1. “We have an opportunity and I think we have a responsibility, quite frankly, to look to young people who are coming into our businesses now because they are the ones that are going to really drive the change next.” – Shaina Riley, Partner Growth Lead & Lead Black Googler Network, Google Canada
2. “We know when employees feel psychologically safe, not only do they thrive, but they actually increase their output, and there is also the added benefit to society as a whole.” – Karlyn Percil-Mercieca, Founder & CEO, KDPM Equity Institute
3. “Recognize that while reconciliation is important, it’s also integral because it’s going to help us solve the problems that we have today so that we can all have a tomorrow.” – Richel Davies, Director, Inclusion of Indigenous Peoples, Scotiabank
4. “When you support and uplift one group, you just naturally support and uplift other groups and other individuals so as an organization, when we’re talking about diversity, equity and inclusion, all boats rise.” – Simone Alleyne, Senior Director of DEI, Culture & Change, McDonald’s Canada
5. “What became very, very clear is when you have women and people with diverse mindsets impacting your decision making, that elevated your performance.” – Teresa Resch, President, WNBA Toronto
6. “I know for myself for so long growing up, I didn’t feel welcome in a lot of sporting events and even talking about sports because I always got really talked down to, and I know what I’m talking about when I talk about hockey, but a lot of men don’t think so.” – Sarah Nurse, Professional Hockey Player, PWHL Toronto & Canadian National Team
7. “If it’s truly mission critical, if giving our employees the opportunity to express themselves, to be part of something, to make change, to lead the grassroots movement, then it has to be in the same category as everything else that we do that is mission critical – to delivering the best value for our customers, delivering the best value for our shareholders.” – Jodie Wallis, Global Chief Analytics Officer, Manulife
8. “Diversity in general breeds creativity, breeds innovation, breeds productivity.” – Valeriya Yesypenko, VP, Global Data Governance, Manulife
9. “We need to have our DE&I representation, those folks at the table at the beginning as we implement the AI projects.” – Pamela Pelletier, Country Leader & Managing Director, Canada, Dell Technologies
10. “When we get this right, when organizations support associates to navigate the complexities of caregiving in ways that are supportive and humane, it builds loyalty, it builds capability. It’s win-win.” – Moira Klein-Swormink, Principal, Branch Development, Edward Jones Canada

The post Top 10 Quotes from Catalyst Honours 2024 appeared first on Catalyst.

From her first volunteer role as a candy striper at Toronto General Hospital to the six months she spent as a volunteer teacher in Ecuador and her job counseling at-risk youth at an unemployment center, Vivian has always made it a priority to lend her support to people who are marginalized by the societies they live in.

She credits her parents with her open mindset. They “really shaped … my values around fairness … around equity and equality and respect.” They also taught her the importance of connecting with people on a human level across differences. “Having that empathy is so, so critical, I think, in the DE&I space.”

An avid traveler and former backpacker, Yoandis says her travels demonstrate that we have so much more in common than we think. This belief in the importance of making human connections stayed with her through those early work experiences where she often witnessed firsthand the realities of systemic racism and inequity that motivated her actions moving forward.

When Yoandis started at Hydro One, there was no DEI. Today, she is the Senior Manager of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Ontario’s largest electricity transmission and distribution service provider.

However, the DE&I space is not without challenges. The first hurdle, in Vivian’s view, is to demonstrate that DE&I isn’t a zero-sum game in which supporting one group means disadvantaging another. She has found that “in many cases, you … need to … deal with [resistant] people individually and help them … get to a place of acceptance, of belonging, of inclusion.” She has succeeded through empathy and a willingness to listen and find out what is the root cause of their resistance.

According to Vivian, patience and persistence is key. “Sometimes progress is very, very slow. And that can be challenging. It can make you feel like you’re not doing enough. But I think it’s so important to actually relish in those small victories, celebrate those things … [to] keep you moving on.”

