Communicating About Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: the Imperative to Get it Right
Why companies need to speak with actions
The conversation about racial justice is permeating nearly every aspect of society, encompassing everything from government policies to police responses to community attitudes to employer values.
While much of the U.S. workforce remains working remotely due to COVID-19, there is nevertheless an expectation for companies to take a stand in favor of diversity, equity, and inclusion — or DEI, as it’s commonly known. The strength (or weakness) of an organization’s DEI policies — and the conviction that supports them — has a ripple effect through every stakeholder group. When it comes to racial equity, in 2020 especially, seasoned communications professionals such as Gabrielle Gambrell, an NYU graduate adjunct professor, say employees want to hear messages that speak to their experiences.
Gabrielle Gambrell, graduate adjunct professor, NYU
“So when we’re talking about events that are happening now — when we’re talking about equity — we’re talking about Black Lives Matter. We’re talking about representation for various groups. People want to see themselves. [Be] heard. People want to know that you care about them… And if you do not communicate that you recognize these individuals, that you recognize these groups, that you recognize what’s happened in the world, you will lack success.”
Gambrell, a marketing and communications consultant, was among three communications advisors on a July 15 panel organized by PRNEWS and sponsored by the supplementary insurer Aflac. Each has advised CEOs and other senior leaders on how to speak to their employees about sensitive issues, including diversity. One common mistake organizations make, they say, is assuming that everyone of the same race or ethnicity, for example, is somehow living the same reality and therefore responds to messages the same way.
Wendy Roundtree, founder of Jarel Communications, cites herself as a prime example of living a multifaceted life.
Wendy Roundtree, founder, Jarel Communications
“In my case, yes, I’m a black woman, but I’m also a millennial. I’m of Haitian descent; I’m a wife, a new mom. And so those differences together bring a wealth of various lived experiences that no one else can share… And so that’s where and why diversity really matters.”
Crafting powerful yet nuanced messages doesn’t happen by accident. Such messaging is the result of many internal stakeholders coming together, from the C suite to human resources to DEI — and certainly communications. For communicators who are often responsible for crafting and delivering messaging across multiple channels, the advice from the panel is direct: seek input from key members of a given group to determine how your draft messaging resonates.
How do you do this without making those you ask feel like tokens? By being transparent and humble, Gambrell says:
Gabrielle Gambrell, graduate adjunct professor, NYU
“Let them know that you want to be respectful to their community. Just let them know that there’s a message, and you would appreciate…you respect their input and their honest feedback.”
Wendy Roundtree, founder, Jarel Communications
“You just have to be vulnerable… ‘I’m coming to you because I don’t understand this topic… Is this something that you are knowledgeable about? And If so, would you mind helping me?’”
Still, if words are not followed by actions, they will cause lasting distrust between employees and leaders.
Catherine Hernandez-Blades is a senior vice president at Aflac. She also serves as the company’s chief communications, environmental, social, and governance officer. She describes Aflac, with a workforce that’s almost 50 percent minority and nearly 70 percent female, as highly diverse, equitable, and inclusive. Hernandez-Blades points to pay parity for all Aflac positions.
When advising other communicators about influencing senior leaders on DEI issues — she encourages a focus on business drivers and accountability — she says she believes that’s how the board of directors and employees will ultimately judge company leaders.
Catherine Hernandez-Blades, SVP, chief ESG and communications officer, Aflac
“What do they have to do to get their bonus? And then demonstrate through that a compelling narrative, consistently and constantly, the importance that DE&I plays in achieving business outcomes. Don’t just measure your laundry list of tactics. Actually, measure those better outcomes, whether it’s growth, efficiency, international expansion — whatever that looks like to your company. Make it fit, because otherwise, it’s a one-off, and that’s not where we want to be. Again, we have a real opportunity at this time and we really gotta get it right.”
But what if your CEO or senior leader is reluctant to make any statement about DEI? Panelists says that’s a mistake — because employees are waiting for one, especially in the current environment.
Pablo Toledo, executive vice president of Camino PR — a panelist on a virtual event hosted by Cision on the same diversity communications topic — offers this approach when dealing with a reticent senior leader:
Pablo Toledo, executive vice president, Camino PR
“I would look at the mission, vision, and values for this organization and see if you could draw a straight line between commenting on the issues and what the company stands for and what they believe in… Issues with diversity, equity, and inclusion should be part of every company’s mission, vision, and values — no matter what product they produce or what service they provide.”
