If you know me, you know how I feel about placing DEI in the organization’s Human Resources function. It is short-sighted and limits the impact of diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of the business – from employees to customers to the community. Over the last two years, many organizations have noticed those limitations.…
I love talking to other DEI practitioners about this work. Not just the day-to-day tactical aspects but what it takes to do this work. I clearly remember when several people would say they wanted to go into DEI because they were ‘passionate’. I quickly realized that equated to social events or elevating issues that were…
DEI – It’s like riding a bike. I often I tell people that I do this work so that I ultimately don’t have a job. It often elicits looks of confusion or nervous smiles, but I’m serious. Any ‘good’ DEI professional knows their job is to empower others to do the work of DEI without…
As a practitioner, I often find myself caught in the minutia of the daily DEI work. I think about the conversations I have, the programs I’m building or modifying, or analyzing data. But now and then, I think about DEI’s future. With everything happening in the world around us, what is the future of this…
If you follow me, you know that I often talk about psychological safety in the workplace. As a certified 4 Stages of Psychological Safety coach, I provide assessments and coaching to organizations and leaders to increase psych safety within their organizations. This is an essential part of the work at The Equity Equation. But it…
According to Canada’s department of justice, restorative justice is “an approach to justice that seeks to repair harm by providing an opportunity for those harmed and those who take responsibility for the harm to communicate about and address their needs in the aftermath of a crime.” Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers Responsible for Justice and Public Safety (2018).…
When I first started thinking about my business, The Equity Equation, I knew that the focus of the work had to go beyond marking checkboxes and counting the number of marginalized individuals within the organization. The work needed to be intentional. It had to foster change not just with individuals but through the company ecosystem.…
When I began naming my company, I thought about my conversation with my cousin, Lolita Chandler, on the current state of diversity, equity, and inclusion. (You can check out one of our conversations here). In that discussion, we shared the sentiment that companies were fine in understanding ‘diversity’ and were working towards ‘inclusion.’ Still, they…
How often do you talk about religion at work? It used to be on the list of ‘what not to talk about at work’ or in ‘mixed company’ (I never liked that phase, but I digress…) I like to ask, “In December, what days are your offices closed?” This is a question I often ask…
This week, I sit down with Sunny Myers to discuss what organizations can do to support their employees and indigenous communities throughout the year. We discuss intentional outreach, the importance of partnerships, and explore reparations. Representation of indigenous communities is less than 1% for STEM-related fields. With the increased focus on race over the last…