Is Your Company Really Committed to Advancing Women? Prove It!

The Key to Inclusion — Full Transparency

I was honored to celebrate International Women’s Day with Deloitte US by participating in a panel discussion on the release of the inaugural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Transparency Report. The report goes well beyond women and examines all dimensions of diversity through a lens of intersectionality. This is groundbreaking work that every company needs to examine and then ask themselves the question, “Do we care enough about embracing Diversity and Inclusion to publish our own data for the world to see?”

My guess is the answer from most companies will be “No!”

Companies often note that their greatest asset is their people. However, too many times there is a gap in how that idea translates into the culture and fostering a workplace where people can thrive, belong and fully contribute to organizational goals and objectives. I repeatedly implore business leaders to request their organizational data, review it with senior leadership, acknowledge when it’s unacceptable and choose to do something about it. Simply put, most companies lack the courage and commitment to publish their data and commit to making changes. Yet, transparency and tackling the tough challenges is what best-in-class companies do AND what new entries into the workforce expect.

As a data-driven organization, Deloitte’s leadership took a closer look at their data and through “having honest conversations with our people and our stakeholders, we’ve gained a better understanding of the work we need to do to further enhance the representation of our workforce and cultivate a more rewarding talent experience for all our professionals. We strive for an experience that is meaningful to people of all backgrounds — one that enables them to show up authentically, grow to their full potential, and live a purposeful life.”

In boldly sharing their inaugural report publicly, they are acknowledging the reality of where they stand and the progress they want to make internally and in their communities. In her overview message, Kavitha Prabhakar, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, notes that the report is a quantitative and qualitative look at Deloitte’s US workforce along with “additional data views including representation across leadership, job roles, generations and components of the talent life cycle. We also set goals for what we want the future to be.”

Their transparency in sharing their data, goals and initiatives provides a valuable blueprint for others to consider. As Prabhakar notes,

“Behind each data point, there’s a unique human experience. Their voices and sentiments, as well as the data and insights from this report will guide us as we continue to grow together.”

What actions can you choose to take?

Share Deloitte’s Executive Summary inside your organization and discuss the findings. Chances are, many of the challenges that Deloitte has been willing to share publicly are the same ones your company is facing. Finally, if you are feeling brave enough, the next time a Sr. Leader says, “Our company is committed to Diversity and Inclusion,” show them this report and say, “Prove it!”

Related articles and white papers:

• Creating Gender Advocates
• Driving Workplace Equality: Awareness, Accountability and Advocacy
• Advancing Women Is Not A Journey. It Demands Strategy.
• Metrics Every Company Should Be Tracking

Is your company really committed to advancing women? Prove it!