Diversity, equity, and inclusion: The core of any modern business
It doesn’t matter whether your latest campaign was a little tone deaf, a touch culturally insensitive, or straight-up racist/sexist, today’s consumers are no longer prepared to let it slide.
Of course, you already know this. Over the last few years we’ve seen companies of all sizes, across all industries, from Dolce & Gabbana to Starbucks, screw up their diversity and inclusion efforts, often to their severe detriment — cancelled events, loss of consumer confidence, and vast sums of money wasted on campaigns that completely tanked.
However, while you may appreciate (and support!) the fact that diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts are now vital to your success, knowing how to sustain these initiatives can be a challenge.
DE&I: no longer the sole domain of the HR dept.
Gone are the days when tokenism or the occasional strategic hire was enough to boost public perception of an organization’s Corporate Social Performance (CSP). No, rather than remain the sole responsibility of the HR department, DE&I, if it’s to be effective, should permeate every layer of your business, including:
Sensitivity to stakeholder demands and corresponding risk
Evaluating internal and external DE&I programs and ensuring they support business goals and industry alignment
Accelerating DE&I program visibility via public relations and marketing efforts
Engaging customers in DE&I efforts
In fact, a well-designed DE&I approach is only half the battle — to be truly effective, your approach needs to be integrated into your strategic business plan and prioritized across your company as a whole.
Of course, focusing on diversity in your hiring efforts is essential, but it’s equally important to evaluate your current branding, marketing, and PR programs for instances or patterns of unconscious bias, to consider whether your core message is truly appropriate and relevant to your target audience, and to ensure that you’re consistently coming across as an organization that not only understands the perspective of people from diverse backgrounds, but also champions the needs of those who are traditionally marginalized.
You don’t have to go it alone.
While you may be completely enthused about improving your company’s approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion, there’s nothing wrong with being a little daunted too — depending on where your organization currently sits on DE&I you could be looking at anything from a few fairly simple tweaks to an all-out overhaul of your hiring, marketing, branding, and PR as well as a complete shift in your company culture.
But you don’t have to go it alone. Whether you already have some great ideas and need a little help with implementation, or you feel completely overwhelmed and don’t know where to start, Emerje can help you in developing and incorporating a number of DE&I initiatives, including speaker series, award programs, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), and reverse mentorship programs to help executives and members of the C-suite improve their engagement with diverse staff.
With a customized DE&I strategy — one that is perfectly aligned with your organizational goals — you’ll find it easier than ever to drive revenue and marketplace competitiveness, all while making a hugely positive contribution to organizational culture, boosting your Corporate Social Performance, and nailing your social responsibility goals. Rather than paying lip service to diversity and inclusion, you’ll know that your organization is genuinely doing everything in its power to move the conversation forward and improve conditions for everyone, from internal stakeholders and staff, to the people you’re serving. And you’ll have the confidence to know that you’ll never make the same mistakes as D&G, Starbucks et al!
Want to know more? Request a free consult to learn more about how we can help you enhance productivity, drive revenue, and increase employee satisfaction by designing and incorporating effective DE&I initiatives into your strategic plan.