Role models like Vivian guide their workplaces towards a more equitable, inclusive future, where all voices are heard and everyone can thrive.

To hear from Vivian and other gender equity and DEI champions attend Catalyst Honours on 7 Oct, 2024.

Why Vivian is a HR/DEI champion:

• Men as Allies: Vivian introduced the Catalyst MARC program to Hydro One almost 10 years ago, bringing employees together to talk about gender partnership and the importance of male allyship in achieving gender equity.
• Women in Engineering (WiE) University Partnership: This program, which Vivian co-led, has both increased the representation of women in STEM fields at Hydro One and helped both boost high school applications to electrical and mechanical engineering by 169% and enrollment in the same programs at the four partner universities by 81%.
• Step Up Program: Vivian created the Step Up content at Hydro One to promote inclusion, psychological safety, and respect in the workplace. She co-leads the program, which empowers employees to “step up” when they see non-inclusive behavior or hear non-inclusive language, resulting in a 44% increase in comfort levels in advocating for inclusion.
• Cultural Embedding and Legacy: Vivian’s leadership embedded a culture of equity and inclusion at Hydro One, ensuring sustained progress and empowerment for women and marginalized groups. Her commitment and foresight have positioned Hydro One as a leader in fostering inclusive environments for all identities in the electricity industry.

The post Vivian Yoanidis: A lifelong advocate for inclusion appeared first on Catalyst.

She thought it would be a good summer job, but 38 years later, she is still there. “I never had a reason to leave,” she explains. “From the very beginning, I had this sense of belonging. … It’s not always so easy to find that and you don’t have to be excluded from something to not feel included.”

“There was a shift that I had to do from being in the restaurants to … being in a corporate environment. I had to all of a sudden go from wearing a uniform every day to now I needed to have outside clothes and … project myself in a different, professional way.”

She credits her success to the circle of trusted colleagues and mentors she built around herself, reminding us that “none of us can do what we do alone. So … get your thought partners, find your advocates, find your mentors, find your sponsors, [and] build a community to help and support you.”

Through the example of senior leaders at McDonald’s, Simone also learned that it’s possible to be both powerful and kind, as well as the importance of “staying true to what you believe in … knowing and being yourself, standing by what … you do, and above all else, being kind to others. And if you’re able to do all … of those, you will be successful in anything that you try.”

Now a senior leader herself, Simone asks, “how do I give back and how do I shift from being a consumer of opportunities to being a producer of opportunities for other people?”

This is a question that can guide all of us as we look to champion diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workplaces and communities.

To hear from Simone and other gender equity and DEI champions, attend Catalyst Honours on 7 Oct, 2024.

Why Simone is an HR/DEI Champion:

• Women in Leadership Representation: Simone spearheaded local adoption of global targets to increase women’s representation in senior leadership at McDonald’s Canada. Her strategy integrated gender balance into talent review and succession-planning processes, and McDonald’s Canada achieved parity two years ahead of schedule.
• Mentorship Program: Simone led the development of a program that paired diverse employees with leaders at all levels of the organization. Participating mentees advanced their career goals and augmented their skills and confidence to build deeply authentic relationships.
• Operator DEI Playbook: Simone conceived and developed this pioneering tool, which empowered 265 Owner Operators across Canada with resources to accelerate women talent and foster inclusive cultures. The playbook exemplifies Simone’s grassroots approach to driving DEI change within McDonald’s.

The post Simone Alleyne: Creator of Opportunities appeared first on Catalyst.

Resources:

Timeline, Criteria, and Application for the Catalyst Award
Past Catalyst Award Winners
Learn more about the Catalyst Awards Conference & Dinner

The post How to Apply for Catalyst Awards appeared first on Catalyst.

Welcome to season 1, episode 1, of the Catalyst podcast, Breaking with Tradition: Why The “Why” Matters.

