A beacon of hope amidst ED&I burnout
Fiona Hathorn
CEO of WB Directors and Portfolio NED. Governance, Leadership, Remco & Investment Oversight Expert. (She/Her)
One of the best parts of my job is meeting talented, bright ED&I professionals across a whole host of sectors and types of roles. (I won’t even try to name them - you know who you are!). It’s fascinating to me how every firm, of the 50 or so we work closely with, approaches their ED&I resourcing and strategy differently. I get a privileged vantage point of seeing the pros and cons across a whole range of models.?
Sadly therefore it didn’t surprise me to read that the average tenure of a head of EDI is only around?3 years. Admittedly this is US data, and there is a heightened context ‘across the pond’, but the risk of burnout among ED&I professionals is very real here in the UK too - and/or they are understandably job hopping because of the demand for EDI professionals.?
ED&I leaders have been tasked to deliver significant cultural change, from top to bottom in companies across a huge range of metrics. Their remit can cover demographic representation, HR policies, recruitment methods, retention, Employee Resource Groups, employee well-being initiatives and more. It can seem at times every interaction between colleagues is a potential ‘ED&I issue’! All this with - shall we say - ‘varied’ levels of resources and an expectation to be consistently ‘nice’ (which is not always the same as inclusive, but often perceived to be synonymous).?Plus, reports such as this latest one commissioned by Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch add weight to the pressure of getting ED&I strategies to actually deliver.
No wonder it all gets too much, and quickly. And I applaud all those continuing the work with passion and determination.?
Yet there is a potential silver lining in the so-called push back on ED&I. It’s been also reported boards are now wanting metrics and evidence on impact. I’m also heartened that regulators are backing this approach, in particular the FRC and the FCA (Financial Reporting Council and the Financial Conduct Authority respectively)
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To this I say “About time!”?
We have long called for boards to be leading on ED&I, setting a strategy and KPIs. Not just because data and impact matters. But also because I believe having clear goals will help, not hinder, ED&I professionals.?
In the cold light of a strategic plan, no reputable boards will set the type of hugely broad goals that ED&I thus far have been expected to achieve. Rather they will need to consider what is realistic and set achievable expectations for their?ED&I teams, balanced with the resourcing available, as they do with multiple other areas of strategic importance.?
It is boards and strategic approaches that can take off the pressure to solve everything at once, and provide clear leadership on tough but inevitable trade-offs. They are best placed to say, ‘yes this needs doing, but not this year’.??
By doing so, they will not only bring about more impactful ED&I measures but should also make the experience of being an ED&I leader more pleasant and sustainable. If we can reduce churn in key roles, we are then creating a virtuous circle of enhanced impact. A reason to be cheerful!
Navigating the complexities of ED&I work highlights resilience and creativity. Seneca once said, strength grows in the moments when you think you can't go on but you keep going anyway. It's all about finding that inner drive. ?? #StrengthInAdversity #Resilience #CreativeSolutions
Experienced Chair and board member in Business & Social Enterprise, Author of award winning "Boards" book
8 个月Spot on Fiona! The best boards see EDI as a fundamental aspect of a healthy culture, know what culture they have got, what culture they want and have agreed with the execs plan to get from one to other if they are different. They also recognise that it is helpful to specialist capabilities in the exec team to support other execs in delivering that plan. Moreover they walk the talk and evidence commitment to EDI through their decisions and actions, not least in behaviour.
Solving the 30, 50 & 60 + talent drain with intergenerational talent solutions. Retention of female leaders, Flex, Jobshare, AI, Intergenerational Teams, Retention, Wellbeing, Interim, DEI & Age Inclusion Advocate
8 个月There’s such a huge amount of work to be done in this area area and this work has such an impact on future proofing organisations. Job share might be a great way to reduce the risk of burnout in the function, give individuals some flexibility to practice wellbeing and self-care and it could be a way of accessing the function from outside of a company structure. It’s a great way of tackling the female talent drain at 30 and 50, this increasing senior female representation. Great article.
Leadership Development | Change Management | Cultural Transformation | Public Speaker | Diversity Equity & Inclusion Expert | Non-Executive Director | DEI Advisory Group Chair
8 个月Great observation and commentary Fiona. You really highlight the huge remit put on EDI professionals. What can often happen is that the timeline of expectation of change across such a broad area, from the organisation, is unrealistic and the pressure is put on these EDI professionals with limited resources; thus the high turnover. And, with recent reports of the government and departments being asked to cut back on this role, imposes reduced importance in this area. Still a long way ahead, but we must keep at it.
Linking exceptional companies with outstanding leaders
8 个月Great read Fiona Hathorn. EDI professionals however are not able to change the dial on their own. It really needs to be actively supported and led from the top. Metrics being key to hold the organisation to account.