Last Friday, we hosted a Virtual Think IT Panel Event on Beyond Technology: The Human Experience. A huge thank you to our panelists, LaChelle Drayton, Sr. Manager of Talent at Rally Health, Kali Haines, Director, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Rally Health, Gift Matemba-Mutasa, Senior Sales and Marketing Director at Be The Match, and Femina Ajayi-Hackworth, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Be The Match for sharing what their companies are doing to support diversity and inclusion.
Why does DEI matter within your business, the technology industry, and beyond?
Research tells us that the organizations that are most diverse do better are healthier, and have more productivity. For a company to function, it’s important that they consider inclusion when making products and decisions. The top 25% of gender-diverse teams were 21% more likely to outperform other teams who were not gender diverse.
How long has your DEI function been in place? At a high level, what are your organization’s DEI goals, and what strategies are you and your team deploying?
The panelists agreed that they are working on recruitment for more diverse candidates. They want people to not only understand their role but also get to know about the organization and provide tools for employees to get them to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Below is how a company was broken down.
3 Pillars:
People: attraction and retention to the company
Place: an environment where employees can thrive
Product: products being made that are accessible to all minorities
How do you celebrate the diversity of ideas and people?
Organizations need to recognize the different populations that they are serving. Some examples would be celebrating/ recognizing holidays, cultural heritage, and diverse backgrounds. Also, having resource groups for your employees where they can learn about diversity and ask questions. Research groups are also helpful to have so your organization can collect data on DEI.
Some actions you can take today:
- Employee resource groups
- Advocate for resource groups
- Work towards hiring more diverse candidates
- Spread awareness and use resources (podcasts, books, etc.)
To learn more about useful words and phrases to continue to develop competence and awareness surrounding racial and social equity, click here.