DATIS recently hosted a webinar called DE&I and The Invisible Workforce, which explores the challenges of addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) in the new world of work. There were a lot of great questions that came out of this session, and we wanted to share that information with you here. Alyssa Harley, our Director of People & Culture here at DATIS, provided her insights below.
You can also watch the full, 20-minute webinar on demand to explore strategies and solutions related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in more detail.
How can we make staff believe leadership’s effort at improving? Leadership is trying, but employees see it as fake, even though it truly is not.
I think that’s a common feeling among the workforce right now. Last summer we saw so many organizations issue statements about their support of DE&I initiatives. Making a public statement is a great start, but this isn’t an area where you’ll see or expect results to happen overnight. However, over time, through continuous action and training, you’ll earn the trust of your staff that this is truly an initiative and priority for your organization. Along the way, providing transparency about what steps you’re taking and why can help your workforce see that you are indeed taking action, even though it takes time to see the results.
Where does leadership for DE&I usually live in an organization? In HR? And do you have a Diversity Officer, or is this focus combined with another role?
DATIS does not have a designated Diversity Officer. As the Director of People & Culture (essentially our name for HR), I’ve had the opportunity to lead our initiatives. It really is a collective effort though. I think you fall into the trap of making this a “check box” type effort if only one person is responsible. Our leadership team holds each other accountable to our DE&I efforts and goals.
Our small company is new and currently creating our company policies. We want to set the tone for diversity and inclusion—how does DATIS address this in their onboarding process?
Congratulations on your new company! It’s an exciting opportunity to shape your initiatives as you grow. In our onboarding process we set the tone for diversity and inclusion by 1) being clear about our initiatives to promote DE&I and 2) through our anti-racist company policy. It’s also a great time to discuss career path and opportunities within the organization as an employee progresses in their career. I know that might not sound directly like a DE&I activity, but showing that you develop employees of all backgrounds and experiences and that multiple opportunities will be open to them in the future supports a DE&I-focused progression model.
What are some common DE&I outcome measures that organizations use?
This is a great question! As you invest effort into DE&I, it’s important to know that what you’re doing is effective. It isn’t as simple as other areas—you can’t just capture and analyze data. That said, there are a few areas of measurement that you can consider indicators. You can measure diversity in your turnover, applicants, and new hires; review promotions; and measure employee engagement.
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If you have more questions about diversity, equity, and inclusion or would like more information on our workforce management solution, contact us today.
