The debate over diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts in the workplace is intensifying in Georgia. As The Atlanta Journal Constitution recently reported, shareholders from three cornerstones of the Georgia economy recently brought resolutions before their businesses demanding the companies act on DEI.
Two of the challenges came from conservatives. One pushed Coca-Cola to report on whether its workplace equity programs expose the company to legal exposure for discrimination. The other pressed Home Depot on its donations to civil rights groups in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020. A third came from a progressive nonprofit asking that shipping giant UPS produce metrics on the effectiveness of its workplace diversity efforts on hiring, promotion and retention.
With the Coke and Home Depot resolutions receiving 2% or less of support from shareholders (compared to 22% support for the pro-DEI UPS resolution), it is clear investors have little patience for political stunts. These diverse — and diversified — global companies know that ending DEI isn’t in anyone’s economic interest. After all, in the United States alone, the Black, Latino, Native American and Asian markets combined have enough purchasing power to comprise the seventh-largest economy in the world.
Credit: Kevin Thai Three Circles Studio '21
Credit: Kevin Thai Three Circles Studio '21
Yet, it is undeniable that businesses are feeling battered by the ongoing jousting over DEI. Indeed, the slowdown in overall support for DEI reported by the Conference Board and others suggests that while investors might not want to do away with it entirely, after the workplace turmoil and political battles of the past several years, they are looking to avoid a fight.
How then to ensure cooler heads prevail on DEI? One idea: bring more white men into the discussion.
It’s an undeniable fact that white men continue to be in most positions of power. Yet, the discussion about diversity tends to only be seen through the narrow lens of race and gender. As a result, white men tended to be excluded from efforts helping bring racial and gender equality to the workplace. Little wonder some believe DEI has effectively advanced the very institutionalized and unconscious biases and stereotypes it was created to remedy.
As a Black woman immigrant who has worked for 30 years in C-suites on DEI, I’ve seen countless leaders demonstrate what is possible for equity in the workplace when we have white men at the table — not who charge in on their white horses to “save” people of color and women, but who listen, learn and want to understand how to be better allies.
Tim Sweeney, chief executive and president of Liberty Mutual Insurance, served as the executive co-sponsor of Amigos@Liberty, the company’s Hispanic/Latino employee resource group (ERG). Seeing that he needed to be an advocate and ally for inclusion and diversity at the leadership level of the organization — and an opportunity to learn himself — he immersed himself in an environment where he was in the minority for the first time at the company.
Randall L. Stephenson, then-chairman and chief executive of AT&T, spoke before one of his company’s ERGs in the wake of racial violence in Dallas, where the company was headquartered. Sharing how one of his best friends finally told him about racist behavior he had faced for years, Stephenson explained how this friendship helped him realize how much the slogan “All Lives Matter” hurts those concerned with violence against Black people in America. His speech was powerful — but with 40% of his company workforce Black, his speech was a powerful way to demonstrate inclusive and empathetic leadership. Research shows that when employees feel valued and appreciated, their productivity increases, which leads to higher profitability.
Georgia’s businesses also understand the power of appealing to diverse consumers and talent pools. As Coca-Cola wrote when responding to the Securities and Exchange Commission about the benefits of its DEI programs: “We believe that a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace that is well-prepared to understand, assess and engage with the markets and consumers we serve is a strategic business priority and critical to the Company’s success.”
When DEI efforts are designed to bring everyone — including white men — to the table, it sends a signal to the business and employees that all voices are valued. It lowers the temperature in the room. And, it allows companies to flourish by creating a more positive, less toxic workplace environment.
Inclusion must be DEI’s central ingredient. By acknowledging this, Georgia businesses have an opportunity to lead.
Colette Phillips is president and chief executive of a public relations and DEI consulting firm in Boston and the author of “The Includers: The 7 Traits of Culturally Savvy, Anti-Racist Leaders.”
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