Joe Santana is an advisor, author, speaker and CEO of Joseph Santana, LLC. He helps companies prepare for a diverse 21st-century workplace.
Companies lacking a robust diversity, equity and inclusion strategy could face lost profitability. Research from 2020 by Accenture found that global profits could grow by $3.7 trillion if companies aligned their equality efforts with their employees’ perceptions.
Imagine the impact of reducing the cost of inequality while increasing revenue. This is exemplified in a story I heard from one of my clients in the airline space; their company leveraged the insights of a resource group to generate a significant profit without added expenses. This, of course, is not the only example of DEI driving revenue and profits. And in today’s increasingly global and diverse world, the ability of DEI investments to drive current and future bottom-line results is undeniable. That’s why some savvy investors strongly emphasize DEI progress in public companies; a commitment to DEI demonstrates the company’s competitiveness and growth potential in the future.
However, staying the course in DEI efforts can be challenging for businesses today. For instance, some firms have expressed to me their concerns over the potential loss of government contracts in states resistant to DEI efforts. Some companies might fear backlash from consumers or employees who are negatively triggered by mentions of DEI. Many companies’ initiatives are also “facing cutbacks and legal attacks,” according to NPR.
So, what’s the solution for companies caught between these concerns and the necessity for evolution? I believe one answer lies in embracing what I call “guerrilla DEI tactics.” The term “guerrilla” has been used to denote approaches that enable the user to make stealthy progress toward a goal. DEI guerrilla tactics aim to foster DEI effort benefits without overtly calling attention to the DEI initiative.
How does this work? Here are some ideas to get you started:
Hold DEI Training, but don’t call it ‘DEI training.’
If you’re concerned about how some in your company will react to being invited to attend diversity and inclusion training, my recommendation is to provide the training, but don’t label it as “diversity and inclusion” or “bias training,” specifically. For example, one of the guests in a diversity-focused leadership group I’m part of shared how a product company they worked with held training on how to better partner with colleagues and external logistics partners to improve relationships and the rapid delivery of products. This program incorporated diversity, inclusion and bias elements without explicitly mentioning them.
The key to this approach is simple: Look for opportunities to improve workforce, supply chain or marketplace relationships with DEI training, but label it according to the objective. So, instead of “DEI Training for Managers,” if you intend to improve relationships between managers and their teams for increased productivity, call it “Strategies for Enhancing Team Performance.” The actual teaching can then delve into the role of unconscious bias and other DEI topics, but the framing is centered on the outcome, not the type of training.
Instead of ‘diversity recruiting,’ set culture-broadening goals.
If you want to recruit more diverse employees and are worried about announcing plans to increase specific demographic categories, such as women, for example, you can instead share your plans to broaden your culture. When you declare that you want to increase a particular demographic category, you might set yourself up to be accused of hiring based on race or gender. However, critics are less likely to tag your organization as biased if you explain that you hire for culture-add.
Focus on fostering a diverse range of cultural perspectives to align with your various local and global markets. Hiring for culture-add promotes diversity in your workforce without focusing on giving preference to any specific demographic group over another.
Instead of pay equity, announce pay-for-performance.
CNBC reported that “almost four in ten Americans think the gender wage gap isn’t real.” Because of this, you might find that efforts to close pay gaps can sometimes trigger controversy. Consider shifting the focus to “pay for performance,” which can help you achieve the same goal and is less susceptible to criticism.
Employers can achieve this while at the same time adhering to the growing demand for pay transparency by publishing the criteria they use to assign pay for specific jobs in their organization.
Talk about supporting workforce success.
Another guest of the leadership group I’m in pointed out how outdated expense reimbursement policies that cover the cost of martinis with a client but not babysitting, for example, often disadvantage parents with child care responsibilities vs. the households with a stay-at-home parent. The impact on the organization can be an under-par performance by the under-supported team members.
These outdated reimbursement policies are a classic example of an equity problem where a system is designed to support one group more effectively than another. If you’re worried about how your efforts to address this type of inequity will be perceived, you could say, “We are revisiting and evolving policies to best support the success of our entire workforce.” Again, this approach addresses an element of DEI, which in this case is equity, without overtly labeling it as such.
Final Thoughts
In a world where DEI has often been employed as a mere PR tool for virtue-signaling, it might seem counterintuitive for a business leader to support a less showy approach. However, the actual value of DEI goes beyond generating publicity; it lies in creating the type of organization that can attract the best people and serve the most clients in an increasingly diverse and global business landscape.
I, therefore, urge business leaders who might feel forced to abandon their DEI efforts to consider these DEI guerrilla tactics. These tips can enable your organization to make substantive progress in diversity, equity and inclusion without inviting unwarranted negative attention.
Remember that success today and in the future is reserved for those who adapt and prioritize real change, not those who simply seek the most appealing performative DEI headlines. So, take the bold step toward an equitable, inclusive future today by supporting guerrilla DEI.
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