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How can HR support DEI?

Journalist: Elizabeth Howlett, People Management Magazine

ended 01. February 2023

I am covering news from Gartner, which found 51% of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) leaders say their top challenge is business leaders failing to take ownership for driving DEI outcomes. 

Many DEI leaders report having to continuously coach business leaders on why DEI matters to the organisation, and 29% report limited staff dedicated to DE&I to make considerable progress. 

How can HR better support DEI with this, and how can employers better take ownership of DEI outcomes? 

My deadline is 11.20/12

3 responses from the Newspage community

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Priya Aggarwal Shah
Founder and Director of BAME in Property at BAME in Property
One of the things I always say is that the burden of driving EDI change should not fall upon your underrepresented colleagues, who are already often challenged and prejudiced within the workplace. To help employers take better ownership of EDI outcomes, leadership and management teams need to provide adequate budget and resources, as all too often companies either haven't got an EDI budget or it's an afterthought. It's also the first to get cut. It's also important that there's adequate time to implement actions and that regular EDI support comes from external consultants, as outsiders can often critique companies better than from within. Finally, use data to support change. McKinsey data has already shown that ethnically diverse leadership boards outperform their competitors by 36%. It's not just morally right, it makes financial sense.
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Kate Underwood
Managing Director / HR Director at Kate Underwood HR and Training
DEI needs to be part of the company culture, which is the only way it is going to get embedded. That means it needs to be embedded in areas from recruitment and employer branding to the ongoing development of employees. Although it should come from the top down, getting employees engaged and getting their ideas is a great way to embed them into a company's culture. At the end of the day, although the leaders are responsible they are not there necessarily for the day-to-day.
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Tahina Akther
Barrister and Co-Founder at Wildcat Law
Nothing to see here. Is the common view held by many business leaders. This is because too many businesses only focus on problems as they arise rather than prevention. It may be true that a business has had no reported DEI issues, but that is not the same thing as having effective DEI policies in place and DEI integration with the operation of the business.
Senior business leaders should not rely on being educated in this area, they need to proactively seek to be educated. Whilst having dedicated DEI leaders in an organisation can be incredibly helpful, it can also carry the risk that the business leaders feel they have deligated responsibility and hence there is little to no need to be aware of issues themselves unless there is a problem.