3 Ways Sales Enablement Tech Can Power DE&I
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) is a priority for many companies. Some have made strides toward more diverse and inclusive environments. But many still struggle with how to incorporate DE&I initiatives into the day-to-day work of the company.
DE&I is a long-term commitment supported by everyone in the company—from the CEO down to the interns, says Allego Chief People Officer Amy Cohn. Identifying, implementing, and measuring the impact of initiatives takes work.
Plus, you can’t add diversity and expect equity and inclusion to just show up. Each aspect of DE&I takes effort. As inclusion strategist Vernā Myers says, “Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.”
DE&I is about creating an environment where respect is at the core of everything employees do and say, and people embrace different perspectives, Cohn says.
“I truly believe that for organizations to be the best they can be, they must have diverse perspectives,” she says. “That means you need to have people of diverse backgrounds and differences, and it’s our job as an organization to create the environment where people are comfortable bringing their differences to light, to the table, and feeling as though they can contribute. It’s the only way to both attract diverse employees and retain them.”
To create a diverse and welcoming culture, your efforts must be continual and part of a company’s ecosystem.
“The truth is significant change will not happen until organizations go beyond tick-the-box programs and invest the appropriate level of effort and resourcing in creating diverse and inclusive cultures,” says Juliet Bourke, who leads Deloitte Australia’s Diversity and Inclusion Consulting practice and co-leads the Leadership practice.
10 Recommended DE&I Initiatives
DE&I programs include many initiatives that revolve around what Dionn Schaffner, chief diversity officer at Aurea, calls the 4 Es: educate, empathize, engage, and expect to be held accountable.
“It has to go beyond ‘we put up a statement,’” Schaffner said in an article published by Built In.
Built In spoke with several DE&I leaders at tech companies and identified 10 initiatives that companies should prioritize:
- Benchmark the company’s current DE&I progress
- Articulate leadership-level support for DE&I initiatives
- Engage in unbiased hiring practices
- Invest in employee resource groups (ERGs)
- Support mentorship and sponsorship opportunities
- Offer talent development programs for underrepresented community members
- Host DE&I educational events
- Provide DE&I training across levels
- Craft a plan for communicating about DE&I issues
- Provide progress updates
As you can see, it’s a lot to organize, implement, and track. Fortunately, there is software to help DE&I leaders. One resource that you may not think of is your sales enablement platform. Although companies typically use these platforms to onboard, train, and coach salespeople and manage sales content, they’re also fantastic tools for centralizing, sharing, and personalizing your DE&I resources.
3 Ways Your Sales Enablement Platform Can Support DE&I Initiatives
Using a sales enablement platform, you can empower employees to be allies, encourage people to learn about different cultures and life experiences, and facilitate stronger connections and collaboration. At the same time, you can provide more opportunities to support long-term growth and well-being to increase engagement.
1. Centralize DE&I Resources and Communications
Promote awareness of your organization’s DE&I priorities, available resources, and communications from leadership to drive clarity from the top down.
- Enable leaders to share ongoing communications quickly and easily regarding your company’s DE&I strategy
- Ensure easy access to all the relevant DE&I information and supporting resources within designated channels
- Celebrate employees with video announcements and share best practices and successes to retain top talent
2. Personalize the Employee Experience
By creating an employee video directory, you can create a more inclusive and personalized work environment that maintains the human-to-human connection across hybrid, remote, and globally distributed teams.
- Facilitate mentorship opportunities, peer sharing, collaboration, and knowledge transfer, and support internal employee networking
- Welcome new and existing employees and assist with employee name pronunciations and cultural awareness
- Encourage employees to share their background, personal preferences, pronouns, and roles and responsibilities with the broader company
3. Prioritize Employee Well-Being
Ensure at-risk employees receive the attention, support, and inclusion they desire that results in a healthier workplace and boosts engagement.
- Maintain an open level of communication asynchronously or in real time to generate stronger feedback loops and improve collaboration
- Elevate unheard voices by empowering employees to share ideas, best practices, and personal experiences using video
- Deliver ongoing access to virtual coaching, advanced learning paths, and more personalized development opportunities at scale
More companies understand the benefits of having a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce. Achieving that will take time and effort, but don’t let that stop you. With the right resources and tools, you can create a diverse environment in which everyone feels valued and that they belong.
Learn More
Listen as Ryan Thompson, Senior Director, Global Sales Training at Medtronic, discusses how he helps drive inclusion and diversity across the organization on The Adapter’s Advantage Podcast.
