of DEIB “Initiatives” that DON’T Create Long-Term Impact
Yes, there ARE cases where your DEIB “initiatives” aren’t creating long-term impact and can actually cause more stress, harm, and burnout for your employees.
We’ve pulled together 3 of the most common examples we’ve seen companies attempt, but fall short because there is no longer-term strategy in place.
Asking people to volunteer on DEI councils or ERG groups, without any appreciation or compensation for their efforts.
This is denying the demonstrable benefit that their unpaid labor is bringing to the company (see more under the section we have titled “DEIB & The Business Case”). This is also problematic if you are asking folx who hold marginalized identities to serve as volunteers on these councils.
Asking your employees to fill out culture and engagement surveys, without taking action on the results.
Many times, our clients share that there is a lack of time to implement or acknowledge all the changes that employees and teams are requesting. We understand that this is a very real challenge, but also want to point out that a long-term DEIB strategy will take this into account and create space and time for implementing feedback.
We’d also like to point out a very real human feeling of disappointment and defeat that we feel when asked for our opinions to improve, without real acknowledgment or action afterward. Leading to the pervasive effect of survey fatigue — employees not being willing to engage with your surveys anymore. Which ultimately causes you to lose access to one of your most important data sources when it comes to planning and implementing successful DEIB changes.
Opening up spaces for discussion, “uncomfortable conversation”, and reporting of discrimination, but being utterly unprepared to act on the findings or respond to people’s concerns with grace and follow-through.
This situation is more common than most folx realize. There NEEDS to be an action plan in place after someone has come forth to share, report, or be vulnerable. If there is an expectation for this to happen, without a clear plan to follow, this creates unsafe spaces for employees and teams and can cause more harm.
A long-term DEIB strategy not only can help you create guidelines for these discussions, conversations, and feedback cycles but can help you develop a plan of action aftward that centers on those who are most marginalized.
The three examples we’ve just shared can lead to burnout, especially for under-resourced employees who hold marginalized identities. People who are already feeling belonging uncertainty have no reason to trust that you will honor the vulnerable sharing of their lived experience of exclusion and othering.
If you don’t have a plan to act on the data that you collect, in ways that visibly improve their lives, many of them will not be engaging in your surveys in the future. Cutting you off from one of the most important sources of information and data for a successful and sustainable DEIB strategy.
Where to go from here with your DEIB Strategy
So now that you know the risk of NOT having a DEIB Strategy, where do you go from here?
Well, there are a few things we recommend:
If you’re the one tasked with creating & implementing a DEIB Strategy, you can start pulling together your case for your board members or exec team with a few of the arguments we shared above
If you’re a DEIB advocate, we recommend reading through our #RadicallyHuman blog to learn more about how you can champion this initiative at work
Or if you’re ready to bring in a DEIB Consultant to help map out your strategy and implement it — hey, we’d love to support you in your efforts!
Schedule a call with us here to see if we’d be a good fit working together: Dr. Mega’s Calendar
Let’s weave the golden thread of belonging into your DEIB efforts together. One breath at a time.