While the idea and the principles of Diversity Equity and Inclusion programs in the workplace are coming under attack from outside forces, Human Resource professionals still believe they are a critical cog in building an effective workplace culture.
Keena Thaxton believes DE&I efforts are the “tools we use to ensure we are creating a culture of belonging.”
Thaxton, an inclusive excellence program and Project Manager at American Family Insurance in Chicago, said such programs are “very powerful” in seeing different ways companies come to a meeting of the minds on inclusion issues.
“It’s another response to have people of different backgrounds and perspectives who are or have equal opportunity to speak their opinions and be their authentic self in a safe place,” said Thaxton, speaking to the audience during a webinar presented by the National Association of Business Resources in conjunction with the Best and Brightest Program. “We want not only people with diverse backgrounds, but also diverse thoughts, diverse lived experiences.
Thaxton, who earned status as a certified diversity professional from the Institute for Diversity Certification, said understanding ;the actual definitions of the DE&I principles is important:
- Diversity: A representation that encompasses the perspectives, unique qualities, and values of everyone, including, but not limited to ethnicity, national origin, language, gender, race, sexual orientation … education, professional background, socioeconomic status, age, lived experience, abilities, religious beliefs.
“It’s truly about recognizing and appreciation and appreciating the value that different cultures offer,” she said.
- Equity: The fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement of all people, while at the same time striving to identify and eliminate barriers that prevent the full participation of some groups.
“The principle of equity acknowledges there are historically underserved and under-represented populations,” she said. “And that the fairness regarding these unbalanced conditions is necessary to provide equal opportunity for all.”
- Inclusion: The act of creating an environment in which an individual or group will be welcomed, respected, supported, valued and feel safe as a fully integrated member.
“An inclusive and welcoming climate embraces and respects differences,” she said. “Inclusion in the workplace context can refer to the practice of creating an environment where all individuals feel value integrated into the company’s culture. Inclusion is a key component of diversity and equity efforts.”
Understanding those definitions, Thaxton pointed out, plays a key role in bringing DE&I into the workplace on a daily basis, and helping companies develop an outreach strategy that will help connect them with their community.
“Creating a community outreach strategy for medium to small businesses is a great way to build relationships, increase your brand visibility, and give back to the community,” she told the audience. “Your community outreach strategies should aim to promote and foster diversity, equity, and inclusion within your community.
“By engaging with various stakeholders, you will strive to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all residents, again, regardless of their backgrounds, abilities, or identities,” she added.
To get started, she said, companies should develop a task force and define its goals, for instance increasing brand awareness, building a positive reputation, supporting a cause, or enhancing community relationships.
“You want to identify what your North Star is,” she said.
The task force, she pointed out, should include people who “want to be part of this work” and should be volunteers of different backgrounds, including different races, ethnicities, genders, abilities and ages.
“It should be responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating community outreach efforts,” Thaxton said. “This force will serve as the driving force behind all D&I initiatives.”
When creating such a task force, Thaxton said, it should include members of the leadership team.
“It starts at the top … You want to make sure leadership is involved in those efforts,” she said. “You want to make sure you have a strong leader who’s connected to these D&I goals, who has a good understanding of diversity, equity inclusion, their own unconscious bias, and are actively working through them to make this an effective outreach strategy.”
Other steps include identifying a target audience and understanding the demographics and interests of the target audience and conducting a community needs assessment, using surveys, focus groups and town hall meetings.
“These are going to identify the key diversity, equity, and inclusion challenges, and areas of opportunity where we can make improvements in the community,” she said.
It’s all part of “choosing a cause” and collaborating with local organizations while aligning the cause with the business values and the community needs that were just assessed. Examples could include education, environment, health, poverty, or other areas that is relevant to both the business and community.
While building the bridge to the community, Thaxton said, companies can encourage employees to volunteer and offer their expertise to support community initiatives. One way to encourage that kind of volunteerism is to offer employees the chance to do it without having to take paid time off to accomplish it.
She offered some suggestions of ways to get it done:
- Participating in events, mentoring programs, offering pro bono services related to the business expertise.
- Engaging schools and educational institutions, collaborating with them to integrate DE&I principles into their curriculum.
- Being a guest speaker to these programs to continue to educate students, teachers, parents, about the importance of DEI.
“It’s all about really investing your time,” Thaxton said.
Another way to build the company’s brand is sponsoring local events, she said. Supporting local community events, fundraisers, or sports teams “goes a long way” and is a “great way” to increase visibility within the community and position the business as an active contributor.
Thaxton brought receipts to back up her points about the importance of a strong DE&I program. According to Thaxton, research from the Harvard Business Review showed:
- 95% of employees will work for purpose-driven companies because they feel such companies are more loyal. “People want to feel a sense of joy,” Thaxton said. “They don’t want to just work 9-to-5, they want to work a 9-to-5 that has a purpose behind it.”
- 80% reported that community involvement improved the ability to recruit employees.This came from a report about millennials and Gen Z employees, who Thaxton points out 46% of the full-time workforce in the U.S.
- Of that, 46%, more than 80% reported they want that community involvement, and it has helped them recruit employees.
- 44% of business owners have grown as a result, for engaging in the community.
“Whether you invest your capacity philanthropically or monetarily, engaging in community outreach and working with local community organizations will help your business build a strong, collaborative, relationship, with the community,” Thaxton said. “That will really, showcase that you are a true advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
