How to assess your policies and programs with legal teams

Organizational leaders need to build robust and resilient talent pipelines, maximize their employees’ potential to drive productivity and innovation, and sustain the organizational values that enable positive and inclusive corporate cultures. These are non-negotiable business imperatives. And while the goals may be clear, the path to effectively achieving them in this rapidly changing landscape may be less so. Organizations that want to attract, develop, engage, and retain the best talent and most effective teams may be asking how to evaluate their programs and policies — especially those that may have once fallen under the umbrella of “DEI” initiatives. Catalyst can help.

This list of questions is intended to be a guide for working with your legal counsel, giving practitioners and stakeholders an opportunity to apply strategic, consistent decision making across a programmatic review of policies and initiatives in effect in your US operations. As you progress through the stages, you may find that you have already taken steps or asked some of these questions. Review and skip ahead as necessary.

This resource is a companion to the CEO Action Framework that guides Catalyst Supporters on a “finesse” response to ensure they can win the war for talent, win in the marketplace, and be a great place to work for all employees. These questions will help you put into action the Framework’s Catalyst’s Values, Open, Close (VOC) approach, helping you to drive impact where it matters and weigh critical considerations along the way.

Any review of materials or risk analysis should be undertaken in conjunction with legal counsel in order to protect privileged work and communications. Use these guidelines to help inform a discussion with your attorneys.