Navigating the authentic path to diversity, equity and inclusion
The authentic pursuit of DEI requires a steadfast commitment to evolving over time and ensuring the strategy is continuously aligned with the company’s purpose and values.
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is not only the right thing to do for the workforce, it’s the right thing to do for the business. An organization that invests in DEI reaps many benefits, including different perspectives and unique viewpoints; an increase in innovation and creativity; and improved engagement and productivity. They’re also more likely to attract millennial and Gen Z job seekers and receive more applications from women.
A commitment to DEI is essential to fostering long-term success in today’s diverse and interconnected world. The richness of experiences, backgrounds, beliefs and perspectives brings diversity in thought to the table, giving the organization a competitive edge. Indeed, study after study has shown that companies who are committed to DE&I are the most financially successful.
As companies strive to create an inclusive culture, how can they ensure their DEI is authentic? In the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, there was admittedly a lot of performative work in the DEI space. Organizations were struggling to find their way in a time that was fraught with grief, anger and fear. Employees were hurting, and employers wanted to ease their pain, so they started taking action—issuing statements condemning the murder, hosting listening sessions where employees could speak openly about what they were feeling and, for many organizations, hiring their first chief diversity officers. These were important first steps, but in the months and years that followed, leaders have taken a more thoughtful approach to ensuring the authenticity of their DEI strategies.
Ensuring authenticity
While cultural awareness and heritage celebrations are crucial, the key to authenticity is anchoring DEI efforts to the broader mission of the company. What is your purpose and values? Why are you here? What is your organization’s place in the market and how does Diversity Equity and Inclusion amplify that place and validate your existence in that place?
When it comes to DEI, many people think it’s all about affirmative action—that is, casting a wider net by reaching out to different populations of people and encouraging them to apply for jobs. Representation is certainly an important component of DEI, but the focus should be on creating an inclusive environment where everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed. This involves adapting practices and embracing change in the pursuit of a more inclusive future.
In the current climate, where a small, but vocal faction has set its sights on putting an end to DEI, organizations are overwhelmingly doubling down on this crucial work. Clearly, leaders are not viewing this criticism—or the Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action in college admissions—as a sign that DEI is diminishing, but an indication that they must prepare for the next evolution in achieving their goals.
While political pressures have not swayed leaders in their commitment to DEI, they have led to the recognition of a need to reconsider how DEI initiatives are approached. The SCOTUS affirmative action ruling has prompted a reassessment of how goals are executed to create equitable opportunities for people to be successful, for example. This is a natural evolution of DEI as organizations seek to ensure authenticity. As they move forward, some of the things that were standard practice 10 years ago will be sunset as they adopt new practices that are more closely aligned with the company’s purpose and values.
DEI’s impact on talent development and retention
The impact of DEI is felt across HR verticals. From talent acquisition to learning and development to compensation and benefits, every aspect has implications for diversity, equity and inclusion. An authentic approach to DEI requires collaboration with HR business partners to ensure that talent development plans reflect the employer’s commitment to diversity and their workforce planning strategies include aspects that are important to the organization, particularly from a representation perspective.
Related: Study: Businesses embrace DEI for innovation, reputation, and bottom line
Community engagement and outreach are essential for maintaining diversity, but so, too, are inclusive hiring practices. When women discover they don’t meet 100% of the requirements in a job posting, for example, they often do not apply. To ensure inclusive hiring, an employer might benefit from an AI-powered job description management solution that evaluates job posts for language that is gendered or exclusionary and reformats them to attract a more diverse pool of applicants. Restructuring the process by embedding a language analysis tool in the hiring workflow helps ensure a more diverse workforce.
Technology advances equity in benefits
As organizations evolve their DEI strategies, striving for greater equity in benefits is crucial. Technology is a key tool in making this happen. Employing data related to the social determinants of health (SDOH) is instrumental in personalizing experiences for individuals from marginalized or vulnerable backgrounds, for example. SDOH (or social drivers, as they are frequently called) are the circumstances in which employees and their families are born, grow, work, live and age, along with the wider set of forces and systems that shape their daily lives.
Engaging with technology involves more than data alone. Cultural humility and engagement also play a crucial role. Encouraging employee resource groups to provide feedback and actively participate in discussions about the data is essential. It’s not just about the information. It’s about how the organization uses it to create a more inclusive and equitable environment.
The authentic pursuit of DEI requires a steadfast commitment to evolving over time and ensuring the strategy is continuously aligned with the company’s purpose and values. Technology presents enormous potential to maintain diversity in hiring and equity in benefits, empowering organizations to create an inclusive environment as they leverage the talents of an increasingly diverse workforce.
As global inclusion and diversity leader, Xan Daniels is charged with delivering on Alight’s promise to foster an inclusive culture, drive inclusive behaviors, and improve diverse representation across the organization.