Going beyond gender and race: What true inclusion requires
This is Working Together, a weekly series on professional women and equity in the workplace. Have ideas about what we should discuss next week? Let me know in the comments using #WorkingTogether or email me at [email protected].?
As the world evolves, so must our thinking about diversity, equity and inclusion in corporate America.?
Some 85% U.S. companies have launched initiatives to improve gender diversity on their teams, and 89% of firms have made similar moves to improve racial diversity.?
But those figures are cut in half when you look for companies that are focusing on diversity around sexual orientation and disability, according to a new report from The McKenzie—Delis Foundation.?
The inaugural report focuses on 10 facets of workplace diversity and inclusion, including sexual orientation, disability, age, generation, parenthood and caring responsibilities, mental health and wellness, socioeconomic status and religion or beliefs. Some 36 companies participated in the report, including AT&T, KPMG and Target.?
“With gender and race … those are purely surface-level characteristics that we see and we naturally make presumptions,” Leila McKenzie-Delis, CEO and Founder DIAL Global & The McKenzie-Delis Foundation told me in a fireside chat yesterday. “What about all the diversities that are invisible and sit below the surface level?”??
Across the board, gender remains a core focus area for diversity metrics across corporate America. Four in five (85%) participating U.S. companies said that they consider gender diversity in leadership succession planning and a similar number say they are tracking their progress on this front.?
Despite these efforts, progress toward gender diversity in the upper ranks has been slow. Less than 10% of companies surveyed said they have at least 50% female representation on their executive leadership team, and only one company could say the same about their board’s representation.?
McKenzie attributes the limited progress to three things: the willingness to change, a commitment to tracking results and the desire to hold leaders accountable.?
“What gets measured gets managed,” she said, adding that she hopes her organization’s annual review looks different in a couple of years. “We do not have time to waste. We need persistence and we need progress.”?
While the intention around improving gender diversity is there, the same cannot be said for the other facets the report examined. Only two in three participating companies say they have a defined LGBTQ+ strategy, and 41% don’t know if they have a member of the community on their leadership team.
And when you consider socioeconomic status — ranked as the facet least likely to be supported by data and programmatic support — there is one bright spot: 1 in 7 companies listed said they do not require applicants for trainee positions to be educated to at least the undergraduate level. This finding is consistent with a trend among large U.S. employers, many of which are removing college degree requirements for positions at all levels.?
Only 11% of companies collect and monitor data on the socioeconomic backgrounds of their employee base. Why? McKenzie believes it is partly to do with fear of the unknown. While many companies have seen progress on some aspects of diversity over the years, folding in socioeconomic background may dampen some of those results.?
And yet, McKenzie is bullish that the new world of hybrid work may improve things.????
“We don’t need talent to work in our city centers,” she said. “We are able to have individuals who are working remotely in more of the impoverished areas of society, which is a great thing.”?
Race and ethnicity ranked number one on McKenzie’s review. All companies surveyed have strategies for their leadership team that directly mention ethnicity and 86% compare the pay and career progress of employees by race with the rest of the workforce.?
McKenzie does not expect corporate leaders to look at this report and focus on every facet starting tomorrow. Instead, her team of researchers recommends organization’s consider their priorities and ask where and how they can improve their approach to diversity. From there, it’s a matter of starting the conversation with employees and beginning to measure results.?
Companies should first ask, “Are these areas where we need to take more action?” McKenzie said. “If so, then what?”?
We want to hear from you: What identity aspect do you feel is missing the most from the current approach to diversity, equity and inclusion? Let me know in the comments below.?
What’s Working
In honor of International Women’s Day, LinkedIn News curated insights and conversations around five key themes we believe are essential to supporting working women. Check them out below.?
#BreakTheBias. The official theme for IWD this year, Break The Bias, encouraged everyone to think about their own biases at work and share their own experiences. Its clear bias affects nearly every woman: “I was known as ‘The Girl’ for many years,” said Banco Santander’s Ana Botín, as the executive chair details the biases she’s faced as a woman in finance. [LinkedIn News]?
Normalizing breaks. According to a recent LinkedIn survey, 62% of people globally and 64% of women have taken a career break. And yet, women who have taken career breaks are taking longer to re-enter the workforce. To destigmatize career breaks, LinkedIn recently added a feature to allow members to communicate more concretely when they took a break and why. “Work alone does not define a life and no one’s career is perfectly linear,” said Virgin’s Holly Branson. [LinkedIn News]
The mental health challenge. “Employers must invest and understand that their people are human beings,” said Medley co-founder Edith Cooper. While the pandemic shined a light on the importance of mental health at work, much work still needs to be done to properly support working women. [LinkedIn News]
领英推荐
Finding your why. Inspiration comes in many forms, but we all have women in our lives who have helped us during our career. Thousands of members shared their stories of inspiring female leaders, and we encourage you to do the same here.?
Top Voices: Around The World
Last week, I shared with you our Top Voices for Gender Equity in the U.S. and Canada. But we put together voices all around the world that you should follow as well:
?? Africa: https://lnkd.in/eTneEz5E
???? Australia: https://lnkd.in/gbQUKGV8
???? Brazil: https://lnkd.in/TopVoicesEquidadeDeGenero
???? ???? ???? DACH: https://lnkd.in/eYyn9_Mp
???? France: https://lnkd.in/gcqCkZJG
???? India: https://lnkd.in/gicUTFXu
???? Italy: https://lnkd.in/dkQ-ZcFM
???? Japan: https://lnkd.in/gv3rSGns
?? LatAm: https://lnkd.in/grb7_Z3W
?? MENA: https://lnkd.in/eSbCk7Ug
???? Mexico: https://lnkd.in/gjVCxfsF
???? Netherlands: https://lnkd.in/gXSEKMR8
???? New Zealand: https://lnkd.in/gPZwqyvz
???? Singapore: https://lnkd.in/TopVoicesGenderSG
???? Spain: https://lnkd.in/gWm9Cgmx
???? UK: https://lnkd.in/dSK4Y9PZ
Working Together LIVE: Thursdays at 3ET
On March 17th, Uncle Nearest Co-Founder and CEO Fawn Weaver will join us to discuss how she created one of the most successful independent spirits companies by focusing on disrupting the status quo. [Join us here]?
On March 24th, theSkimm Founders Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg are coming on to walk us through #ShowMeYourLeave, the viral campaign they started to shine a light on leave policies across corporate America. [Join us here]
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