How to go beyond the hype of DE&I for contingent programs

Guest post written by Priya Dixit, Marketing Intern at Glider AI and student at Pomona College.

We hosted a live Q&A webinar with DE&I leaders Wen Stenger, CEO of Omni Inclusive, Angela Alberty, CBO of myBasePay, and Satish Kumar, CEO of Glider.ai. They shared their knowledge and insights based on their extensive experience in the staffing and hiring space. 

Audience members shared their questions, sparking a thorough discussion and sharing of ideas. Here are some of the top takeaways from the webinar that will take your DE&I initiatives to the next level. 

#1. DE&I Has Dividends Beyond Diversity 

The session kicked off with some stats about DE&I and business outcomes, providing some basis for the conversation and motivating the issue of DE&I. “Every study has indicated that there is no downside to having a diverse workforce,” Angela explained. “It’s simply just beneficial”. 

Based on a Deloitte study, Wen shared that businesses with inclusive cultures are 2x more likely to meet or exceed financial targets, are 3x more likely to be higher performing, 6x more likely to be agile and innovative, and 8x more likely to achieve better business outcomes. 

“DE&I is just a fair thing to do for our society that should be deeply rooted in the company culture,” Satish added. “It doesn’t even need a business case or justification.” 

The takeaway? In addition to the inherent benefits of fairness and equality of opportunity, curating and hiring diverse talent has very real business benefits. 

#2. Inclusion After Hiring Is Just as Important as Diversity In Hiring

 “Diversity is being invited to a tournament, and inclusion is being asked to play.” Satish laid out this analogy, explaining how being able to contribute to an inclusive workforce is what keeps diverse candidates-turned-employees in the game. 

Wen shared that, “the action items are equity and inclusion: inclusion means bringing everybody to the table, making sure we have a diversity of opinion and thought…It’s important to have equitable inclusion: it’s not a one size fits all.” 

The takeaway? Focus on retention after hiring in order to maintain a culture of inclusion, allowing your talent to soar. 

#3. DE&I Change Comes From The Top Down

“I believe that solid leadership is set by example,” Angela said. “If you can have an example of diversity at the C-suite level, that reverberates through your initiatives.” 

Having resources for your employees and ensuring that your company culture is inclusive can jumpstart the DE&I process. From the C-suite to middle management, it’s imperative to set your candidates and business up for success in this way.

The takeaway? Change comes from the top.

#4. Harness the Data To Make Sure You’re Upholding DE&I Goals

 Listeners tuned in throughout the session, asking the tough questions about how to hold recruiters and hiring managers accountable for DE&I decisions when they are often separated from the DE&I goals of upper management. Wen, Angela, and Satish gave their thoughts on this issue.

“The facts don’t lie, and that’s why it’s so important to be grabbing this data, reviewing it, and taking a look to see how you can do better,” Wen emphasized. 

The takeaway? Encourage accountability by paying attention to the data and reviewing it to ensure that you’re maximizing your DE&I hiring. 

#5 DE&I Advocacy From Thoughts to Actions

Glider AI has partnered with Omni Inclusive and myBasePay to create the GOAL+ Scholarship, Glider AI-Omni Inclusive Allies, for LGBTQ+ college students pursuing career opportunities in tech and non-tech roles. Glider AI, Omni Inclusive, and MyBasePay have teamed up and contributed to this scholarship, enabling LGBTQ+ youth to pursue their dreams and goals.

Read more about the scholarship here, and consider donating if you would like to contribute along with us. If you want to stay tuned for future webinars with great speakers on hot topics, or catch up on the recorded webinar yourself, follow us on LinkedIn here.