Reactive DEI vs Proactive DEI

DEI efforts have risen over the last year and a half in response to global attention on incidents of racism and police brutality in 2020. Conversations around diversity and inclusion (D&I) tripled on LinkedIn with a 67% growth in D&I employees across Europe and the Middle East. Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer was the fastest growing role - with a 111% increase in its proportion of C-suite hires between September 2020 to August 2021. 

But how many of these new roles were introduced to act as a bandaid, single-handedly addressing all organization-wide DEI problems?

In this article, we look at the importance of being proactive, instead of reactive when it comes to creating meaningful change through DEI. We also look at a few ways that you can reorient your programming or initiatives to be proactive.

Why proactive over reactive?

Being reactive - responding or addressing a DEI-related issue after it has happened, runs the risk of creating new problems and additional stressors in your organization. Let’s look at a few of them:

The strain to gather resources, train employees and release a statement

George Floyd’s murder sent organizations across the world into a frenzy to develop plans for DEI initiatives and usher out statements professing support for Black and marginalized individuals. Without the time to reflect on a meaningful course of action and consider the impact of this incident, some organizations received backlash for inappropriate responses. 

In particular, many corporations released statements that were at odds with their current internal culture and policies. People were quick to point out these inconsistencies on social media, exposing the statements as performative.

Reactivity harms marginalized employees

Situations that take action in response to incidents, negatively impact employee satisfaction and well-being. Following the events of May and June 2020, Black employees were approached and volunteered without their consent to take on extra DEI work - such as drafting anti-racism statements and attending DEI strategy meetings. These additional responsibilities were often not compensated, despite being physically and emotionally exhausting. Planning and investing in DEI work proactively helps to prevent this unpreparedness in a time of urgency, without adding to employees’ plates. Read our post here to learn more about how to alleviate this extra workload from marginalized employees.

Reactivity in DEI also often results in performative action, which creates more harm than help for underrepresented and marginalized individuals. Exploitation through the commodification of the DEI industry is already discrediting the efforts of those looking to create actual change.

There are no quick fixes to sustainable DEI change

We already know that diversity is important to employees. Glassdoor reported in Sept 2020 that 3 in 4 (76%) employees and job seekers view diversity as an important factor in the workforce when considering companies and job offers. While having a diverse workforce is an important step, creating equitable and inclusive practices organization-wide is a long-term endeavor. 

Simply put, effective DEI planning and implementation takes time. The average one-shot unconscious/implicit bias training isn't enough to patch up systemic issues in your organization. 

So how can you reorient DEI to be proactive and effective?

Shift to look at the present -- evaluate, how are we doing now?

Don’t wait for the next social media trend or case of workplace discrimination to occur. Focus on current and constant policies - is there anything discriminatory in place? Consider the sentiments of your employees. Do they feel unsafe at work? Are they excluded in regular practices?

Match words with action

Before making a statement or voicing the changes you intend to make, consider what you are actually able to do and what you intend to do. Making large promises that aren’t reflected in actions reduces your organization’s credibility and gives false hope to marginalized folks. Articulate the tangible steps you will take and outline a framework with specific goals, timelines and metrics. Report on your DEI plan at regular intervals for accountability. 

📝 Tip: Remember that there is no quick solution to DEI. Being proactive requires continual change, with policies already being in place to support marginalized employees before something happens.

Track metrics, communicate them, and be transparent about them

In a survey conducted by Randstad and Ipsos in April-May 2021, only 55% of Canadians reported that their organization has D&I goals. Of this proportion, 49% reported that goals are communicated publicly, 25% reported that goals are shared internally only, and 25% reported that goals are not shared. Establishing and communicating goals as well as tracking specific metrics is a necessity. Transparency is also key to successful DEI. It builds trust and accountability, and keeps DEI top-of-mind. Be sure to report on metrics regularly, such as on a quarterly basis. 

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Not sure how to report on DEI metrics and which ones to report? Crescendo Copilot makes it easy by allowing you to track DEI learning within your organization in real-time. Book a demo to see it in action!