How to Communicate your Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Assessment
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It’s great to see organizations are conducting equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) assessments. I am a big proponent of assessments, especially if the outcome results in structural changes that will advance EDI in the organization.
When conducting these assessments, it’s critical to pay attention to how the assessment is being communicated to your internal and external stakeholders. Here are three key tips to communicating your assessment.
Timing. When organizations decide to conduct an assessment, typically very little gets communicated to internal and external stakeholders. I understand this lack of communication may be to help manage expectations; however, to get buy-in from staff and community partners, it’s advisable to communicate the intent of the assessment and expectations as early as possible. It’s always best if the communication comes from the top of the organization: the CEO or ED. Be sure to communicate the intent of the assessment, why it is being conducted, what is driving it at this time, the process (whether a consultant will be hired) and, most importantly, the next steps. Quite often, staff want to know how their feedback will be used, and if it in fact will lead to change in the organization.
Staff Consultations. I can’t stress enough the importance of providing a safe space for staff to provide feedback and ensuring confidentiality. Prior to conducting consultations with staff, you may want to send out a brief outlining the intent of the assessment, how their feedback will be collected and kept confidential, and why their input is important to the process. I have found sending this brief to be a crucial step in the assessment process, as it helps to address concerns or fears from staff and to get their buy-in to the process.
Next Steps. So often, very little is communicated back to staff and external stakeholders once an assessment is completed. If you are comfortable, it’s advisable to share at least an executive summary outlining next steps the organization is committed to taking and timelines for those steps. This demonstrates to staff that their feedback has been heard and that the organization takes EDI seriously.
EDI assessments are never any easy process, but communication is key to their success.
The ideas shared above are just a few strategies and tips. I hope they have been helpful. Do you have any questions? Reach out, comment on the post on LinkedIn, or book a call. We would love to hear from you!