The Josh Bersin Academy recently completed a study of 84 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices to see if the training programs and practices resulted in meaningful change and improved business results. They were startled to find that despite the millions of dollars invested over the last years, DEI training is one of the least impactful practices. (1)
Here are some suggestions on how to improve it:
- Make DEI an integral component of the business strategy. The most diverse and inclusive companies do not think about diversity as merely a hiring problem or compliance issue.
- Listen to employees. “Listen, hear and act” on what employees are talking about. The challenge is then taking employee input and acting on it.
- Train HR staff on DEI. In a separate research initiative that assessed the capabilities of HR professionals, 80% of HR professionals assess themselves as “beginners.”
- Create metrics and goals and couple that with true accountability.
Josh Bersin, president of Josh Bersin Academy, concludes the report on the study by saying, “Certainly, the DEI issue is not easy to fix. But as our research shows, we have to take a more expansive view of the problem and move way beyond unconscious bias training and anonymizing resumes. Elevating equity is a critical business imperative. I believe companies recognizing this will outperform, outlast and outgrow their competition.” (1)
(1) https://hrexecutive.com/bersin-why-elevating-equity-is-the-challenge-of-the-decade-for-hr/