Are you making these DEI mistakes?

This article was produced in partnership with Gartner.

Organisations have ramped up their fair working policies in recent years. However, new research from Gartner revealed that 42% of employees indicated a growing resentment toward the DEI efforts of their organisation.

For organisations who’re simply ticking off a laundry list of DEI objectives, you may be doing more harm than good. Fast-forward five years when Gen Z has flooded the workforce, bringing their passion for authentic social equity with them, and you’ll want to be an organisation that has taken DEI seriously.

Read more: The greatest hurdle to workplace diversity

“The younger generation that’s coming into the workforce, they’re very vocal about their views on social equity and fairness and they’re bringing those views with them into organisations,” said Jasleen Kaur, senior principal at Gartner. “Not taking a stand on these issues – or saying the right things but not doing enough – is not going to cut it anymore because now it has direct implications on attracting the talent we need and retaining the talent we need.”

What employees don’t like about current DEI efforts

One of the themes that popped up in the research was tokenism. Many organisations are focusing on DEI but the way the policies are implemented or operationalised can mean DEI efforts very quickly appear ‘token’. For instance, if you’re only hiring more women to hit your gender diversity target, then what happens to merit?

Read more: Diversity in the workplace. How to lead as an ally

“The system is predominantly designed for the majority segment, so those systems are inherently biased and unfair to anyone who doesn’t fit in that majority segment,” Kaur said. “So, when we focus on diversity, we should focus on breaking down the barriers that the system creates for underrepresented talent. Identify those barriers, and then remove them.

“There are some dark clouds ahead and employers need to be aware of the warning signs. If your organisation is experiencing ‘quiet quitting’ or high attrition, it’s time to take note.”

Kaur recommended establishing DEI goals at a leadership level, with a few key initiatives aligned to strategy, complete with objectives and measures of success. This will help leaders to direct their action, review their mistakes and identify potential issues.

Summarising the thousands of interviews, surveys, and informal conversations that advisors have had with their clients, Gartner identified seven key mistakes that businesses make around DEI:

1. Leadership assuming they know what the DEI problem is
2. Assuming that equity and equality are the same thing
3. Running multiple DEI initiatives without an anchor point
4. Ignoring both the opportunity as well as the risks that hybrid working is posing for DEI efforts
5. Missing the growing backlash happening on DEI efforts
6. Not having a clearly laid out strategy, or any strategy at all
7. Leadership having weak accountability towards DEI goals

Four tips to fix DEI issues:

1. Don’t assume you know what the problem is. Talk to your employees, gather data, gather feedback and listen to it.
2. Look at DEI from both the perspective of a business leader and a people leader and collaborate with other executives. Sometimes HR leaders miss the need to partner with other leaders. HR can strategize but implementation happens throughout the organisation.
3. Do not underestimate pushback and resentment. Identify where it’s coming from and what’s driving it and stamp that out.
4. Accountability. Leaders need to hold themselves accountable and they need to hold their teams accountable for building a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce and for demonstrating the right behaviours.