How to measure your DEI initiatives — Esther Lee // McCann Worldgroup

Esther Lee, VP of Global L&D at McCann Worldgroup, delves into measuring the return on investment of learning and development and diversity and inclusion initiatives. In a world where diversity and inclusion are integral to organizational success, measuring the impact of your initiatives is essential. It not only allows you to track progress but also signals your dedication to creating a workplace where everyone can thrive. Today, Esther discusses how to measure your diversity and inclusion initiatives.
About the speaker

Esther Lee

McCann Worldgroup

- McCann Worldgroup

Esther is VP of Global L&D at McCann Worldgroup

Show Notes

  • 01:03
    Goals of diversity and inclusion initiatives
    Organizations aim to transform their talent pipelines, foster a sense of belonging, and achieve a diverse employee makeup. The overarching goal for every company should be to change its culture, a process that requires years of commitment and leadership buy-in.
  • 01:57
    Closing gaps in DEI efforts
    Organizations must assess their current culture and set metrics for where theyd like to be. This involves examining promotion policies, diversity of talent pipelines, and the diversity makeup of employees before proceeding with initiatives like guest speakers and ERGs.
  • 03:13
    Measuring DEI initiative impact
    Some useful metrics include demographic data, promotion rates, diverse demographic career trajectory sentiment analysis, eNPS, etc. Creating a dedicated diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) scorecard provides a comprehensive view beyond annual surveys.
  • 04:53
    Creating a DEI scorecard separate from annual pulse surveys
    Creating a separate DEI scorecard from annual pulse surveys emphasizes the company's commitment to diversity and inclusion. This method encourages employees to provide honest feedback on DEI initiatives, without overwhelming them with numerous survey questions.
  • 06:50
    The importance of manager training for DEI
    Manager training is paramount in DEI initiatives because employees' sense of belonging starts with their teams and managers. Investing in frontline manager training helps to address any bias and drives cultural change within the organization.
  • 08:26
    Training frontline management on empathy and kindness
    Managers should lead with empathy and kindness, qualities that need to be trained and measured like hard skills. Employees must feel cared for and see a clear path for career growth within the organization to ensure DEI initiatives work effectively and prevent talent loss.
  • 11:33
    Measuring manager training effectiveness
    Gauge employee psychological safety through anonymous feedback and have managers self-assess their effectiveness and how open employees are when providing feedback. Communicate these results to leadership to showcase the positive impact on the company's culture.
  • 14:19
    Gathering employee feedback on managers
    Tools like Officevibe can be used to collect anonymous employee feedback on managers and provide qualitative data to gauge culture health. A cost-effective approach is teaching managers to use weekly one-on-one check-ins to cover topics such as stress, goal tracking, and feedback.
  • 18:00
    Using employee resource groups (ERGs) to gather anonymous employee feedback
    Tools like Officevibe can anonymize feedback while retaining demographic data. However, setting up diverse ERGs is the best way to track demographic well-being and sentiments in a company anonymously, and flag things to HR.
  • 19:55
    Structuring ERG meetings
    ERG meetings should be structured, alternating between casual social gatherings and purposeful discussions about belonging, representation, and action items for improved inclusion. These meetings facilitate solutions to enhance workplace diversity and inclusion.
  • 21:10
    How to change company culture
    The most valuable data from ERGs are stories, anecdotes, opinions, and ideas that lead to action. Acting on employee input fosters loyalty, belonging, and a sense of being heard, which is essential for changing company culture.

Quotes

  • "How do you change culture? It's not overnight. It takes many years, and all the right buy-in from all your stakeholders, especially leadership." - Esther Lee

  • "In terms of DEI initiatives, every company needs to look at where they are now, and set metrics to be accountable for where they want to get to after." - Esther Lee

  • "A company could bring in the most renowned speakers on DEI and tell you it cares about your wellness. If you have the worst manager in that company, you'll never feel that. So manager training is absolutely crucial." - Esther Lee

  • "Leading with empathy and kindness is something that people need to get trained on as if it's a hard skill." - Esther Lee

  • "The best way to keep track of how employee demographics are doing and feeling in a company is through ERGs." - Esther Lee

About the speaker

Esther Lee

McCann Worldgroup

- McCann Worldgroup

Esther is VP of Global L&D at McCann Worldgroup

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