Evaluating Equity and Inclusion Practices to Support Organizational Growth
THE ASK
The social and racial justice movement of summer 2020 prompted many organizations to reflect on their own internal policies and day-to-day environment. A high-growth organic food company needed to understand how they could intentionally build a high performing and inclusive organization as they continued to grow. The company needed support reviewing their existing policies and suggestions for intentionally building equitable practices alongside their values of inclusion and belonging.
OUR PROCESS
The Cee Suite started with a deep dive into the company’s existing workforce demographics, policies, organizational structure, risk management practices, talent and leadership development, hiring process and more. Additionally, we conducted focus groups and interviews with staff members across departments and at various career levels, a critical step that gave employees a space to be candid about their experience and share their concerns. After gathering input and analyzing the data, we made several short, medium, and long-term recommendations to improve equity and inclusion at the company.
WHAT WE DELIVERED
DEI assessment report, complete with a strategy roadmap. Areas addressed included risk management, culture & values, talent practices (e.g., hiring, performance management, development, succession planning, etc) and social impact
Short, medium and long term recommendations for improving talent practices and other workplace practices
Learning roadmap
1-year follow up survey
Leadership coaching
Group coaching for select teams
Company-wide Anti-racism in the Workplace workshops, starting with executive leadership. These sessions were followed by Inclusive Leadership, Allyship and other workshops.
THE IMPACT
As a result of our partnership, the organization has…
Improved their BIPOC representation by 12 points
Implemented inclusive interview training/hiring processes to promote representation and inclusion
Hired a dedicated DEI leader
Conducted a pay equity assessment
Designed more robust onboarding procedures for all team members (including, 1:1 connections, shared language, cultural norms, and 30/60/90 day expectations from the hiring manager)
Improved their talent analytics
Workshop feedback included:
100% of workshop participants shared the anti-racism workshop improved their understanding of the topic
100% said the facilitators were engaging and effective
96% would recommend the workshop to a peer
TESTIMONIALS
“The workshop was incredibly informative and engaging. I think it’s important that the workshop was intended to specifically educate rather than point blame. Many people who are not marginalized may fear speaking out and saying the wrong things (i.e., intent vs impact) and I think educating us on the intentions and how to take actions was very helpful.”
“Our facilitators were warm, kind, knowledgeable, and created a safe environment. I also like that the conversation + curriculum didn’t sugarcoat or dilute this very difficult topic. It was authentic, uncomfortable, and addressed issues heard on rather than feeling corporate cookie cutter.“