For every business that’s enthusiastic about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) there are probably twice as many that are uninspired, uninterested or unsure about how to get it right. DEI still comes with lots of misconceptions – the biggest being that it’s a surface-level trend that has little impact on a business.
This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Your approach to DEI will significantly affect the growth of your organisation, influencing everything from public perception of your brand to recruitment, employee retention, productivity, consumer behaviour and much, much more. According to Deloitte, 57% of consumers are more loyal to brands genuinely committed to addressing social inequalities in their actions and over 69% of Millennials and Gen-Zers say that an organisation’s focus on DEI will influence how long they stay with the business.
As an inclusive brand culture agency, we’ve seen how valuable a robust DEI approach is in today’s ever-changing business landscape – and what happens when you fall short. Audiences are savvy, so implementing inauthentic token gestures just won’t cut it, and will likely harm your reputation more. You need to think about what DEI looks like in your organisation and what proactive steps you can take to prioritise it. Action is key here, because non-committal practices like bias training and one-off workshops are just not enough.
We see DEI as integral to your brand culture, and our clients love working with us because we try to take them on a unique, engaging and holistic journey that differs from their previous efforts.
One of our lead DEI consultants, Jason Lee has been delivering bespoke sessions for various organisations committed to improving their DEI across a range of sectors. As a former footballer with a well-known history of dealing with racism, Jason now works as a DEI expert and currently hosts a podcast exploring how racism impacts sport and entertainment.
Jason speaks about DEI at universities, sports organisations and multinational corporations like CBRE, where Jason collaborated with their race, ethnicity and cultural heritage (REACH) network to explore activism in the workplace. In workshops, Jason takes participants through various interactive exercises to help develop understanding around belonging, privilege and microaggressions and creates space for people to have much needed conversations about DEI at work.
The feedback from Jason’s sessions has been phenomenal, with attendees being moved by his story and inspired by his insight. They’ve said:
“I wanted to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to Jason for his contribution to our discussion. His insights into the challenges he faced as a footballer and experiences with racism were truly eye-opening and provided invaluable perspectives for our audience.”
“Your commitment to improving diversity, equity, and inclusion practices in the sports industry and beyond is truly inspiring, and I am so grateful for the work you do. I hope our paths cross again soon!”
“It was such a great discussion, and we are all feeling very grateful to have been present.”
“A huge thanks to you and Jason for making our event such a great success. Jason’s willingness to share his personal insights and advice really resonated with the audience, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.”
“Your commitment to the cause is really inspiring and I hope the passion which Jason bought to the room will continue to keep the conversation going here.”
Jason has also been leading a series of away-day sessions for international insurance company, Convex, to help increase the sense of belonging across the organisation. These away-days take teams out of their comfort zones so they can be fully present and take part in a range of activities that help them consider the issues at hand. The sessions are part of a longer, integrated approach and a great example of how innovative and curated your approach to DEI can be.
Being committed to authentic inclusivity gives your business a strategic advantage, so we always encourage the organisations we work with to think bigger. When you move away from how things have always been done, there’s room for growth, authenticity and the beginnings of a genuine inclusive brand culture. If you’d like to take that next step, get in touch to explore how we can reimagine your DEI initiatives as part of your brand culture and transform the future of your organisation.
