The pandemic is an ongoing seismic event for HR and employee relations (ER) teams, but last year, the ground also shifted on the diversity and inclusion front. In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, people rose up again to demand equal justice. The pandemic also exposed and underscored racial, ethnic and gender disparities that existed all along. In several high-profile cases, employee activists moved to hold their companies accountable for making positive changes.
In response to Black Lives Matter protests, some brands expressed solidarity in statements, and many companies made commitments to do better on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) front. That’s a start, but employees, customers and investors are looking for action, not just words. To ensure that you are making progress on commitments (and to counter any suspicion that statements are empty virtue signaling), it’s time to demonstrate that you’re moving forward as a company. Employee relations data will be essential in that task.