| | December 2020MANAGEHRMAGAZINE.COM9the job market as companies have been scrambling to manage their response to our current circumstances. But, where should they start?For a long-term and sustainable approach, there are a few key things to consider:· Organizational purpose;· Leadership commitment; and,· Employee and grass-roots driven support.If a company wants to realize lasting, meaningful change for all its employees, you need all three.When I talk about organizational purpose, I'm not referring to the "business case." In truth, companies need to move beyond this thinking if they are to remain relevant and drive real change. More importantly, organizations need to define their "why." Amidst the plethora of opportunities out there for CDIOs, it has now shifted to a candidate's market. And if companies want to attract the best talent to lead the DEI function, they need to start some of this work before they bring someone on board. Truly understanding not just how to respond, but why, is important so that companies can find the right person to lead their efforts. Leadership commitment falls into two categories ­ access and shared accountability. From an access perspective, the Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer typically reports to either the CEO or CHRO. While reporting directly to the CEO sends a clear message about a company's commitment, reporting to the CHRO is quite common as many DEI strategies are rooted in HR. Regardless of the structure, the most important aspect to address is access to the CEO and executive leadership team either through a direct reporting relationship or a formal seat at the table. The CDIO needs the ability to influence executive leaders directly and have input into the governance and operations of the company, to enable DEI to be embedded in the company's core business practices.Shared accountability is incredibly important, as well, and something that can be easily underestimated. Many companies, especially in the past few months, have been rushing to send out internal and external messages denouncing racism and then seeking a CDIO to lead the efforts. It's important to note that this person alone cannot speak for the executive team. When compared to other functions (i.e. finance, ethics, etc.), leaders don't question the fact that they bear some responsibility in being fiscally or ethically responsible and the same standard should be applied to DEI. Forward leaning companies will also hold their leaders accountable on DEI through formal incentive programs and share regular progress against results with their workforce. Employee and grass-roots driven support are a critical part of a sustainable DEI strategy. Earlier this year, BAE Systems, Inc. launched CARE ­ Colleagues Advancing Racial Equity ­ a multi-year approach that is informed by employees connected to the Black community and allies who are ready for change. We started with summarizing all of the stories, feedback, and suggestions we were hearing and launched seven vision teams to turn them into recommended actions. Our vision teams are focus on key areas including enabling a psychologically safe culture, identifying additional resources to promote mental health and wellbeing, and addressing potential inequities in people processes.While we are still on our journey, we are encouraged by the number of employees engaged in this effort. This process is engaging the individuals most impacted by the recent events to ensure they have a valuable role in charting the path forward while ensuring that the company takes responsibility for carrying through on the commitments. It also exemplifies our leadership's willingness to listen to new and different employee-driven ideas for ways we could be improving the workplace experience for our employees. This year has been tough, but there have been opportunities for us to rise up closer to meeting our greatest potential. Companies have entered into the public discourse of race and its enduring impact on our society. With so much uncertainty continuing to swirl around us, I found a quote that summed this up best: "When you can't control what's happening, challenge yourself to control the way you respond to what's happening. That's where your power is." We have come very far and there is so much further to go. If we stay strong and remember that our fates are intertwined across public and private industry, urban and rural areas, a multitude of ideologies and plenty of perspectives, we can continue to work together to fulfill the American dream.
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