Embedding DE&I Enterprisewide - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Exchange - November Virtual Meeting

In this session, Toni L. Carter, Chief Inclusion and Collaboration Officer at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) shared key tips from her team's journey at INL to bring employees along on the inclusion journey and inspired everyone to keep moving forward together.

The organization set out to embed inclusion into every aspect of its organization. The goal was to ensure the laboratory is a place where everyone feels they are valued, belong and can bring their best selves to work each day. The laboratory viewed inclusion as a journey in which a consistent, collective commitment to intentional decision-making and incremental progress ultimately achieves amazing results. INL’s intentional inclusion strategy has allowed the organization to:

  • Retain and build a next-generation workforce to transform the world’s energy future and secure the nation’s most critical infrastructure.
  • Lead inclusively through individual, team-based, and labwide actions that elevate organizational effectiveness.
  • Grow laboratory cultural acumen by establishing a clear connection between inclusion and mission success.

Here are the top 4 things we explored. 

Understand Executive’s priorities.

When starting DE&I work at an organization, it’s important to understand what Executives are focused on. Ask what they are proud of and what keeps them up at night. Then, map your DE&I work to their priorities and evolve it over time. Therefore DE&I at your organization is going to look different than it might at other organizations.

Make the case to middle managers.

Middle managers are often key to successfully implementing DE&I initiatives. To get their buy-in, help them understand why this work is important. Show them how it will help recruit and retain top talent. Ensure everyone that there is enough room at the table for every qualified person to reduce fears of being left behind.

Invest in ERGs.

Members of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are often champions for DE&I work. Not only do they advocate for inclusion, but they are also 87% less likely to leave the organization, feel 70% safer at work than other colleagues, and are 57% more productive.

Lead with data.

Use data from as many people practices as you can. This includes engagement surveys, employee relations and ethics calls, legal cases, and more. There is often more data available than you may originally think.

 

 

i4cp's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Exchange will provide a secure venue for a wide range of peer practitioners to engage in thought-provoking and innovative discussions focused on best and next practices. 

Co-facilitated by i4cp Member Leaders Amelia Ransom, VP of DE&I at Smartsheet, Alexandra Foster, VP of People Experience at Kelly Services, and Dele Downs Kooley, Sr. HR Program Manager of D&I Global Talent Acquisitions Excellence at Microsoft, the group will support D&I leaders to be a voice to executives, educate HRBPs to be allies and advocates, and develop supporting tools and playbooks to scale next practices.

This meeting is exclusively for members of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Exchange. If you'd like to participate, please contact us to see if you qualify. If you are an i4cp member, please log in to access the registration/meeting details.
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