That doesn’t mean employees are expecting perfection from the C-suite. Being earnest and empathic is what people want to see. And given how quickly employee impressions can influence other stakeholders, including investors, customers, and the media, it’s imperative, Gambrell says, to make the effort:
Gabrielle Gambrell, graduate adjunct professor, NYU
“No company, regardless of how great they say they are…no one is perfect. With that being said, as a communicator, knowing that there’s always an opportunity to do better…what are we going to say to let people know that we’re not perfect? That we have a long way to go, but we’re dedicated to that?… So you can be honest to say, ‘We’ve missed the mark in the past, but we’re dedicated to doing it better.’… What you don’t ever want to do is be inauthentic. What you don’t ever want to do is lie, because then you’re just setting yourself up for a disaster, and that’s a PR crisis waiting to happen.”
Changing employee attitudes and gaining trust take time. That means that measuring the success of such DEI efforts is not easy. All the panelists at the PRNEWS and Cision events dismissed outright relying on vanity metrics such as media impressions, which refers to the potential number of eyeballs on content. So how do you know if your DEI efforts are gaining traction?
Karen Peterson is chief elations officer (that’s her actual title) at ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s — which has a long history of work on social missions and racial equality. She joined Toledo at the Cision event. She says communicators gauge their DEI success by its spillover effect, not only to internal audiences but to external stakeholders as well. The reality is that actionable DEI efforts can burnish brand reputation.
Karen Peterson, chief elations officer, North America, Ben & Jerry’s
“There is a greater call for engagement. How many times was that story shared or commented on? How much time are they spending on readings? Does it lead to more time on our website? Do they then sign a petition that we offer? Do they then contact their congressman? Those are the measurements in social-mission work.“
Toledo from Camino PR says that closely following the narrative on a specific issue can indicate that a collective effort by organizations (including competitors) is working. That can be enough to convince forward-thinking CEOs to provide the resources and organizational backing to support their messaging:
Pablo Toledo, executive vice president, Camino PR
“So how are journalists and the outlets framing your issue? They may not even mention your organization, but if they’re talking about your issue in a way that is in alignment with your messaging, then you’ve been successful. When we talk about social change, we’re talking about systemic issues that affect a lot of people potentially, and typically you need a groundswell of messaging to help move ‘hearts and minds’. So understanding what is happening in your sector, in your narrative, and where you are, and how your competitors approach it — I mean, they can only help you as you craft your communication strategy.”
There are early signs that the narrative is moving in this new direction.
Since the Black Lives Matter movement gained a greater foothold following the death of George Floyd, pressure from customers and other stakeholders has resulted in action by makers of well-known consumer brands — action that has long been sought by some consumers. In June, Quaker Oats announced it was retiring the Aunt Jemima product line from store shelves. Other companies, including Mars Food (Uncle Ben’s), Con Agra (Mrs. Butterworth’s), and B & G Foods (Cream of Wheat) have announced brand and package reviews.
Trader Joe’s has announced it will eliminate product names like Trader Jose’s, Trader Ming’s and Arabian Joe’s. The move follows a change.org petition signed by several thousand people that asked the company to remove “racist branding and packaging from its stores.” A spokesperson for Trader Joe’s told NPR that the change is not in response to the petition but has been in progress for several years and is almost complete.
Aflac’s Hernandez-Blades says her ancestry includes being part Native American. She describes being floored that the NFL’s Washington Redskins finally bowed to pressure from sponsors and announced that it will retire the Redskins name and logo. The logo depicts a Native American man. The term “redskin” was slang for Native American in the 19th century and is considered racist by critics.
Catherine Hernandez-Blades, SVP, chief ESG and communications officer, Aflac
“What has happened…I never thought would happen.”
Her takeaway: never underestimate the power of groups working together — in this case, major Redskins supporters — to bring about change.
Catherine Hernandez-Blades, SVP, chief ESG and communications officer, Aflac
“Kudos go out to FedEx, PepsiCo, and everyone who stepped into the conversation to drive that change… Without them, it probably still would be ‘never never never.’ I don’t know… We can’t underestimate the power of the allies and the third parties and making sure everybody has a voice in our conversation.”
Ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard within an organization’s ecosystem needs to be a top priority in order for senior communicators to influence diversity, equity, and inclusion messages that result in milestones and not empty promises.
We can all ask ourselves: Is my organization doing enough?
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Watch Full PRNEWS/Aflac Event:
Watch Full Cision Event:
Additional Reading
Leading during a Pandemic:
CEO Communications during COVID-19: Bring the Real You
Leading Organizations and Managing Yourself in Next-Phase COVID-19
Driving Innovation during a Pandemic: Stay Nimble, Seek Partners
Returning to Office: Deploy Agility and Show Empathy to Steady Jitters
