How to talk about diversity with employees to achieve your company's objectives

Catalyst offers research-based messaging guidance for senior leaders talking about diversity and inclusion.

Messaging about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) matters now more than ever before. The way you frame your commitment to diversity to employees is critical because DEI is being challenged across the globe, and your positioning signals your priorities. For this global report, Catalyst surveyed 6,800 employees in 11 countries to find out whether they think companies should talk about diversity as the best thing to do for the bottom line (the “business case”) or because it’s the right thing to do (the “fairness case”).

Nearly half of employees told Catalyst they want their organization to talk about its diversity initiatives using both a fairness case and a business case. Of those who prefer one over the other, more than twice as many prefer the fairness case.

The fairness case has clear advantages in terms of employee results. When organizations emphasize the fairness case to justify their diversity efforts over the business case, employees are more likely to:

• Experience inclusion
• Say their organization is fair
• Intend to stay in their organization

Leaders: When you sharpen your DEI messaging, make sure you understand the nuances of both the fairness case and the business case so that your company's DEI initiatives are set up for success across a variety of stakeholders.