Four Steps to Balancing DEI Backlash With Employee Expectations
NATIONAL REPORT — The business case for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is solid, with 95% of employees reporting they weigh a prospective employer's DEI efforts when choosing between similar job offers, according to a "State of the Workplace DEI" report from Benevity.
Additionally, 78% of employees report they would not consider working for a company that fails to commit significant resources to prioritizing DEI initiatives.
Employees also consider it important to know how companies handle backlash to DEI, particularly at a time when it seems to be getting more attention than the labor market's need for inclusion, reported Forbes.
"While some organizations are nervous about the external view of corporate DEI efforts as risking political backlash, I am not seeing a full shift away from DEI," Janeen Speer, chief people officer at Benevity, told the publication. "Organizations are doing the work more quietly because they know not doing it is a business risk. They don't want to risk losing their top-tier talent."
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Employees may not require political gestures, but they want to know whether companies uphold their values, according to Speer, who suggested four tactics to balance DEI backlash with employees' needs for inclusion:
Leverage your existing employee resource groups (ERGs) — ERGs bring together employees from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, which is correlated with innovation and problem solving. They can be instrumental to diversifying hiring pools, better understanding serving diverse customer bases, and ensuring that products and services are being developed through an inclusive lens.
"ERGs take the emphasis off the company's political stance," Speer said. "They [offer] safe havens and immediate connectivity to a group as new employees onboard. ERGs are one more access point to build relationships at work, which drives inclusion."
Proactively set the tone for leaders to have candid conversations about inclusion — Leaders need the tools to have candid conversations about inclusion. Misinformation can cause misunderstandings, but rather than shame those who don't yet understand how to talk about inclusion work, leaders should meet them where they are with resources and information.
"A few years ago, only 44% of employees said their company's diversity and inclusion efforts felt sincere. This statistic, though unsurprising given the historical roots of DEI initiatives in regulatory compliance and risk avoidance, underscores a critical truth: today's workplace has evolved, and employees demand more sincerity in approach," said Mindi Cox, chief people officer at O.C. Tanner. She noted that practices that cultivate belonging cannot be reactive or assigned to a particular person; instead, they need to be woven into the essence of a company's culture and operations.
Clearly reinforce the meaning of and expectations for DEI at the organization — There are many definitions and hurtful misinterpretations of DEI, which makes it important for companies to share a clear definition of what their DEI work means and why it matters. Additionally, they must make clear their expectations for everyone at the company to behave consistently with inclusion principles.
Reinforce existing DEI training and resources — Companies should consider taking a small-dose approach rather than holding an annual program or mandatory DEI training. Adding the content to newsletters, cultural celebrations and learning-management systems enables people to fold inclusion into their existing roles instead of creating an ad-hoc effect. This stands in contrast to stand-alone programs, which are easy targets for DEI backlash, as well as check-the-box, one-and-done training that does not work.