Hiring for Diversity

PREFACE

One of the greatest joys of my career has been to bear witness to the accelerating evolution of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging as a maturing industry. It began years ago, with mere whispers about diversity circulating within the corporate vocabulary, mainly focusing on gathering data about representation, and how workforce demographics might be retooled to more accurately reflect the diversity of the talent pool and the marketplace. Then the conversation shifted toward inclusion, or how existing talent—particularly those who are underrepresented and who hold marginalized identities—feel on a day-to-day basis, and what level of trust they hold toward the organization. Next, equity and belonging entered the conversation, raising the critical but as-yet-unasked questions of systemic support and psychological safety as they relate to identity and expression. And still our field continues to expand and broaden, with explorations of what justice might look like, on the heels of a year like 2020, where the call for change crested, and the hard questions became our North Star.

Let me begin by saying that the time for all of these things—diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging, and yes, justice—is now. The call for accountability and empathy at work has always existed, but it is undoubtedly louder than ever before. I believe each and every one of us can think of a recent event, movement, personal anecdote, or news story that throws into stark relief the need ...