Cultivating A Sustainable DEI Strategy

10 tips to follow

Organizations are increasingly embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace and understanding that representation is essential. From the front desk to the C-suite, a diverse, fairly treated workforce can approach problems and opportunities from a range of perspectives and is likely to feel personally invested in the company’s success. 

With increased awareness and action, the question that persists is how to cultivate sustainable systems that accelerate the progress of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging? 
 

At global talent solutions firm Robert Half, we are committed to active learning and continuous improvement when it comes to DEI strategy and implementation. With that in mind, we are sharing strategies to assist in kick starting your DEI initiatives. We recognize that building diverse and inclusive teams is imperative to the future success of our organization, the ability to drive growth for our clients, and to connect talent seekers with their dream jobs. 

Remember the ‘E’ and “I,’ Not Just the ‘D’ 

Some DEI programs fail because organizations prioritize diversity at the expense of equity and inclusion. That is not to say that achieving diversity is easy, by any means, but it can be accomplished in the short term by transforming your organizational culture to emphasize the other two. While transforming your hiring strategy is a good start, it’s not going to reap the real benefits. 

The problem with this approach is that you could be setting up your new hires to fail by bringing them into a work culture ill-equipped to give them the resources and opportunities they need. 

How to Kick-Start Your DEI Program 

All of this is avoidable if you put some equitable and inclusive structures in place. To begin this process, you should: 

1. Get support from leadership. Leadership buy-in is critical to implementing DEI initiatives at all levels of your organization, as leaders should be engaged and prioritizing DEI initiatives as part of their daily considerations and conversations. You can help secure support by setting measurable goals and explaining how you’ll use data to track your program’s success.  

2. Start a DEI dialogue. In an equitable work culture, everyone has the opportunities and resources they need to succeed. Use surveys, town halls and one-to-one meetings to identify those requirements. Invite constructive criticism of your current policies — good leaders should want to hear multiple viewpoints before making decisions. 

3. Facilitate employee resource groups (ERGs). ERGs are groups of people with shared experiences, such as women or LGBTQ+ or Black employees, to name a few. Creating space for these groups can play a critical role in improving inclusivity within your workplace by encouraging employees to share ideas and concerns — and offering them a place to find support. 

4. Data powers progress – benchmark and set transparent goals. Encourage your organization to develop and implement a DEI data strategy. This data can be shared with leaders to inform their decision-making process with respect to improving DEI structures across the organization’s ecosystem. By providing key trending information and demographics, leaders can intentionally focus on the development, promotion, and retention of historically underrepresented talent.  

5. Model inclusive language and behaviors. Managers and HR professionals need to be the change they want to see in the workplace. Embedding inclusive language into policies, reports and email communications, for example, reinforces an environment of belonging that allows all individuals to feel seen, heard and valued. The impact of nixing gendered terms from your employee handbook will be severely diluted if you continue to use this language in emails and other communications. 

Find and Hire Diverse Candidates

An organizational culture founded on fairness and inclusivity is ready to welcome a more diverse workforce. Here’s how you can hire for diversity: 

6. Leverage your networks. As you build structures and systems around your DEI program, the more willing your current employees and members of your alumni network will be to recommend your company to candidates. Sourcing and building new talent pipelines include partnering with organizations that promote diversity and setting up internship programs for people traditionally underrepresented in your industry. 

7. Explore new talent pools. In a tight labor market, you can find the talent you need and increase your diversity by considering candidate pools your competitors may ignore. An example includes military spouses (who have one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation) and nonprofits dedicated to advancing underrepresented talent, such as Veterans in Business, NPower, and Military Spouse Employment Partnership. 

8. Don’t sweat nice-to-have skills. When crafting your job descriptions, consider only including skills that are necessary for the role. Too many extras and you risk driving away talented applicants who haven’t had access to certain experiences or educational opportunities. 

9. Share your diversity efforts. A DEI program is a powerful recruiting tool, as it’s often something potential employees look for. Be sure you talk about it on your company’s website and add your diversity statement to job postings. 

10. Use diverse hiring panels. Diverse hiring panels benefit both applicants and interviewers. Candidates will be energized when they see your company practices what it preaches. For those on the panel, it can be a milestone in their career. 

DEI isn’t only about how your workforce looks. It’s also about how it feels. If you can build an organizational culture where people feel like they are fairly treated and can be their true selves, you will hugely improve your chances of attracting and retaining a diverse pool of talent — and reaping all the benefits of a highly engaged workforce that can approach projects and problems from more effective viewpoints. 

The article first appeared on the Robert Half blog. 

Alf Mendez is Vice President of Experience and Inclusion at Robert Half. In this role, Mendez sets strategy and programs that support a culture of growth and inclusion, and that supports a positive experience for our 16,000 global employees. Prior to joining Robert Half, Mendez was the Vice President of Global Talent at AECOM, where he led the company’s talent, experience and DEI efforts for its 87,000 employees globally. He has held previous leadership roles at Raytheon, Levi Strauss & Co, and Warner Bros. Entertainment, and has consulted with Fortune 100 companies during his time at KPMG and Accenture.  Connect Alf Mendez