Diversity & Inclusion Issue
Like many of us right now, I’m thinking and educating myself about how to be an antiracist. I’ve always considered myself to be open-minded and inclusive. But now I’m revisiting situations where I may have been clueless, not very helpful, or even complicit, in biases. I wanted to understand how this behavior manifests itself in workplace culture, and what companies are doing to make everyone feel welcome… beyond just one & done trainings and tracking numbers.
So in the past few weeks, I’ve read dozens of news articles about workplace diversity, attended webinars and listened to podcasts, with these goals in mind:
- Quantify the benefits of a diverse workplace
- Share what works & what doesn’t with diversity initiatives
- Embed diversity and eliminate biases in hiring practices
Here are the highlights:
“To create meaningful change, DEI efforts must include clear goals, metrics, timelines, and responsible parties who are held accountable. These efforts must not just live in HR or the diversity office. They must be driven by the CEO and executive team and cascaded throughout all levels and business units.” — Want to End Racism? Training Doesn’t Work. So What Does? on TLNT.com
“A common mistake is to focus only on one demographic group in the workplace, such as women or racial and ethnic minorities. Doing so makes other demographic groups feel that the D&I initiative is not for them.” — Avoid these 8 common mistakes when creating a D&I policy in Fast Company
“Diverse teams become better prepared for decision-making… Differences among team members force each person to anticipate that there will be alternative and unexpected viewpoints to consider and evaluate.” — Diversity Confirmed To Boost Innovation And Financial Results in Forbes
“I wish employers knew how tired people of color are of hiding their authentic selves.” — 5 Ways Employers Can Support Black Employees: A Young Leader’s Advice in Forbes
Interview questions to ensure the people you hire share your D&I values — Black Lives Matter! Time Employers Update Their Interview Questions in Forbes
