DEI: why the journey’s as important as the destination
A polarised world
I often wonder what the working world will be like by the time my two daughters grow up. They’re 10 and 12 now. Will they have equal opportunities in their careers? Children are growing up seeing a real polarisation of opinions, particularly in the US but increasingly in the UK. Over recent years, global events and the actions of world leaders have made DEI divisive and political.
As much as it would help if people could change that, it’s probably unrealistic. But we can make real change as individuals and as organisations, and I’m really proud of the progress we’ve made in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at The In Group during my time as CEO.
Our shared journey
The company’s changed. We’ve created our DEI panel and set targets, priorities and agenda topics, all of which have developed radically. DEI was a subject we didn’t truly understand five years ago, and even today, we’re still learning and are far from the finished article – but we’ve got momentum behind us.
We’re not alone in this; most organisations have got better, broadly speaking, and some industries have made huge improvements. Organisations that traditionally recruited from Oxford or Cambridge, or hired people from a certain background, are changing their strategies. PwC, for example, now says graduates no longer need at least a 2.1 degree to work there, which is a positive step.
Like us, lots of companies are on a journey and have appointed heads of DEI to support that. It’s an educational piece across most businesses, but I think it’s dangerous when organisations set quotas and targets because it sets the wrong precedent of not hiring the right people for the right reasons. DEI strategies need more time and thought invested in them. Goals should be based on education and expanding talent pools.
Breaking habits
The greatest challenge in any DEI journey is breaking habits. We’re all a product of an environment – same applies to me, my kids, and my teams – so unless we commit to making significant change and thinking about things differently, change simply won’t happen.
So, where do we want to be in the future? Well, there’s no utopia for me, and as I said, setting company targets can be dangerous. What matters is that we’re behaving and thinking in the right way. Are we genuinely committed to improving and diversifying, and can we feel the difference? If you can ask yourself those questions as an organisation and honestly answer yes, then you might just be heading in the right direction.
For more on the major trends in DEI right now, check out Powered Up, our flagship DEI report.
Nick Baxter | CEO