Welp. I had a different note for you on engagement survey mistakes that I'll email you next week.
But I urgently wanted to talk about something else: I just sparked quite the (viral) convo on LinkedIn re: the backlash against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). (See link below to read and chime in, if you like).
If you're struggling to keep your inclusion work moving forward, try ditching ALL potentially inflammatory buzzwords (like “DEI”).
i.e. Instead of saying “You've got a White Supremacy here, Harold!” simply show the data that no Black and Latine/Hispanic people are in the top few ranks (or whatever you see). And get to work on removing all roadblocks for everyone, starting with those who are the most excluded.
And, rather than saying you're “improving working conditions for women and BIPOC...” talk about doing so for all groups, starting with those who have the worst results in the data.
You don't need the phrase "DEI" to foster an environment where respect, safety, and fairness are the norm for everyone.
In fact, politicized language often slows down even the most neutral initiatives.
Avoid becoming overly attached to the acronym “DEI” at the expense of genuine progress. (It's far better to do DEI under the cover of a glossier name, like "employee engagement!" than to loudly claim loudly you're doing DEI (#performatively)- only to be stopped.
In case it comes up: The goal of workplace DEI has never been to place women or BIPOC above men or white people, for example. Rather, the goal is simply to create a level playing field where everyone has a fair shot at good jobs, timely promotions, and a living wage…regardless of their identity/community.
To be explicit: while the climate for doing the work has changed, promoting fairness and understanding is more necessary than ever. Example: If you don't have 47% women in your leadership ranks, 40%+ of whom are women of Color, you need initiatives that remove roadblocks and set up rising women for success. Ditto if Latinx employees, as a too-common truth, are kept in low paying/low prestige positions.
Here's the truth: my work hasn't shifted. My clients and I continue to leverage company data to pinpoint which identities/ranks/teams are less often hired, promoted, and/or engaged. And we use that information to re-balance things. Besides smoothing things out for women in tech, I've been supporting queer leaders, middle managers (yep, there’s a gender element!), and nonbinary folks, all of whom I am happy to report go from 'ugh' to 'yay!' once we're working together.
Giving up the phrase “DEI” isn't problematic; giving up the necessary work is.
xoxo,
Femily
