Breaking barriers: the real struggles of diversity and inclusion managers

I love that I get to speak with a lot of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) managers. It always says a lot about a business when it reaches a size where diversity, equity, and inclusion require a dedicated manager. It becomes something that’s necessary rather than just a nice-to-have and they honour it. 

Through my conversations with them, I could see first-hand the pivotal role they play in shaping inclusive workplaces and fostering a culture that values diversity.

When I ask them about their vision, they usually talk about creating environments where individuals from all backgrounds feel respected, valued, and empowered. But sadly, even in companies where DEI is recognised, it was clear D&I managers often face several barriers in bringing their vision to fruition.

These valuable conversations with D&I managers allowed me to gain a better understanding of the main challenges they face and how they are tackling them.

Resistance to Change:

I find that so many times D&I managers face pushback from management because they want to stick to the usual process.

Implementing diversity initiatives often requires challenging the status quo and introducing new policies, procedures, and programmes. And it’s not easy.

This resistance can stem from things like ingrained biases, fear of the unknown, or just a general lack of understanding of the business case for diversity. 

It was interesting for me to see that some companies go through the effort of hiring a D&I team to then resist the implementation, missing out on a lot of value. 

To overcome this barrier, successful D&I managers are focusing on effective communication, education, and cultivating buy-in from top leadership and stakeholders. Highlighting the benefits of diversity and demonstrating its positive impact on innovation, productivity, and employee engagement can help address resistance. It became clear that getting top leadership on board and making them cheerleaders for change was the way to go; although the big complaint is that a lot of the work, time and resources is dedicated to educating on why the real change is important, delaying the implementation of it. 

Limited Resources:

Budget limitations, staffing, time constraints… The list can go on and on for how many roadblocks they can be faced with. That’s why building and sustaining inclusive environments requires dedicated investments in training, development programmes, employee resource groups, and external partnerships.

I have learned that a lot of D&I managers find that the best way to get buy-in and more resources from management is to develop comprehensive business cases that demonstrate the return on investment (ROI) of diversity initiatives, a measurable goal that managers can stand behind as it is aligned with their own.

As soon as some kind of financial impact can be proven, leadership is more likely to dedicate the attention it really deserves. Of course, this is directly linked to the need to have proper measurement processes and data in place, which felt to me like a vicious circle (but more on that later).

In this case, creative solutions are needed, such as leveraging technology, collaborating with other departments, or seeking external funding opportunities to expand these resources.

Unconscious Bias:

Unconscious biases are sneaky barriers that can have a huge impact on decision-making, recruitment practices, and overall workplace dynamics. 

Because they’re, well, unconscious, it’s hard for people to know when they’re treating others unfairly. My work in the realm of feminism and women empowerment has really taught me how important it is to take a proactive approach and educate people on unconscious biases to break the existing barriers for under-represented groups.

From my conversations with D&I managers, addressing these biases is crucial to fostering a diverse and inclusive work culture. Helping people recognise and then mitigate them is the first and most important step. After all, if people aren’t even aware they’re being biassed, how will they ever change?

To combat this barrier, some D&I managers are implementing or hiring unconscious bias training programmes, establishing inclusive hiring practices, and encouraging ongoing dialogue and self-reflection among employees.

Lack of Data and Measurement:

Back to the importance of backing up initiatives with case studies to get leadership buy-in, one of the most common themes throughout my conversations is the limited availability of data and effective measurement tools. 

Without accurate and comprehensive data, it becomes challenging to identify areas of improvement and track progress towards diversity and inclusion goals. D&I managers are advocating for collecting demographic information, representation stats, and employee feedback. Armed with this data, they are able to slowly steer the ship in the right direction. It was clear to me from these conversations that gathering this data wasn’t always easy, and some companies simply don’t have it at hand, which makes the job even harder.

Powered By Diversity is a company that I can’t recommend enough if you’re struggling with this. Their easy-to-use surveys cater to the whole organisation and aim to help D&I managers fix this problem and stop working blindly, so they have the actual numbers to back up all the initiatives they put in place. They go beyond basic stats and numbers and give you a great photo of where your company stands in different areas and where to direct your efforts.

Resistance to Inclusion Efforts:

While diversity and inclusion initiatives are aimed at creating more inclusive environments, there can be resistance from employees who feel threatened or perceive these efforts as favouritism. One of the D&I managers I interviewed told me that her first year in her current role was more difficult than anticipated with very vocal opposition from some people, even about the existence of her role. 

This resistance can manifest itself in various ways, including a lack of participation in D&I initiatives, scepticism towards diversity-related policies, or misunderstandings about the intentions behind inclusion efforts and complaints to managers. I guess nothing shows more the need of D&I teams than the fear of having one. 

To overcome this, D&I managers are fostering open dialogue, facilitating conversations, and educating all employees about the benefits of diversity and inclusion. Explaining why we are doing things helps people take part and understand its importance. It also saves time and money in the long run, as it accelerates the impact of other measures.

Diversity and inclusion managers face a rollercoaster ride of challenges in their mission to create inclusive workplaces. Overcoming these challenges requires perseverance, effective communication, stakeholder engagement, and data-driven decision-making. The barriers and circumstances change depending on who I speak with, but behind every call, there seems to be a passionate and relentless person determined to move forward and change things for the best. I love seeing how the power of having a clear "why" propels them to find their "how."