In DEI&B, Why Don’t We Let the Data Do the Talking?

The director of Human Resources is doing her annual diversity and inclusion (D&I) town hall. She will be presenting information that highlights the organizations progress with regards to hiring, promotion, rewards, and attrition. If her 2023 numbers are anything like her 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 numbers, she could have a lot of explaining to do — this with regards to why the numbers have not improved. Except, if her 2023 D&I Town Hall is anything like her last two town hall’s, no one will ask any questions, and thus she will be off the hook.

But why. Why isn’t there engagement from the employees in her organization? Well, the answer to that question is two-fold.

1. People see the lack of improvement as a matter of circumstance that the organization cannot and should address. Like someone who says, “I get that women are not represented at the senior leadership level, but that’s a matter of who applies. What’s the organization going to do; help women at the expense of men? That’s not fair”. Or, “There aren’t as many Black people in this field. That’s a fact. But what are we going to do, spend our internal resources on reaching people in high school so that they get more interested? Is that our role?”
2. People see the lack of improvement as par for the course and while they would like for senior leadership to tackle the underlying issues, they’ve lost hope. Think: “I’ve heard this song and dance before. They see the poor numbers. They prioritize D&I, and blah blah blah, nothing happens. I’m tired.”

Right off the bat, we have three problems, each of which have been intentionally bolded.

Problem 1 is D&I. As in, D&I are the three letters/symbols we’re heard for thirty years and yet they are both useless efforts. Instead, we should be focused on Belonging and Equity. Unfortunately, most organizational leaders and practitioners (HR, EEO, training) do not tackle Belonging and Equity. Why?

Belonging

• Belonging is seen as subjective and thus difficult to measure. “How would I know whether someone feels like they belong? Feelings aren’t facts.”
• As well, increased Belonging can sound like decreasing professionalism. “I mean, I want people to be able to be their…