Category: Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity and inclusion (D&I) is an important and ongoing strategy of any HR plan. Ensuring that your company supports hiring, engaging, and retaining diverse workers with varied backgrounds will set your company up for long-term success and an increased bottom line. This topic offers the latest strategies for talent management, key insights from diversity leaders, case studies on D&I in the workplace, and more.

Protecting Employee Psychological Safety Amid Online Harassment

Employee psychological safety, a vital factor in any organization’s productivity, is increasingly under threat. With a recent Boston University study showing that cases of depression and anxiety went up by 300% last year, employees have never been at greater risk of burnout. However, while much of this recent wave of adverse mental health is due […]

HR Works Podcast: VR Sexual Harassment and DEI Training

Way back in April 2019, I spoke with today’s guest about virtual reality and sexual harassment. Some things have changed since then (I’m looking at you, pandemic), but some things are the same (I’m looking at YOU, ineffective sexual harassment training). Either way, we are very pleased to have with us again today Morgan Mercer. […]

Update Handbook, Policies to Include Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

With the Supreme Court’s ruling on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 regarding gender identification, can we leave the Title VII disclaimer in our company handbook and applications as is? Or does the wording need to be adjusted to specifically state “sexual orientation” and “transgender status”?

How to Use Structured Hiring to Build Inclusive Workplaces

A great hiring process is a business necessity and can be a major competitive advantage—if done right. It’s about more than streamlining paperwork and getting roles filled quickly; your ability to hire the right people in the right roles at the right time is the deciding factor in how well your business performs. As a […]

Top HR Concerns of American HR Executives

Human resources is an ever-changing field where new challenges emerge time and again. The shift in work patterns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and focus on racial and social justice in broader society are just two recent examples. According to the HR Policy Association’s Annual Membership Survey, which saw a one-third response rate, there are […]

Terminated

Mutual Mistake Helps Ex-Employee’s Bias, Retaliation Claims Avoid Dismissal

If a terminated employee signs a contract releasing all claims against you, she can’t sue you, right? Wrong. A new Missouri Court of Appeals decision illustrates the effect a mutual mistake by the parties can have on the enforceability of the release. Read on to learn how Missouri courts analyze the issue. Facts From 2001 […]

Productivity

Yes, It’s Time to Conduct (Another) Pay Equity Self-Audit

Many Massachusetts employers conducted pay equity self-audits in 2018, just before or soon after the Massachusetts Equal Pay Act (MEPA) went into effect. Although it probably seems like it was only yesterday, July 1, 2021, will mark the third anniversary of the MEPA’s implementation. If your organization conducted a self-evaluation in 2018, you need to […]

diversity

Unconscious Bias Training Isn’t Just a Tick-the-Box Activity

Proponents of unconscious bias training argue that unconscious bias not only is present in all of us but also can and does have big impacts on how businesses treat employees and customers. High-profile racial incidents impacting big brands and the dearth of women and people of color in prominent roles in many industries are often […]

STEM

Recruiting for Diversity

A common explanation for the lack of diversity in certain professions—such as science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)—and in managerial and executive positions is the “pipeline problem.” The idea is that there isn’t much diversity at the top levels of companies because there isn’t much diversity at the entry level, and these companies promote from […]

Driving Real Results in DEI Through a Data-Driven Approach

Krista Deguffroy is Director of Inclusion and Compliance at SEI and is responsible for ensuring equality, equity, and belonging in the changing workforce of financial services. We asked her to share her and SEI’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) story with us as part of our ongoing focus on chief diversity officers and other diversity […]