Are you doing enough for diversity, equity, and inclusion?

2020 was a landmark year in many respects, particularly with regard to raising awareness around the urgency of DEI issues in the workplace. Many companies reacted to public sentiment on the topic by turning their focus inward, exploring the many opportunities where they themselves could improve. There is often uncertainty around the right way to approach improving culture and DEI, especially in traditionally white male environments like tech and finance. Here are some of the common missteps made when it comes to DEI and addressing the issues, along with best practices to create lasting change within an organization.

Common DEI missteps companies make

With the best of intentions, many companies unwittingly try to improve their culture in all the wrong ways. One common example is relying on under-represented team members to carry the burden of educating their colleagues solely — having them bear not only the emotional brunt but also forcing them to sink much of their own time into “solving the problem.” In short, they’re doing double-duty rather than the company taking on equal responsibility.

Companies can also unintentionally isolate employees when there is no available platform to share lived experiences and when employees are asked to self-report sensitive issues. Both of these examples keep employees from feeling safe to reach out to others with similar problems or concerns, lending to a sentiment that diversity issues are being swept under the rug. When diversity issues are silenced and those under-represented feel isolated, a lack of psychological safety in the workplace will result and any progress already made can regress. People need to feel safe speaking up, asking questions and challenging the status quo. If this doesn’t happen, organizations miss out on opportunities to truly impact their culture for the better.

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