How do you move beyond tokenism with DEI in Employer Branding?

Ask anyone with some battle scars in Employer Branding about their experiences with DEI, and don’t be surprised if you get a knowing, or slightly awkward, smile.

DEI remains a strategic imperative in many organisations, but by the time it lands on the desk of an Employer Brander, it’s frequently become a request to represent every possible demographic in a photoshoot. We all feel the discomfort of asking the same person to be involved, again. The experience for them can also be less about inclusion, and more of ‘difference’.?Being singled-out.

This is an important topic of conversation. Despite undoubtedly positive intentions, have historic employer marketing approaches helped or hindered?? Will the same approaches get us where we need to get to in terms of supporting organisations’ DEI agendas with our work in Employer Branding?

I’m again referencing insights taken from 2 recent Think Tanks in Australia, along with TQ’s experiences of engaging organisations in recent months. (My other Article here).

Here are some thought-starters for how to build more sustainable approaches and trying to move beyond tokenism, and growing cynicism, in Employer Branding:?

1. Avoid the strategic bear-trap

Before you get to ‘marketing’, the experience needs to be right first. A friend recounted a story of running a very successful campaign to hire women into operational warehouse roles, which was a great success from a recruitment perspective. But now in a minority and with unforeseen challenges, such as insufficient bathrooms for women…the exits spiked. So, if you’re looking for a way forward, ensure the business is ‘doing the work’ first, not just talking about it or promoting something that could be misleading.

2.?Be always-on

A diverse, inclusive culture is what you’re after, not a campaign. A campaign is a tactic and can look knee-jerk. A day of celebration is not a strategy. Longevity builds trust. Think of DEI as part of the ongoing storyline, not a cameo appearance.

3. Be everywhere

Embed DEI in all the channels and experiences you’re creating. That’s inclusion. 2 paragraphs on your website, is not.

4. Go beyond policies

Building belief means speaking to hearts and minds. Policies are important but table stakes – use stories, proof points and experiences to help people see the intention behind your plans, then we can engage hearts too.

5. Ask why, again

Don’t be an order taker as an Employer Brander. Ask the tougher questions; what are you wanting to achieve with this piece of work and why? It helps avoid point 1.

6. More video?

We’re talking about people, their experiences, their feelings. Video is your friend and untapped in many organisations.

7. Aspirations, over goals

From a marketing perspective, showing progress is important, as is transparency, so goals and metrics clearly matter. But reporting numbers can look cold/dehumanising to what and who is at stake. To avoid appearing like a ‘corporate tick box’ and build belief, organisations need to share the why, their DEI context, their aspirations; that’s a big part of helping people understand you are being deliberately inclusive.

8. Give people a voice

More user-generated content is needed. If generic marketing could be seen as 'contrived', give your people the space, support, safety and platform to be heard. Employer Branders can influence this.

9. Language matters

With multiple tools to choose from, there’s no excuse to have language that’s out of touch or inaccessible.

10. Remove barriers

Often low hanging fruit, but with big potential upside, fix friction points and barriers. You can’t promise inclusion but then bungle the important drop downs in the application process. “If something helps 1% of your audience, it’s worth doing right, that’s the spirit of inclusion”, on EB leader said.

In summary?

The culmination of views I’ve heard so far seems to point to making DEI part of everything we do in Employer Branding, instead of making it a 'special/different' part of what we do. Calling it out ...may have made it stand out, and apart.

This is just a jumping off point for things to consider, what else would you add, do you think there are other ways to avoid being seen as tokenistic and in turn, take more sustainable steps?