Why Your DEI Effort Keep Falling Short

So at what point will companies stop pointing elsewhere for the root of their culture issues?!?

Last night I was supporting the beau with researching a very well known social justice organization. As we are pulling information, we discover that the organization is beyond toxic.

This very pro-Black organization has extremely high turnover, employees that are burned out, and very few mechanisms to support professional growth outside of leadership. One of the comments we found stated -

“How can we hold our targets accountable in supporting Black people, when we don’t do the same within.”

Damn.

How many of us know orgs like this — they talk a good game but have created a toxic environment to keep up the facade? I’ve seen (and experienced) this time and time again. Eventually the facade starts to crack and the duct tape fixes no longer work.

Rather than short term fixes, what are some long term solutions?

☝🏾 Leadership needs to actually care. If they don’t, then you need to decide if that’s the place you want to spend a 1/3 or more of yours day.

✌🏾Actually listen to employees and make them a part of developing the solutions.

🤟🏾 Focus on the psychological safety of the organization. Not just a workshop but a full assessment that provides team/department leaders with a score. (Ask me about this!)

🖖🏾Compensate team members for the extra labor of this work. Especially if they are doing this on top of what they were hired to do.

🤚🏾Get rid of toxic leaders. Full stop.

These are just a few suggestions but the success of them moving forward all depend on the first one — leadership has to care.

#leadership #toxicworkplace #psychologicalsafety #diversityintheworkplace #diversityconsulting