1. Why are diversity, equity, and inclusion important?

The work, workers, and workplace of the future will continue to undergo dramatic transformation. By the year 2030, workers will be both older and younger, more educated and less skilled, hyper-connected through new technologies, and more ethnically diverse. In a CNBC/SurveyMonkey Workforce Survey conducted in 2021, nearly 80 percent of workers said they want to work for a company that values diversity, equity, and inclusion.

And this extends to customers, clients, patrons, and members. People want to do business with companies whose products, services, and marketing messages reflect their values, beliefs, culture, and needs. So organizations who want to attract, motivate, and retain top talent, and who want to remain relevant, competitive, and enjoy sustainable success in the marketplace must value diversity and cultivate cultures of inclusion, equity, and belonging.

2. What are diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives?

DEI initiatives are the programs, policies, and practices that enable all talent within an organization to have equal access to opportunities, be treated with dignity and respect, and be paid equitably for their contributions. They are often focused on those workers who have been historically marginalized or oppressed, or who are from underrepresented groups in society that include women, black indigenous people of color (BIPOC), people with disabilities and others.

Examples of DEI initiatives include

• Sourcing and recruiting to build a more diverse pipeline

• Conducting a DEI audit on your policies and strategies to identify significant inequities or discriminatory practices

• Conducting training and offering education on DEI topics to raise awareness and enhance skills acquisition

• Embedding DEI into your company’s values

• Assessing the level of cultural competence among your leaders and providing development to close the gaps

• Leading listening sessions or town halls, or administering inclusion and engagement staff surveys to understand the employee experience

• Increasing your selection and spend on diverse suppliers and vendors

• Enhancing your employer brand and multicultural marketing

• Launching DEI Councils or Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)

3. What does diversity, equity, and inclusion mean to you, Dr. Davis?

At the core of my identity, I am a woman, a person of color, a single mom, a person of faith, an entrepreneur, and an HR professional, so DEI is personal for me. Throughout my career, I’ve been minimized, overlooked, discriminated against, and undervalued because of these identities (several of which I had no control over). So DEI to me means being recognized for my unique talents, perspectives, and experiences; being given the job opportunities, promotions, contracts, funding or loans, and access because I’ve earned them, I deserve them, and I qualify for them. DEI is also personal to me because I want my daughter (a beautiful, talented, educated, gifted, hard-working, creative professional) to have a fair and equitable shot at succeeding in her career and in life.

4. What does diversity, equity, and inclusion mean in the workplace?

Very similar to what I just shared. It means that all talent has an opportunity to thrive, regardless of a person’s background, experience, ethnicity, orientation or identity, age, culture, thinking style, or any other characteristic. DEI ensures that all employees understand how important it is to work across differences to achieve better outcomes. It serves to create a workplace environment that reflects the changing population and the diverse communities that the company serves and does business in. Further, DEI should be embedded into every aspect of the organization—including the values, operating plan, policies, strategies, behaviors, and reward systems. Every worker should be expected to treat each other with respect, held accountable for doing so, and foster a culture of inclusion, belonging, and high performance.

5. What does diversity, equity, and inclusion mean for the law?

Human and civil rights movements and laws date back centuries and have evolved from matters of compliance to the moral and social imperative, to a business strategy. Understanding the historical context and the many ways that DEI has evolved over the years is important.

Today, many countries have laws protecting their citizens from discrimination based on race, gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, disability, age, and so on. In the United States in particular, federal laws such as the Civil Rights Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and others are foundations of DEI that organizations must comply with. DEI efforts serve to ensure that organizations adhere to these laws in the workplace or run the risk of the consequences when they are violated.

6. What is diversity, equity, and inclusion training?

DEI training programs are designed to provide education and raise awareness about issues related to working across all types of differences (mostly with people who are not like us). It’s also about building skills and ensuring the application of those skills in the workplace so that everyone has a respectful and positive experience; that biases and prejudices are reduced or eliminated; that leaders understand their role and responsibilities in building diverse teams and inclusive work environments; and that everyone adheres to laws, policies, and values.

Organizations of all sizes from all industries, sectors, and geographic locations ask me to train their employees on a variety of DEI topics, including

• The Fundamentals of DEI (DEI 101)

• Implicit Bias and its Impact in the Workplace

• How DEI Drives Innovation and High Performance

• Inclusive Leadership

• Leading Across Generations

• Building Diverse Teams

• Tips for Tackling Tough Topics: How to Have Impactful Conversations

• Managing Conflict

• Building a Welcoming, Winning, World-Class Culture

• Fostering a Psychologically Safe Workplace

• Anti-Harassment Training