We recently kicked off our first webinar with an interactive discussion on how to achieve impactful inclusion in the workplace. Hosted by our very own VP of Tandym Pro, Brian Brooke, we heard from coaches Jenn Barley and Karen Sullivan and DEIB leaders Marlo H. Gaal and Kevin Chan Bradley on what’s important for changing the room and truly delivering on your DEIB initiatives. In this post, we break down key takeaways from the event:

DEI should equal B

“Personally, I’ve had seats at the table, so I’ve been included, but I didn’t necessarily feel as if I’ve belonged,” said Marlo.

As an organization, your diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts should focus on instilling an overall sense of belonging for your employees. If they don’t, then you’re doing it wrong. People who feel like they truly belong will experience greater workplace satisfaction and improved well-being, which can bring more value to your workplace.

It’s not enough to just hire diverse candidates

“While diversity is about counting heads, inclusion is about making those heads count,” said Kevin. “We really should be putting a lot of emphasis on inclusion and belonging. Companies to some extent are doing okay in terms of seeing what’s above the waterline of visibility, but those things below the line that really shape us are often ignored. I can’t stress the importance of that ‘sense of belonging’ enough. If you look at the next generation of employees—if they don’t feel that they belong—they’ll leave.”

Think about what may be below the waterline, because it’s critical

“There are certain ways we can see diversity, and ways we can add to diversity that are unseen,” said Jenn. “There’s so much that’s under the waterline that truly needs to be included in organizations and taken into account.”

Factors like life experiences, family status, and beliefs tremendously impact who we are and what value we bring and it’s important to ensure you’re making the effort to recruit and retain a people who have unique perspectives and different backgrounds.

Be mindful

“It’s a subconscious habit of surrounding ourselves with people who remind us of ourselves, but this inhibits the success of organizations”, said Karen. “It creates this thing called collective blindless.”

“Things like employee referral programs are great but, your Talent Acquisition team should have their finger on the pulse of your demographics,” said Kevin.

Most people will refer others who share similarities with themselves. “You need to fish in other ponds and cast wider nets.”

Start with yourself

“Think about the triple A,” said Kevin. “When being effective in your DEIB efforts, you want to move from awareness to action to accountability.”
“It’s about keeping your finger on your own pulse so you can be that vehicle for change,” said Marlo. “Are you being that vehicle and coming up with solutions and tactics to deliver on those changes?”

Use data to get buy-in from leadership

“If the leader is not advocating for it, in fact pushing for it, it’s not going to be successful. One of the things that I often do to get buy-in from leadership is come in with data” said Kevin.

“Push yourself to be super resourceful, curious, and relentless—even if it means stepping outside your comfort zone,” said Marlo.

Interested in learning more? View the full webinar recording here.

For more DEIB resources, visit the SHRM website.