Solving Issues that are Faced by Racial/Ethnic Minorities in a Corporate Setting: a Multi-Pronged Approach

Simultaneous implementation of multiple prongs of particular focus in a diversity, equity, and inclusion framework allows the expert the opportunity to uncover the areas of need within the organization while concurrently ruling out the possibility that one unmet need will potentially undermine the sincere efforts that the diversity, equity, and inclusion transformation inspires.

The prongs are:

• Targeted and Structured Recruiting
• Continuous and Responsive Training, Assessment, & Development;
• Evaluation and Re-Design of the Performance Appraisal System;
• Community Development (among Associates);
• Cultural Assessment & Systems Analysis;
• Vendor/Supplier Diversity Engagement, Development, and Mentoring;
• Community Outreach + Impact; 
• Employee Engagement, Recognition, & Retention.

By partnering with multiple organizational stakeholders including but not limited to D&I, Human Resources, Finance, Learning & Development, Culinary, Operations, and Leadership, among others, the multi-pronged approach gleans insights and gathers input and collaboration among all organizational members.

The timeframe for the multi-pronged approach provides for the realization of progress within 2-3 years of implementation, with Quarterly results assessed upon establishment of baseline metrics. Such metrics are identified in various sections of the proposal, and include but are not limited to employee engagement, retention, attrition, and career progression from both quantitative and qualitative data sets.

The Multi-Pronged Approach was designed with three levels of -isms2 in mind: the systemic, referring to the institutionalized and systematic oppressive layers of bureaucratic, hegemonic systems of authority or legal mandates and powers that oppress, marginalize, or unjustly discriminate against Blacks, Indigenous, People of Color, women, immigrants, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, people with disabilities, older people, and other underrepresented groups.

The key learnings are:

• What a DEI +J Implementation Is and how to strategize it so that it is comprehensive and holistically inclusive of all members of the workforce in which it is embedded

• What parts of the DEI+J implementation are absolute musts in order to achieve organizational strategic and performance objectives

• How to devise objective and measurable key result indicators that sustain the DEI+J Organizational transformation efforts

• How to include all members of the organization in the cultural transformation process that seeks to achieve the elusive inclusive landscape.