HUMAN RESOURCES
Addressing Workforce Diversity By LISA KATHUMBI
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ur country has experienced a multi-cultural movement around issues of race recently, and many employers have taken a critical look at workplace disparities and worked to enhance diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Here are some of the questions I fielded from clients working to strengthen their DEI efforts without violating state and federal employment laws: • How do we increase diverse representation at the highest levels of leadership?
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• How do we treat DEI as a core leadership competency? How do we strengthen our internal investigation process? • How do we respond to claims of implicit bias and systemic racism, as opposed to discrete, intentional acts of discrimination? This article explains five actions for employers to consider.
GET CLEAR ON YOUR MISSION AND PLAN Like any other business initiative, it is critically important to have a
TODAYSGENERALCOUNSEL.COM DECEMBER 202 1
mission statement and strategic plan to drive the work. The mission statement communicates purpose and provides direction to leaders, stakeholders, and the clients, customers, or communities you serve. Next, develop a strategic plan. Be bold, but don’t set unrealistic goals. Over-promising and under-delivering can lead to erosion of employee trust. Wellintended but unfilled promises can be used in employment lawsuits or other litigation. Last year, several public companies were faced with shareholder derivative BACK TO CONTENTS
