Executive talking points for inclusive workplaces
Catalyst has drafted this collection of talking points to assist executives responding to emerging US policies related to workplace. Use this message to craft your personal positioning, backed by our expertise. Explore the appendix for a business case data library to supplement this messaging.
What is our company’s position on diversity, equity, and inclusion?
For the health of our business and in keeping with our organizational values of [insert language of company values], we are committed to creating an inclusive work environment where every employee can feel that they belong, has fair and open access to opportunity, and is able to thrive at [Company].
We hold this commitment because we know it will help our teams better solve problems and help us retain our best talent. It will also drive innovation and business outcomes, because our employees will be more engaged and will experience improved wellbeing and lower burnout, and because it is what is critical for our success in the marketplace and for the clients, consumers, shareholders, suppliers, and communities we serve and on whom we rely.
Research demonstrates:
EY‘s 2023 Driving Better Business Results Through DE&I research on business performance from 500+ teams, comprising 140,000 employees, found that groups with a higher percentage of women partners achieved +4% higher gross margin and +10% higher total net revenue per full-time equivalent. Improved profitability like this can represent millions of dollars in impact to the bottom line.
EY also found that groups with higher cultural diversity and inclusiveness had +9.6 points higher retention and that when employees experienced a stronger sense of belonging they had +3 points higher retention. These represent hundreds of thousands of dollars or more in cost savings due to increased engagement and retention.
Additionally, when companies establish inclusive business cultures and policies, they are 59% more likely to achieve greater creativity and innovation — both essential for our business.
And, when companies establish inclusive cultures and policies, research from the International Labour Organization found companies are 38% more likely to be able to better assess consumer interest and demand — something we have seen organizations like Costco double down on as they seek to ensure they can best serve their members.
Our most valuable asset is our people – from our employees to our suppliers, buyers, and clients. And the data is clear: from productivity to profitability, having the right mix of people in the right roles and environment matters. This is just good business.
So what does that actually mean? What is our organization doing (or not doing)?
At [insert company] we are taking measures to ensure that the best talent, no matter their background, can earn access to recognition and growth, free from barriers. We are also enabling and expecting fair and respectful treatment for all, from all, to ensure we are living out our organizational values.
For us, this includes [insert examples with emphasis on initiatives that are open to all employees and which help to close opportunity gaps, e.g.: ERGs open to all employees; sponsorship programs open to sponsors and sponsees of all backgrounds; inclusion trainings for all people managers].
Shouldn’t this just be about merit and hiring the most qualified people for the job?
Yes. It is about hiring the best, most qualified person for the job. Our inclusion work helps us achieve this objective by making sure our meritocracy is functioning as it should.
From search firms to AI to panel interviews and skills tests, we use every resource at our disposal to help us identify and elevate the best talent. Our inclusion work is an important tool in that toolbox.
As the Meltzer Center says, “Talent is everywhere, opportunity is not.” Closing opportunity gaps and leveling the playing field by removing biases and barriers from the system makes us more effective at identifying the best people for the job.
We won’t achieve this objective by ignoring the gaps in representation, pay, and experiences of inclusion the data clearly shows are there, nor by expecting fairness to happen without effort and intent. We wouldn’t ignore the data with any other mission-critical aspect of our business, and we won’t do that here.
What not to say:
Carefully consider your use of terms like "DEI", "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion", and “privilege.” It may be best to also avoid the naming of specific demographic groups, which – while not off the table for the work ahead – may invite undue scrutiny as you open these conversations. Keep the focus open and values-based, emphasizing the impact on all talent, your organizational culture, and your business.
Stay away from approaches that would hit all three of the 3 P’s as laid out by the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging: conferring preferences on protected groups with respect to palpable benefits.
Move away from language that frames your efforts as ones aimed at “lifting” specific people or groups or other similar descriptions that might invoke “affirmative action” and seem in conflict with the idea of people earning opportunities based on merit.
Be careful not to completely minimize your critical inclusion priorities. There are risks at both ends of the spectrum, and swinging too far on either side may be damaging to your ability to achieve sustained success and effectively mitigate risks from key stakeholders on all sides. A focus on closing gaps to ensure access to opportunities, free from artificial barriers, can help here.