As businesses across the U.S. and their leaders and employees continue to process the social justice events that are dominating headlines and conversations, the push for greater diversity and equity in the workplace remains a priority. Companies are being held accountable by employees, investors and media alike to create more inclusive work environments. If you haven’t begun this work at your company, now is the time to get started.
Here are three practices to consider as you work toward a more inclusive and diverse workplace:
1. Listen to, learn from and communicate progress to your employees: There’s no better way to learn about how to create a more inclusive work environment than from your employees who experience the culture daily. Ideally the CEO starts the conversation to indicate to employees action is being taken seriously and there’s a sincere desire to do better. Then, host listening sessions or workshops to gather employees’ honest feedback to help guide the creation of policies that enable all employees to feel valued and supported. And be sure to communicate updates and progress to employees, too, so they know how their input is being considered and put into action.
We’ve been supporting Graebel Companies, Inc.’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) communications efforts, helping them to share with employees and the global mobility industry the efforts the company is making to create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace. Our support has included strategic content pieces, like internal messages and blog posts outlining Graebel’s DEI goals and plans, plus updates on those goals, all while continuing to encourage employee feedback and ideas on how to advance DEI at Graebel.
2. Examine your recruiting process and requirements: Your first step here is to review your job descriptions. Do they encourage qualified candidates of all walks of life to apply? Are the responsibilities or requirements fluid enough to attract a range of individuals with various backgrounds and experiences to try for the position? Are your internships paid, to open your applicant pool up to those who can’t afford to take an unpaid position to build up their resume?
Give your practices a look with these questions in mind. Making shifts here will help you to connect with candidates who bring different insights and perspectives to your team.
When you get to the interview process, finalize your questions in advance and ask the same questions of all candidates to ensure the evaluation standard is the same for everyone. Ask a colleague or two to sit in on the interviews, so you have more than one perspective to weigh when evaluating candidates.
3. Understand how and where advocacy and activism fit in your company: It’s not authentic for all companies to be as vocal as Ben and Jerry’s, where activism is a core element of their brand DNA. Instead, find ways that make sense for your company, based on your values and your employees, to create an impact and real change.
This brand advocacy map is a great place to start. It can determine when or whether your company should respond to an event based on your organization’s credibility and depth of engagement. By examining what your brand and its key stakeholders care about and how involved you might be in your response (i.e., donating to a cause, encouraging employee participation in an event, implementing new policies), you’ll get a better sense for how advocacy and activism can fit into your brand and align with your values.
Here are a few examples of companies that have championed social justice in alignment with their brands:
- Sephora signed the “15 Percent Pledge,” a commitment to carry more products from Black-owned businesses, ultimately building a more inclusive shopping environment where a wider range of people can find makeup that matches their complexions.
- Mayer Brown, a global law firm, launched a year-long education series featuring experts in various fields to promote conversations about race on topics such as employment, housing, criminal justice, healthcare and transportation.
- To ensure leadership on inclusivity comes from the top, Graebel has equipped senior executives with a coaching app that encourages inclusive leadership behavior, and has encouraged reading practical guides such as “Subtle Acts of Exclusion: How to Understand, Identify and Stop Microaggressions” by Tiffany Jana and Michael Baran, to learn how to be more inclusive leaders and have courageous conversations.
As you build a more inclusive workplace, aim to connect DEI efforts with your mission, vision, values and your business; position DEI as an ongoing business strategy vs. a reaction to events by developing plans for becoming a more inclusive company and removing barriers to success; and keep up a regular pace of updates and information-sharing for employees, within the context of a broader employee communications plan that addresses all relevant internal topics.
