Can you overspend and under commit at the same time?
Yes. And you might be doing just that with your DE&I work. Hear us out.
Last week, we shared insights on how budget cuts to DE&I will impact organizations.
Today, we are offering some ways to counter reductions in DE&I talent and resources.
Agnes Uhereczky, a contributor at Forbes, writes about some cost-effective and impactful strategies for creating a culture of inclusion and belonging that all boil down to one thing: behavioral change. Agnes specifically discusses the advantages of focusing on “micro” behaviors and everyday acts of inclusion, rather than solely continuing to invest in large, organization-wide programs. When these programs aren’t championed by employees and don’t translate to real cultural change, they risk being perceived as acts of tokenism or employer branding.
More localized, ground-level approaches to DE&I don’t just move the needle for your organization in the short term; they are important to achieving sustainable change among your employees and within your workplace culture. Agnes offers examples of inclusive behaviors you can try:
- “Humility, not assuming that you know everything”
- “Curiosity, being genuinely interested in what is going on in people's lives, their cultures, their backgrounds”
- “Active listening, becoming more aware of the specific needs of employees, be it women, working parents, neurodivergent employees, religious minorities or persons living with visible or invisible disabilities”
- “Showing vulnerability, especially important for leaders in the organization, that you may also have challenging moments, and how have you overcome them”
Regardless of whether you are engaging in large-scale, structural DE&I programs or not, it is imperative to also focus on micro-level, human-centric changes that sustain and support your DE&I efforts. These types of changes are the building blocks of a solid cultural foundation.
Organizations need tools to evaluate their workplace culture of inclusion and belonging and embed the micro behaviors that are missing. BridgeWorks can help. Send us a message to learn more.