Every “serious” company, nowadays, has a Diversity & Inclusion officer / manager / advisor / etc.
If the company has any sense of current affairs -which most companies do- it’s the first step in putting these topics on the agenda.
Budget spent internally is simply different than externally. So, instead of hiring outside counsel or advice -which, spoiler alert #1, would be very beneficial since it’s tricky to be critical and independent of a culture when you’re part of it- companies create the position of a D&I staff member.
A step in the right direction, might be your first thought. And to be honest, it is. If we only look back 5 years in time this role was not that common. Maybe in the US, but certainly not in Europe.
So, the fact that companies have the awareness and commitment to hire somebody to focus on the D&I of their organization is indeed a great step forward.
However, …
It’s not an easy job to be the company’s D&I officer.
Companies tend to think that if they hire a D&I officer (EDI officer, manager, etc.) they’ve fixed their D&I challenges. Or at least they now have someone to do that for them.
But, oh, if things would only be so easy. Spoiler alert #2, they’re not.
Simply putting one person on the task of changing or adjusting your company culture won’t do the trick. Change comes with resistance. Even though your D&I officer is super driven and ambitious, they will run into challenges. So, first of all, there needs to be complete leadership buy-in. The entire leadership team, or at least the vast majority, needs to be onboard and committed to D&I.
Second, the D&I officer ideally is in the leadership team. So, next to your CEO, CFO, COO, CMO, etc., you have your CDIO, your Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. Why’s that? Well, for D&I to be the most successful it’s incorporated at the decision making level.
Next to that this person needs to have a couple of things to succeed:
Mandate
Budget
Staff
Without any mandate you're not empowering your CDIO or D&I officer to act as the leader they are, especially in regards to the topic of D&I.
It's nerving, I get that. Having someone come in and giving them the control. Especially when that most certainly means change. But if you're really committed to D&I work -and not just acting from a performative standpoint- you should be open to listen to the expert you've hired and let him/her/them guide you.
No budget means that you're limiting your D&I office tremendously.
Budget makes sh*t possible. Whether it's the opportunity to hire outside trainers, organize an event or power ERG* groups, money is needed.
Lastly, not having the D&I officer work on this topic on their own makes all the difference.
First: it's not just up to one person to create the change you want to see in your company.
It can be lonely work. A lot of times D&I work is going against the current dominant culture, and I don't know if you know (you might've picked up on some hints in this text) people tend to not really embrace change. Especially at first.
To make things happen, and with the broad range of tasks most D&I officers have, it's just great to have support staff to actually make things happen.
To conclude:
Hiring an D&I Officer and thinking that the job is done is not the way to go.
A D&I officer requires certain things to execute their work in a way that matters and is going to be effective.
Companies investing in D&I, truly and not just for the outside world, are at the forefront of the future of work.
Invest in your D&I department now, and you will reap the benefits in the future.
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