Take DEI from HR Project to Business Plan Integration

3 minute read

Companies often look at diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) work as something that one department does to increase the “diversity numbers” within the company. However, those same businesses often fail to see any meaningful movement in their metrics. So the question is, what does it take to build a foundation for an impactful DE&I plan? Here are three (of many) actionable steps you can take, to integrate DE&I into everyday business and into your company culture.

1. Connect DE&I with measurable goals

Whether you use SMART Goals, OKRs, or simply set objectives, you must tie your diversity goals into the business’s goals. You might be thinking, but how does this look? Let’s look at an example:

Original Goal:

We will recruit, retain, and develop a total of 30,000 members.

Let’s Integrate DE&I:

When looking at the execution of this goal, how can we include DE&I? First, assess how the company recruits, retains and develops members now, then think about what might be missing. Let’s say one tool for recruiting new membership is through email lists gathered by attending events or hosting online learning workshops. Who is your target demographic for these events, and what demographics are you missing? Ensure that at least one event per quarter targets a member audience you are not hitting now. Set metrics from all of your events and compare with how these new events contribute to membership.

Part of the New Goal:

We will recruit, retain, and develop a total of 30,000 members. 

New membership will come through referrals and targeted email lists gathered from events. Each quarter we will attend an event that celebrates an underrepresented group within our membership. 

• Q1 Booth at Museum of African Diaspora Event 

• Q2 Booth at Pride 

• Q3 Host Webinar for Women of Color Leaders 

• Q4 Host Webinar with the Asian Art Museum

2. Train everyone in the company to be Upstanders

An Upstander acts on behalf of someone who is being mistreated or bullied in any way. Often we become bystanders instead of upstanders in the workplace because we have been taught to be nice and polite and not make people uncomfortable with confrontation. But with bullying, the best thing to do is to speak up. And prolonged, uncontested bullying leads to harassment. Speaking up and speaking our truth is actually less painful, even though it seems more painful in the moment. Often bystanders don’t speak up because they lack the tools or knowledge to be interrupters. This is where Upstander Training comes in. Giving all employees these tools will put the bullies to bed and create a culture of support and care.

3. Have steps to report bullying, discrimination, and harassment 

Most companies have ways to report harassment and discrimination listed in the Employee Handbook where it often goes to die. To make sure employees actually report these issues, they must understand the process and feel protected from retaliation. Train employees on day one—and at least annually—on how to report. This training should include the investigation process once a report occurs. Ensure this information is easy to find. And of course, make sure the process you use for reporting matches what you have written down.

While these three steps are a starting point to integrate DE&I into your business and the company culture, remember, this work is ongoing and is not done by checking off a box every few years. A one-off diversity training with no follow-up will not fix a “diversity problem.” But starting with a foundation that has DE&I integrated with everyday work will help create a culture that truly values diversity, equity, and inclusion.