DIY Guide to Starting an Employee Diversity Task Force

Introduction

In a world of increasing globalization and cultural diversity, organizations are being called upon to reconfigure their priorities and make social justice an organizational responsibility. While creating an employee diversity task force can foster a supportive work environment, it can also have large returns on talent recruitment and retention. Here are 7 tasks leaders should keep in mind when laying the foundations for a successful DEI task force. 

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Do Your Part: Do Your Homework

Gathering information about complex social issues is not so much a “gathering” process as much as it is a “sorting” process. The sheer amount of quality research and resources available about, say, gender inequality, can be difficult to sort through and process. Even the most well-intentioned leaders can feel overwhelmed or unsure of where to begin—that’s where defining your audience comes in. 

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Before creating a DEI committee, leaders must understand the composition of their workforce and the different demographics their people possess. This can mean quantifying different identities teammates possess in the realms of race, age, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, nationality, family status, or language to understand where their workforce’s values lie. 

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Be Intentional

Ask yourself what topic you want to learn about—whether that’s racial injustice, LGBTQ+ issues, gender inequality, or another social issue—and how you are trying to learn about it. Look to TED Talks, The Conversation, and similar mediums with digestible stories. Search for research by nonpartisan think tanks such as Pew Research to find both quantitative and qualitative data. Finally, ensure that the information is legitimate. Harvard Business Review recommends looking for “reputable sources that originate from the communities being discussed, and academic sources that are transparent about their methodology.”

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Don’t Just Listen—Actively Listen. 

Even the most well-intentioned leaders who back their organization’s DEI initiatives can be left in the dark when it comes to actually having conversations about key social issues with their employees. 

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All too often, employers, who want to know about the diverse identities within their organization that they themselves do not possess, are left confused when employees seem unwilling to share. More often than not, the cause is rooted in a fundamental human need: a lack of psychological safety. In other words: people don’t feel “safe” enough to speak up, even if they are prompted to. 

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Inclusivity and actively listening go hand in hand: McKinsey found that leaders who demonstrate a combination of both consultative and supportive leadership behaviors can increase the likelihood of their workforce’s psychological safety, fostering a positive team climate. Inclusive leaders are able to listen to the needs of their team, whether it’s by soliciting the team’s input and considering their viewpoints on issues that affect them, or demonstrating concern and supporting them not just as employees, but as individuals. 

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Empathy, Humility, and Understanding.

In order for your organization’s DEI task force to be successful, senior leaders need to acknowledge and recognize that social inequities exist, and that their organization, unintentionally, may have implicit barriers. For genuine changes to occur, leaders must assess and evaluate their own biases—embracing empathy and humility is the first step to creating a space for DEI discussions to occur. In fact, a recent study by Catalyst found that empathy can facilitate positive outcomes, especially when it comes to retention rates: 

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“57% of white women and 62% of women of color said they were unlikely to think of leaving their companies when they felt their life circumstances were respected and valued by their companies. However, when they didn’t feel that level of value or respect for their life circumstances, only 14% and 30% of white women and women of color respectively said they were unlikely to consider leaving.”

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Creating a safe space for your workforce to discuss their successes and struggles in the workplace establishes a level of trust. Leaders need not be experts in diversity, equity, and inclusion in order to demonstrate that they care and are paying attention to their team. Expressing empathy means acknowledging and listening to your workforce. This may include being open to feedback about the policies at your organization, or stepping away from the microphone and understanding where your employees are coming from. 

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“The Medium is the Message”

How we communicate our thoughts, ideas, and values to others not only defines who we are, but also indicates how much we care about a certain topic. Communications guru Marshall McLuhan had a point: the platform that is used to communicate a message is just as—if not more— important than the content that actually passes through the medium.  

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Whether your organization is trying to organize DEI workshops or inclusive leadership training, they should be communicated to employees and implemented with purpose and intent. Leaders need to be sensitive to the symbolic meaning of the message’s format—this may include sending out time-sensitive emails or holding team meetings. Whatever medium your organization chooses, the medium should amplify the message’s content. Your task force’s plan should include ways to take action (ie. messages that inform, educate, or engage) and empower your employees. 

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Beyond Barriers: Removing Bias

For DEI initiatives to be effective, we must first make a conscious effort to dismantle our own rigid, binary associations. Rewriting job descriptions with a focus on skills and competencies, using blind resume interviews, or conducting standardized skill-based assessments to evaluate potential candidates can help eliminate one’s unconscious stereotypes, which in turn can attract a deeper pool of diverse talent. However, minimizing our own biases must be followed by action: leaders need to create and enforce policies that protect marginalized employees—finding allies across multiple departments with key decision-making powers can help implement organizational change. 

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Make Equity Your Priority

Equity—when everyone has fair access to resources, opportunities, and the ability to thrive—is not a program; it is the outcome of intentional diversity and inclusion frameworks. As leaders, your employees should not have to bear the burden of educating their coworkers about social issues: establishing a DEI committee starts with leaders who want to learn and foster a safe, supportive, work environment. By making equity your personal prerogative, you can situate yourself in a position to inspire others to do the same.

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