When organizations begin efforts to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion, it is often at the leadership level. Many think that once leaders decree that DE&I is a priority, all staff will immediately infuse it into their work. But engaging employees in your DE&I initiatives takes deliberate effort, including providing training and ways for them to give input into the programs, experts say.
“If we start to engage employees in conversations and get their input, when the strategy comes out, they can see themselves in the plan, and you’ve got a foundation of buy-in,” said Emily Holthaus, managing director of DE&I at Nonprofit HR. “That tells them, ‘My voice, no matter where I am in the organization, matters,’ and we’re taking that into consideration as we design the strategy overall.”
Carmen Suarez, an assistant professor of practice at Southern Illinois University and a board member for the American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity, agrees that including staff at all levels is critical.
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