All About Respect

It’s important work. How do you keep it going during these divisive times? That was the theme of the questions we were asked following a webinar we presented for HRCI entitled Employee Engagement—The Inclusion in DEI. This is an adaption of the Q&A session, moderated by Clarissa Peterson. The questions were thoughtful, relevant and timely.

Clarissa: As we know the label DEI can be triggering for some. We're not here to debate that but rather acknowledge it. How can we use that label and still make sure we're doing this important work that has not decreased but increased. How can HR professionals navigate that? 

Cornelia: The advice I would give gets back to my favorite word on the topic— respect. If you're getting push back internally in your organization or even externally, ask people, as I asked in the beginning of the discussion: What does it feels like when someone does something that makes you feel respected?  Let people know that DEI is grounded in respect—creating an environment where people can feel respected.

Barbara:  I would add my favorite word, listen. Listen to your employees. Listen to what they have to say, hear what is important to them, and build on that.

Clarissa: One person asked, “For those of us who work in higher education where we've had to eliminate DE&I from our language, how can we continue to support employees in this way while following the government requirements?”

Barbara: I think it's really significant that people are thinking about this. It doesn't matter what words you use, rather it's how you treat people, how you respect them, and how you bring them into your organization. Do they have a sense of belonging?  Let go of all that stuff, and I intentionally use the word stuff, that's out there. Treat people with respect, listen to them, and you're going to be OK.

Clarissa: There have been a lot of questions about rewards and driving engagement. Some people talked about small engagement rewards, having lunches or doing things for employees to feel connected. What happens when those gestures are disconnected from behaviors or actions of your leaders? How do we navigate those two polar opposites?

Cornelia: That's such a good question. I’ve witnessed leaders being asked how do you get people engaged, and their response is, “Oh, let's have some more parties and food.”  Hearing that response, I think no that's not what engagement is about. Things such as events, are great if they're sincere and if they really have some meaning. It's nice to throw lunches or ice cream socials occasionally so people get to know each other. But you must give people the opportunity to know the leadership in your organization as well. If you have these events, the leaders should be present and understand it's their responsibility to get out and mingle with people, to really learn what's on people's mind, to hear what the leadership can do better if people think that things aren't going as well as they could. It gets back to listening.

You can combine things. For example, give recognition awards but accompany them with a handwritten note from a leader. That becomes very powerful.

Clarissa: One person says, “Many organizations say they value inclusion, but engagement surveys still show that marginalized employees don't feel safe. What is one concrete behavior you believe every manager should practice weekly to close the gap between we value DEI, and I actually feel included here?

Barbara: I think back to the days of COVID when so many CEO's made personal phone calls to people just to ask how are you doing, without any real agenda. They were just listening, really caring about who that person is. I know that's not practical in so many large organizations, but I think that one of the keys is letting people know you care and recognize them as human beings.

Cornelia: And in larger organizations where the CEO can't do that for everyone, a department manager or a team lead can. However, have a mechanism for the messages to get from that team lead level up into senior management.

Clarissa: Thank you for your guidance, and thank you for reminding us, no matter what the letters are, the work still remains. As HR professionals we have a responsibility, and it's part of our mission to make sure that the work continues.