August 10th 2023.
For the past three years, corporate America has been making a concerted effort to tackle systemic racism. This has taken the form of launching initiatives, as well as adapting to the changing demographics and organizational cultures. The public has also seen the impacts of affirmative action in college and university admission, and artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to support DEI agendas.
Unfortunately, DEI leaders are facing extreme fatigue and burnout, and some have stepped down. There have also been reports of DEI initiatives being eliminated from companies, such as Walt Disney World’s governing district and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. Despite this, a global management consulting firm found that companies spent $7.5 billion on DEI-related programs in 2020, and this is projected to double to $15.4 billion by 2026.
Geraldine White, Chief Diversity Officer of Publicis Groupe US, has been leading the organization’s DE&I efforts in their largest market. She has three key questions: how to support diverse talent at the organization, how to build more inclusive experiences to enable talent to stay, and how to monitor career progression and accountability for success. The company has launched initiatives to amplify support for Black talent, such as the Black Talent Summit and the Black Talent Career Development program.
Regina Lawless, author, leadership coach, and former head of DEI at Instagram, has also shared her experiences of being a Black woman climbing the corporate ladder. She has experienced barriers to advancement and higher rates of burnout, and founded Bossy & Blissful to help other high-achieving, high-earning Black women. Her advice is for Black women to take their careers into their own hands, be strategic about their networks, and take care of themselves.
The evolution of DEI in the workplace has seen a number of milestones, from workplace diversity calls to action in the 1960s-1970s to the focus on inclusion in the 2000s. More recently, the death of George Floyd has shifted the focus to closing racial and gender gaps in employee pay and advancement. While this momentum is encouraging, DEI isn't a priority for everyone, and the DEI field in the workplace will continue to evolve. The key takeaway is for companies to focus on creating more fairness in their tools and systems, increasing sponsorship of Black talent, and putting in place programs to enable their talent to show up authentically in the workplace.
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