Humanizing Your DEI Strategy: Now’s The Time

4 ways to approach DEI with mental health

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have been a trending topic for many years, becoming top of mind for many HR leaders even before it moved up in popularity among HR blogs and thought leadership articles. Now, with the global pandemic and civil injustice actions of 2020, DEI has rightfully become a top priority for every executive across the globe.

This new-found strategic focus has presented the opportunity for DEI to finally get the attention it deserves. Today’s social and workplace challenges are shining a bright spotlight on strategies that truly embrace not only the programmatic aspects of DEI but the human aspects as well.

Have Historical DEI Initiatives Truly Been Successful? 

Though DEI seems like a no-brainer, research says not everyone’s up to speed. According to Gallup, only 55% of employees agree their organizations have policies that promote diversity and inclusion. This is astonishing and disheartening. Something about current DEI efforts is clearly failing. When you look at the renewed focus on DEI and the continued need for employee mental health support, it’s obvious that this failure to truly connect DEI strategies with employees results from one of two wayward approaches to the problem. Companies are either:
 

1. Unequipped to respond proactively to what’s happening right in front of them (and therefore continue to respond reactively)
2. Aware of the trends and options to enhance their strategies but choose not to focus on proactive solutions

In either case, trying to bolster existing rigid programs won’t work. For DEI strategies to gain traction today, it’s time companies went deeper and looked at more of what frames and affects an employee’s worldview. The benefits of taking this approach will far outweigh the strain you may feel it puts on your team now, especially in the climate in which we find ourselves. Why is that true? 

Because our mental wellbeing affects every other aspect of our lives: how we feel physically, how we react to problems and challenges, and how we cope with the obstacles and opportunities we face every day. When you consider we all spend the majority of our waking hours at work — or at least, working — it becomes clear that organizations need to prioritize mental health in the workplace. 

Some companies and benefits leaders have received the message loud and clear. They’re moving more quickly than ever to enhance their DEI strategies. A report by Glassdoor supports this trend. The company tracked the prominence of vacancies for job titles like “diversity and inclusion recruiter,” “D&I program manager,” and “chief diversity officer” and found:
 

• Those job titles plummeted by a whopping 63% at the start of the pandemic
• Following the civil unrest that was amplified by the killing of George Floyd in police custody, the same category of job titles rebounded by a staggering 50%

Let’s put this change in perspective: The 50% increase was the largest in any category of job titles that Glassdoor tracks in any four-week period since January 2016. So, you would think that means DEI is getting the attention it deserves, right? You’d be wrong. 

Why? Because far too many DEI strategies lack the necessary components to be successful. Perhaps the most obvious missing element is a commitment to better employee mental health — a commitment to humanizing the entire DEI strategy.

The Missing Ingredient: Mental Health 

Mental wellbeing needs to be a key element of a successful DEI strategy if for no other reason than mental ill-health is often a symptom of lackluster DEI sentiments among employees. This is particularly true among employees in minority demographics. 

To put it bluntly, consider this takeaway from a Forbes article, “The Essential Role of Mental Health for a Diverse, Inclusive Workplace”:

“Mental health and diversity and inclusion (D&I) are closely connected. “Employees from diverse backgrounds can face lack of representation, microaggressions, unconscious bias, and other stressors that impact their mental health and psychological safety at work.” 

Job prospects and your employees get the picture for sure. A survey by McKinsey & Company found that a majority of employees have considered the inclusiveness of companies when making career decisions. The point here: people care about a company’s attitudes and policies around minority populations. At the same time, almost half of the same respondents felt that they aren’t very included at their current organization. Regardless of their gender, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation, a majority felt they have experienced barriers to inclusion. The McKinsey research also supports the argument that certain demographics are more likely to feel less included than others: entry-level employees, women, and ethnic or racial minorities.

Considering all of that, it only makes sense that DEI strategies should support and proactively include mental health initiatives. Because they depend on each other for outcomes that are meaningful and authentic. When someone’s race, identity, and sense of who they are, are repeatedly questioned and used against them, their mental health is affected. When those kinds of questions and attacks happen within the workplace, the individual and the company suffer. 

4 Ways to Approach DEI With Mental Health 

Incorporating mental health into your DEI strategy may seem daunting. It doesn’t have to be. You can leverage actionable tools and programs to enact four approaches that together will help you develop and implement a holistic approach, creating DEI efforts that are truly effective within your organization.
Before reading on to learn about the four practical and holistic approaches to developing and implementing mental health in your DEI strategy, keep in mind these two fundamental concepts:
 

1. An effective mental health program should empower you to measure and understand your own mental wellbeing, and then provide you with the tools to work on it.
2. Every individual is on their own unique journey; the organizations they work for should provide tools to help them along that path.

Next, it’s important to bear in mind two overarching tactical keys to success:
 

1. Use robust measures of mental health and wellbeing
2. Apply tailored results

Bearing those two concepts and two tactical measures in mind, here are four holistic approaches to embedding an effective mental health component in your DEI strategy:
 

• First: Consider a wide range of topics that might apply to the different life stages and situations of your employees. Keep in mind the entire spectrum of mental health, and acknowledge that every individual will have a different perspective.
• Second: Offer various channels of delivery. From digital content and group presentations, to individual conversations, this variety will allow employees to choose the most convenient avenue for focusing on their mental health.
• Third: Provide more than one scientific approach; not all techniques work for everyone. Everyone’s needs are different and come at different times in their life’s journey. While one person might benefit from focusing on mindfulness to alleviate stress, another might need to rely more on positive psychology or cognitive behavioral therapy.
• Fourth: Communicate openly and celebrate each other’s differences. Regardless of your role and seniority, be courageous and share your needs. Be thoughtful in trying to understand each other, and be conscious that mental wellbeing means something different for everyone.

Mental health may not currently be the focus it should be for every company. But it is something that every individual, at every company, deals with every day — whether they realize it or not. The odds of someone feeling truly included in your company decrease when their mental health is affected. And their mental health is affected when their race, gender, or ethnicity is questioned.

While 2020 has challenged everyone in the world, it has challenged some more than others. It is time for leaders to rise to the occasion and truly take care of their employees by prioritizing DEI in a way that truly takes care of their employees’ most valuable asset — mental health.