What Happens to A Dream Deferred? True DEI doesn’t exist in “quota” hires.

The image above shows the frequency of US Google searches for “Diversity and Inclusion” since 2004 up until June 2021 (Google has noted that their data collection system improved in 2016 so bear that in mind).

That large spike you see in D&I searches should be recent enough in memory — the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and the movement for justice and reform that their deaths demanded. Their murders sparked outrage and finally opened up the floor to much needed conversations around systemic and systematic racism. But with these conversations happening, where do they lead to? LinkedIn data shows diversity leadership roles are on the rise — Head of Diversity seeing 107% growth from 2015 to 2020. Diversity roles overall increased 71% within that time span. But again, what does it mean from a systemic and systematic standpoint?

Diversity, equity and inclusion isn’t about hitting a quota. As a Black, immigrant woman in HR (specifically talent acquisition/recruiting), I sit at quite an interesting intersection. The goal isn’t to have you hire a glaringly less qualified diverse candidate because you have to make your one minority hire of the year. If your organization looks at DEI as a box to check off, therein lies your issue. I invite you to look around your leadership team. Is it “male and/or pale”? I invite you to think broader. If your organization is intentional in attracting a diverse talent pool, that significantly increases the odds of more diverse candidates being interviewed, and eventually hired. That is one of the goals — to diversify your talent pool which will eventually diversify your hires.

That takes intention and commitment. That takes casting a wide net and actively targeting diversity in every sense of the word.

But there’s more.

You’ll need to review your hiring processes. Are you partnering and recruiting through diverse channels? Are your job assessments (and in some cases, unnecessary qualifications) having adverse impact and weeding out underrepresent groups? Is your hiring panel diverse? Diverse beyond gender, sex, and race, but panel members outside of the department that can offer a unique perspective? If your panel is homogenous and think similarly, it lacks a diversity of thought and it can be argued that the candidate isn’t being assessed holistically. Are your websites 508 compliant and application process accessible to disabled applicants? What gaps do you need to fill to provide underrepresented groups with an equitable opportunity? Meritocracy is grand, but you will never be able to build yourself up by the bootstraps when up against a system designed with barriers to exclude you.

But wait, there’s even more.

You’ve achieved diversity in the workplace. How do you nurture and maintain it? Is your organization inclusive? Who benefits more from your succession planning and promotional opportunities? Which employees are given the opportunities to grow and stretch? Does your organization foster an environment and growth opportunities for introverts as it does for extroverts? Are there policies in place to address and mitigate the attrition of women who leave the workforce because they feel pressured into choosing between motherhood and a career? Or the inverse — are you addressing harassing comments made towards women who are not yet mothers (or choose not to be) on how they need to get started or they should plan promotions around pregnancies?

Do you address micro-aggressions, mansplaining, and stereotyping, or have a supportive culture in place where those who feel victimized feel empowered to speak up?

Do you use your social capital and power to champion others, particularly those from an underrepresented group that may otherwise never have the voice or visibility?

As managers, do you have any unacknowledged bias where you’re including all members of your team and not just the ones that look like or think like you?

Are you respectful of cultural names or do you expect them to be shortened for your own comfort? Dostoevsky effortlessly rolls off the tips of tongues but so many feel the need to shorten their cutlural names for the comfort of someone other than themself.

Are assertive women labelled angry or is it encouraged and appreciated?

As of 2020, 40% of the US population identify as a minority. Does your workforce reflect that? If not, what are you doing about it?