Beyond a Catchphrase: What DEI Means to Us.

If you are working in corporate America these days, then you’ve likely heard your company’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives being promoted. Those three words, or some combination of them, have become corporate buzzwords in the last few years, with many firms broadcasting their initiatives on the front page of their website and splashing it all over their social media. While we are grateful for these initiatives, we have also learned through many well-intentioned DEI initiatives (and the lack thereof) that many of them fall flat and have little to no lasting impact. As we ask ourselves why this keeps occurring, we look to leadership to make space for the kind of change that will provide resources and raise others up to an equal playing field.

When determining if your DEI initiative is an effective tool to create change, first start by having open, honest conversations with the individuals from the communities that the DEI initiatives intend to aid. Many well-intentioned organizations who design these DEI initiatives somehow neglect this crucial, foundational step. No matter how well-intentioned a DEI initiative may be, no one can better speak to their individual and/or communal needs than an individual within the community in need. To neglect to engage and collaborate with the individuals within our communities while creating these vital initiatives means that said initiatives will likely not be effective in addressing the issues that they intend to resolve.

?After engaging and collaborating with our communities to create these DEI initiatives,?take a hard look at who is leading the charges. While people of all backgrounds should be equipped to lead, it may surprise you to find out how many DEI groups are not being led by individuals within the communities that the initiatives are supposed to benefit. If the committee or initiative is not being led, at least in part, by BIPOC??(Black, Indigenous, & People of Color) individuals, individuals who identify as LGBTQIA+, those on the gender spectrum (women as minorities or any gender expression existing outside of the traditional “male” & “female” roles) , or those who are neurodivergent (individuals who exist along the spectrum for various cognitive and/or psychological perceptions ), then many individuals within those communities may find it difficult to believe that the initiative is actually to their respective benefit(s). Representation has long been an issue for minority groups. For us to believe that an initiative will truly support DEI, we must have individuals within our communities not only leading the charges but also succeeding in accomplishing their goals, while being supported by their respective organizations. These individuals must also be encouraged to “pay it forward”, so to speak, to uplift these communities in a way that creates permanent, effective change.

We also suggest that you look at the resources provided to the DEI committee/initiative. Are you providing the initiative with the resources that will help propel them into success? If you provide food for other leadership meetings, for example, are you also providing food for the DEI meeting? Does the committee have a defined budget they are working with so that they know what their resources are?and how they can use them? Are they receiving the same amount of resources that other non-DEI initiatives receive? Are these resources accessible to them without needless bureaucracy or other forms of red tape? These are good questions to start with, but there are likely many more that will help you understand whether or not the committee is properly resourced and set up to succeed.

Importantly, consider how leadership discusses the committee/initiative and interacts with it. Are members of the highest level of leadership attending the meetings and outings or are they taking a backseat approach? As you may have heard, everything rolls downhill, and that rings true for these initiatives as well. If your leadership is not showing support for the committee/initiative, then others will likely believe that it is not worth the same amount of time as other initiatives at your office.

Lastly, we challenge you to ensure that a safe space exists within your organization for people who identify with any minority group to share their feelings and empathize with others. Regardless of what any of us feel is right or wrong, fair or unfair, feelings and emotions are always valid. People need a safe space to feel and discuss these emotions. When we share these feelings, we are not asking for your thoughts, nor are we are not asking you to give your examples of experiences you feel are similar. We are simply asking you to listen. Listening allow us to feel seen and heard, which then allows for a healthier, happier work environment for everyone.

Allowing those who are most affected by the lack of DEI to determine the solution will create a better space for everyone to thrive. We hope that voices from underrepresented communities (and by extension, all voices) will be shouted from every rooftop so that future generations can hear them loud and clear. So let’s do the necessary work to ensure that the underrepresented voices today will have the same importance as every other voice tomorrow. Let’s strive to make Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion become the norm.