March 18, 2021
By Rina Z. Souppa, Human Resources Director Canada
When companies move to implement diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives like systemic racism training, many moving parts need to work smoothly in concert. The C-suite must commit to prioritizing DEI as a core value across the organization, and employees must be willing to learn and adapt their behavior. However, there is a lot of ground to cover between Point A and Point B — and in organizations of all sizes, Human Resources leaders are the ones doing the majority of the legwork to promote inclusivity. How can these professionals make the biggest impact on DEI and drive organizational change within their role?
Align with top-level leadership on motivations
DEI is a ubiquitous concept, yet many companies are having trouble turning it into real action. A recent PricewaterhouseCoopers survey of corporate directors revealed that 83 percent believed companies need to do more to promote gender and racial diversity, yet only 16 percent believed their companies are “excellent” at recruiting a diverse workforce. HR leaders can help bridge this gap between intention and action by uncovering the core motivations behind the move to implement DEI and antiracism initiatives, then changing communications based on the findings.