Check Your Pulse: Reviewing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Efforts
With it being Pride month, it is hard to not draw parallels between the performative activism of corporations towards the LGBTQ+ community and the messaging we saw from corporations last year after George Floyd’s murder. We see corporations putting out Pride campaigns, and then find out those same corporations pump money to politicians who actively support anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
This begs the question, after all the pressure that was put on corporations to actively be part of the solution to systemic racism, how much progress has been made? How can we ensure this momentum continues without requiring tragic news headlines like George Floyd to remind us of our responsibility to enact change?
What is our role as individuals in ensuring that our employers do not forget their responsibility to this societal change and how can we be part of ingraining effective Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) strategies within our workspaces?
I’m no expert in this area, but from all the conversations I have had and things I have read it all starts with a pulse check. How can you know where you need to go if you do not know where you are today? There are mandates being set by corporate offices and diversity target programs being set by governments, but what if these mandates and targets don’t address the problems that our local workplaces face? Trying to enforce policies that fail to address the issues your employees/suppliers/partners etc. experience will not result in long-lasting change, buy-in, or any kind of permanent, positive culture change. According to an article from GreenBiz, the most common reasons DE&I policies do not work are:
Mandates do not connect with company mission
Workplace composition is not sufficiently diverse and as a result, bottom-up pressure on management is non-existent
Programs are initiated to avoid legal risk or to communicate “we care”
Most DE&I programs do not explore the roots and explanations of system and institutionalized racism
We need to know where colleagues and employees, in our specific office or location, think our company stands in regard to having a culture of DE&I. Do they view the existing DE&I initiatives as having long-lasting impact on company culture or is it just something that is re-visited annually at mandatory trainings?
Secondly, accountability is everything and a promise is nothing without follow through. As employees, it is our responsibility to maintain pressure on our employers and hold them accountable to their promises. We need to demand action when promises are not made in the first place. Some great questions that we can all ask ourselves are:
Do we put our money where our mouth is? How is your employer/ownership group spending their money outside of the workplace? Where are their donations going? Are they awarding business to suppliers and partners who share in your company’s mission and stance on DE&I?
What is the makeup of our company? Is your company meeting its targets to have a diverse team? Not just Executive/Board level members who identify as being part of marginalized communities, but also entry level employees. What does your pipeline look like?
Do we have the ability to be part of the change? Is everything being driven from Corporate? If so, this is likely a sign that your DE&I strategies will not result in any impactful change. Put pressure on your employer to include every level of employee in the creation, implementation, and review of the DE&I program for maximum impact.
There are lots of ways we can begin to implement meaningful change within our organizations that will support long lasting DE&I culture. This is not just about being proactive in hiring practices to seek out marginalized and underrepresented talent. Additional strategies include:
Using specific terms - Instead of having your employees report instances of “Discriminatory behaviour”, use “racism”, “misogyny”, “sexism”, “homophobia” etc.
Examining performance averages - Do your BIPOC employees have similar performance averages to their white counterparts? If not, examine how managers treat and foster BIPOC employees vs. their white counterparts. Are you providing equitable roads to success for all your employees?
Re-examining your work travel policies - Where are you sending your employees to work? Do those locations have strong legislation against sexual harassment, LGBTQ+ rights etc.? If not, what measures are you as an employer taking to ensure your employees are safe while on the road?
Reviewing the list of companies you do business with regularly - Are they or their owners vocally homophobic/misogynistic etc. or supportive of people who are? What effect do you think that has on your employees who identify as women, LGBTQ+, BIPOC etc.?
Avoiding heteronormative workplace structures - Make your workplace washrooms inclusive and review any document language that incorporates only two genders. Do you offer benefits that include same-sex partners or medical plans that cover procedures and medications for trans people?
Committing to DE&I beyond the workplace - Build a pipeline of BIPOC talent by partnering with local education institutions or encourage employees to get involved in philanthropy and community action related to DE&I causes.
There are many companies who are having success with DE&I Strategies and initiatives and it is important to look to them as case studies and see how we can improve on their policies.
Nasdaq – proposing new rules requiring all listed companies to have two diverse directors and disclose consistent and transparent data on board gender and racial diversity.
Jazz Aviation LP – implemented a scholarship program for Indigenous female aviators in partnership with INdspire (Indigenous led national charity).
City of Vancouver – Have a specific Women’s Equity Strategy focusing on addressing women’s safety and affordable housing.
Rogers – Safe Talk program for self-identifying Black employees and allies to engage in anti-racism conversation.
Building an effective DE&I strategy is a massive undertaking and leaves us all feeling overwhelmed. While we may feel we do not have the ability as individuals to have any kind of meaningful impact, we do as long as we are truly open to learning about the challenges facing our marginalized and underrepresented employees and colleagues. This involves re-evaluating how we feel about our workplace culture and applying consistent pressure on our employers, and ourselves, to do better and follow through.
Implementing any kind of change will always be met with failures and mistakes. We need to be open to failure and receiving negative feedback from our employees that may be difficult to hear. Most importantly, we need to use these lessons to re-calibrate, move forwards, and never lose momentum.
Other Resources
Diversity, equity and inclusion: Incremental reform or systemic change? (GreenBiz)
Implementing Inclusive Policies Across a Global Organization (HBR)
How to prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace (Macleans)
Companies Tout Gay Rights During Pride, Give to Anti-LGBT Politicians (Rolling Stone)