Last week was a tough one for DEI, from the executive order Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt signed directing state agencies and universities to phase out DEI programs to Harvard president Claudine Gay’s congressional testimony on antisemitism and the call for her to be removed.
Unfortunately, it’s reflective of a challenging year overall for DEI work—one full of setbacks and backlash. What’s more, 2024 looks to be even harder as we enter another presidential election year that will be crowded, loud, and controversial.
Speaking of loud and controversial, the latest “contribution” from Elon Musk has caused DEI leaders—myself included—to shake their heads yet again in disgust and disappointment. In the early hours last Friday, Musk tweeted this on X: “DEI must DIE. The point was to end discrimination, not replace it with different discrimination.”
As the founder of a PR agency that partners with global brands to integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion into all aspects of business, I find Musk’s comments unacceptable—and inaccurate. Work that addresses the systemic inequities limiting opportunity for historically marginalized groups is not discriminatory.
Musk’s position and perspective is, however, representative of a distressing “anti-DEI” movement that is having a knock-on effect across business, academia, and technology. At a time when we should be growing DEI initiatives, we are now forced to defend them. While there have been some gains and steps in the right direction, we have more to do.
According to new data from Deloitte and the Alliance for Board Diversity, more than half of Fortune 500 board seats are still held by white men. The data also found that in terms of racial and ethnic diversity, life sciences and healthcare lead in representation. In fact, according to the 2023 State of Healthcare Training and Staff Development Report by Relias, in healthcare organizations with diversity, equity, and inclusion training, 35% of workers saw an improvement in workplace culture during the past year.
As we head into 2024, this is not the time to be divided. It’s the time for companies to further commit and prioritize DEI initiatives to continue to drive real, lasting change that benefits employees and employers. Employees will not only hold leaders responsible for their promises and plans, but they also will be vocal on any lack of progress and commitment.
Last November, a Harris poll found that 80% of employees reported that their workplace has not made meaningful progress on building a more equitable environment for employees of color, and 81% of HR professionals reported that their companies have not increased recruiting efforts toward racially diverse recruiting since 2020.
Numbers don’t lie and it’s up to us—as leaders—to tell the truth: Improving workplace diversity might be a tough balancing act, but it’s a necessary one to get right. For companies that are looking to do this vital work in 2024, here is my recommended plan:
Set Measurable DEI Metrics and Review Them Often
If you haven’t done this already, review last year’s metrics and readjust, as necessary. If you do not have DEI metrics, set them before the start of the year. Ensure that you utilize the data to make better, more informed, more inclusive decisions to improve workplace productivity, employee engagement, culture and well-being, and retention.
Here are some key DEI metrics to consider:
- Hiring and retention. How diverse are your current teams, and what are the demographics [race, age, gender, and ethnicity] of your applicants and talent pool? What is the representation within the hiring decision-makers?
- Growth and advancement. What is the average time for advancement [promotions, raises and bonuses] per demographic group? Are promotions, raises, and bonuses discussed in regular one-on-ones and annual reviews for each demographic group?
- Employee engagement and involvement. What is the overall job satisfaction across the company? How do employees feel about diversity and inclusion, and have they had opportunities to participate in existing and future initiatives?
All team members should have a voice in DEI initiatives and have personal KPIs to track progress—from the C-suite to junior team members.
Make DEI a Central Part of Your Company’s Business Strategy
DEI is not a trend, nor a checkbox, nor a short-term strategy. It should also not fall to one employee to lead the charge. If you don’t have a dedicated DEI team, create one. If you don’t have DEI experts at the leadership table, make room for them to be prominent in all discussions. When diversity, inclusion, and equity play an integral part of business objectives and day-to-day operations and hiring decisions, that’s when tangible change happens.
In 2024, companies should prioritize and promote authentic initiatives, and encourage their clients to do the same. More inclusive hiring, safe spaces for employees to voice what they need and want in the workplace, and opportunities for advancement and promotions for all employees.
We need more of all this and less divisiveness around DEI. And if leaders are going to be loud and controversial in 2024, let it be from a place and position of passion and progress, not privilege and ignorance.
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