Don’t Let DEI Die: 5 Strategies to Help Diversity Efforts Thrive

Don’t let your DEI efforts die.

Many companies have left their once-thriving DEI initiatives on life support. In fact, DEI roles are getting cut from companies almost twice as fast as non-DEI roles, according to research from Revelio Labs.

And while that might seem like just some more layoffs, the impact on DEI initiatives is far greater: Companies with DEI leaders hire a far more diverse workforce than companies without a DEI officer or team.

So if DEI staff shrinks, diversity within the organization contracts — and so does overall employee satisfaction, the Revelio Labs researchers found.

‘Don’t Just Do DEI’

“You don’t do DEI. It should be organic. It should be a natural way we engage daily through policies, programs, procedures and practices,” says Lisa Sanchez, co-founder of The Positive Platform at the Paycor webinar Don’t Stop Engaging: Creating a Workplace that Rocks. “It’s an active activity. We live it. We breathe it … embedding it into the fabric of who we are as an organization.”

So if your DEI initiatives have slipped — or you’re ready to build a stronger program — now could be the best time to take action.

We have strategies from Sanchez and her co-founder Lori Gentles, who’ve worked through the ebbs and flows of DEI across many organizations.

Here are five strategies they recommend to improve diversity efforts today:

1. Ditch the DEI

Don’t worry: Sanchez, Gentles and HRMorning aren’t suggesting you actually ditch DEI. The experts say it’s time to transition to ABIDE. That’s:

• Access. Ensure every employee has access to the same opportunities. Remove physical and non-physical obstacles and barriers that impact people’s ability to thrive.
• Belonging. Create a culture where people feel they can be themselves. Everyone should feel like they belong to and are welcomed within the entire group.
• Inclusion. Provide opportunities that include everyone, and exclude no one. The environment allows different thoughts, perspectives, approaches and styles. All of those are respectfully embraced and celebrated.
• Diversity. Recruit, retain and nurture a diverse workforce where everyone feels confident and comfortable in their environment.
• Equity. Treat all employees fairly, not necessarily the same.

But just adding letters and their explanations isn’t enough.

“The policy must breathe life through actions,” says Sanchez. Leaders model it. Employees continue it.

2. Be a Cultural Architect

Culture starts at the top, so HR and other C-Suite leaders want to act as cultural architects — the people who build and reinforce a culture that supports ABIDE.

One way: Regularly examine the customs, norms, behaviors and language of the organization. Consider who’s involved in culture decisions — and if it’s a diverse group.

“That really is the heart of what it is to be a cultural architect,” says Gentles. “That you’re constantly looking at your environment, at your landscape, at your structure, to make sure it’s sound and sustainable.

“A cultural architect redefines how its human resources team collaborates with the business to execute business strategy,” says Gentles. “They don’t just think outside the box, they are willing to engage in strategic risk to blow up the box.”

3. Understand Hidden Workplace Biases

Unfortunately, some people and places have a blind eye to their biases, and it gravely affects DEI or ABIDE efforts in organizations.

“We can talk about the big buckets of diversity — race, gender, lifestyle preferences and things like that,” says Sanchez. ” But I want to talk about something that’s more subtle. It’s insidious, sly, but very, very prevalent. And that’s biases and stereotypes that actually, when left unchecked, lead into those big buckets of discrimination.”

Here are the biases to watch for — and work to eliminate in ourselves and our cultures:

• Confirmation. We look for information that reinforces what we already think. And when we get it, we think “see, I was right!” even when the information is wrong or biased.
• Attribution. We attribute negative outcomes to external influences and others’ outcomes to their internal personal flaw. For instance, you might think “I got into an accident because the other person did it,” but you got into an accident because you’re a reckless driver.
• False consensus. We overestimate how much other people agree with their own beliefs, behaviors, attitudes and values. Sanchez notes that leaders tend to do this more than employees!
• Anchoring. Overly influenced by the first piece of information that we hear — much like the halo effect: If your first impression was good or bad, that’s all you’ll see forever.
• Ingroup/outgroup. We irrationally favor people in a group we belong to over another group.

4. Understand, Leverage Generational Differences

With five generations in the workforce, there’s a major chance you have generational diversity … and that’s a good thing.

“We want to leverage this diversity,” says Sanchez. “Look at this span of knowledge, this span of styles and span of experiences. There’s value there.”

The key: Remember that each generation has gone through different experiences that shaped them and their work style. Now, each generation can learn from each other. Encourage learning across generations, not just the older generations teaching the younger.

“These new and varied experiences are opportunities for growth or opportunity for conflict,” says Gentles. “We are abdicating that they are opportunities for … forward motion.”

5. Have the Difficult Conversations

Despite all of your proactive efforts to improve DEI or ABIDE, biases and ignorance slip in. And you’ll have to address it.

“The only way we’re going to get to change is to hold people accountable,” says Sanchez. “These are hard conversations, but they have to happen. I call it ‘Call-in Conversations’ versus ‘Call-Out Conversations.'”

Here’s why: When you call out people, it can turn confrontational.

So, when someone exhibits behaviors or uses words that go against ABIDE, you want to call them in. Here’s how:

• Invite the person to a meeting either virtually or in person and let them know you want to share something that has been bothering you.
• Open up immediately to address it. “I want to talk about something that you said/did that made me feel uncomfortable.” Remember to stick with “I” statements.
• Be specific. For example, “In the meeting yesterday, you made a joke about pregnancy, and I wanted you to know how that made me feel.” Explain your feelings and why it was offensive to you.
• Give the other person an opportunity to respond without interruption and without judgment. The response is often: “That was not my intention.” You can use that opportunity to discuss the difference between what’s intended and the actual impact. The goal is to clear the air and create behavioral change.
• Reach an understanding. Set boundaries and agree on how to engage with each other moving forward.