In the interest of hearing directly from our colleagues working in the DEI space, Culture Coach International conducted a survey of DEI professionals at the end of 2023. We wanted to hear what people engaged in the daily work of DEI had to say about their challenges and priorities coming out of 2023 and moving into 2024.
We were impressed with the broad array of topics and issues that people are addressing. While there were topics that were chosen more, they were not the top choices by a huge margin. While all DEI professionals are all focusing on the broader principles in DEI, how they are addressed within their organizations is focused on what works best for their culture. There is no one size fits all in DEI, which has just been proven again through these survey results.
One approach that more DEI professionals will be using in 2024 is micro-learning. Culture Coach is presenting a webinar in micro-learning on Wed Jan 17th from 12-12:30 pm EST. A recording of the webinar will be available after on the DEI Boxx Webinar page.
The breadth of training topics that will be focused on in 2024 shows that DEI is an integral part of teamwork, innovation and employee engagement in organizations. DEI work touches upon nearly all departments in an organization. Increasingly DEI professionals are being asked by managers and leaders to help solve organizational issues such as employee engagement, communication and strategic planning. This shows that some leaders are recognizing that value that DEI folks can bring in solving organizational issues.
All of that being said, some respondents are clearly facing real challenges when it comes to their work. From threats of funding cuts for government agencies to people questioning the value of their contributions. DEI professionals can also be facing the same issues in the workplace that they are being asked to address as illustrated by this comment: "As a Black, female, DEI leader, I feel I am being assaulted by the same bias, microaggressions and gaslighting that the employees are experiencing. Mental health is a major concern- stress, anxiety and discrimination."
2024 will throw up some challenges for all of us. It would, even without it being an election year. But, those us called to do this work are made of strong stuff. This quote from George Bernard Shaw encapsulates the approach by many DEI professionals. "I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. Life is no ‘brief candle’ to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to the future generations.”
Below you will find the press release of the findings from the survey. If you have questions about the survey, please be in touch.
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Press Release January 9,2024
Amidst a year of shifting business priorities and changing global markets, the key insight from a year-end survey of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) professionals, conducted by Culture Coach International, is they are being called upon to help solve key organizational challenges by managers and leaders.
“Diversity professionals are at the leading edge in helping companies achieve their goals by fostering innovation and problem solving with an engaged workforce.” -Kari Heistad
DEI professionals report they are being asked by managers and leaders to help address organizational challenges including driving deeper employee engagement, recruiting and hiring and addressing micro-aggressions. They are also being asked to help teams develop better communication skills so that teams are more inclusive.
These topics build upon the work that DEI professionals have been focusing on in 2023, including deepening trust, psychological safety, communication skills, and collaboration. They have also been working on helping organizations understand why diversity is important and how diverse and inclusive workplaces help achieve organizational goals.
When looking ahead to 2024, DEI professionals are focusing on both traditional and new practices. This includes tried and true approaches of providing instructor-led training and engaging senior leaders, in addition to new efforts including bringing training directly to employees in the form of self-directed learning. Self-directed learning can include online courses as well as the new trend of micro-learning which is tools and resources that can be used in 15 minutes or less.
With the challenges from the past year in mind, the top training topics DEI professionals are focusing their efforts in 2024 are belonging and allyship, while also helping employees to understand the impact of bias and micro-aggressions. These topics will help to address the requests from managers and leaders to create organizations that are collaborative, innovative and have deep employee engagement.
“In a time of change, employees want to work for organizations where they feel that they are respected and valued. DEI professionals can continue to help their organizations to create the workplace cultures where employees do not just survive, but thrive.” – Kari Heistad
Culture Coach International is a consulting, training and strategy company focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion. The company has two product lines of micro-learning: The Diversity Library and the DEI Medic which are innovative tools that can be understood and used in less than 15 minutes and they can be found at DEIBoxx.com
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