Catalyst founder Felice Schwartz embraced a vision for the future of the workplace in her 1992 book Breaking with Tradition based on “fulfillment, both personal and professional,” where everyone is “able to define and pursue their goals freely, regardless of gender.”

From this initial vision, the Catalyst of today strives for “workplaces that work for women.” This is the future of work we at Catalyst seek to create at workplaces everywhere. This is our why.

How an organization communicates its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work makes an impact—both to the outside world in this moment of anti-DEI pushback, and internally to employees who want to know their company cares.

For this first episode of Breaking with Tradition, hosts Lucy, Victoria, and Erin sit down to set the stage and discuss both the Catalyst “why” and why it matters that we talk about it. And as can be expected from a research organization, we bring in some evidence-based insights to back us up!

Hosts

Lucy Kallin, Executive Director, EMEA, Catalyst

LinkedIn | Bio

Victoria Kuketz, Director, Corporate Engagement, Canada, Catalyst

LinkedIn | Bio

Erin Souza-Rezendes, Vice President, Global Communications, Catalyst

LinkedIn | Bio

In this episode

• 1:07 | The origin story. The inspiration for this podcast, Catalyst, founder Felice Schwartz and her 1992 book Breaking with Tradition.
• 4:28 | Building a human-focused workplace. Women are half the population, but they’re also not a monolith. Victoria, Lucy and Erin discuss why gender equity is critical to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• 9:35 | Finding your voice. Why it’s important for companies to talk about equity and what it looks like.
• 15:35 | World-class employers. Why some companies are building workplaces that work for women despite the DEI pushback.
• 19:35 | Modern-day rebels. How our hosts break with tradition.

Favorite moments

• 1:41 | Erin: As someone who works in communications here at Catalyst, you know, I think about our work as breaking with tradition all the time. Because really, what we’re focusing on is our shared humanity.
• 2:18 | Victoria: From a productivity crisis, AI upskilling and adoption across industries, we’re constantly facing new and emerging challenges. So this breaking with tradition theme really resonates with me because we need to innovate and from a DEI perspective, upskill and leverage the entirety of the workforce to meet these challenges…
• 10:32 | Lucy: 76% of employees want their companies to take action. And I think that’s where Catalyst comes in. I’m leaning forward because I’m getting too excited now.
• 12:33 | Victoria: DEI is for everyone. And it really makes cultures better. It leverages talent, it lets people lean in. Because there is that slippage in that understanding we are seeing DEI backlash.
• 14:10 | Erin: It’s true there is DEI backlash. I won’t minimize that. But is it true that companies are stepping back or not fully embracing it? I think for organizations that were committed, they’re unapologetically so.
• 14:35 | Erin: Diversity, equity and inclusion, if it’s working well, what does it really look like in someone’s life? It looks like sitting here on a podcast at home while my daughter is getting on the school bus because I’m working from home.
• 16:42 | Lucy: The ones we’re working with are the ones that are looking to embed it as a cultural shift. That gives them what I said at the beginning, a competitive edge, a differentiator in the market and an attractiveness to an employee.
• 17:48 | Victoria: What I’m actually seeing with the incredible supporter organizations that I work with is that they’re actually doubling down in these times. They’re actually saying that, you know, what’s going on social media as a political project is actually not going to affect our commitment to be world-class employers.
• 21:22 | Lucy: I think I’ve always broken the tradition because I always start from there. From the why have we always done it that way?
• 22:47 | Victoria & Erin | You’re an Innovator. Yea, that’s just your energy.

Fun Facts

• 93% of employees say that it’s at least somewhat important for their organization to be vocal about its DEI efforts, yet 1 in 4 employees say their senior leaders never or rarely engage in DEI.
• 76% of employees want their companies to take action – and ensure their workplace is diverse and inclusive to all.
• More than 50 countries will go to the polls in 2024.

Research you can use

• Your guide to DEI messaging
• Shaffer, E. & Torrez, B. (2024). How to talk about diversity with employees to achieve your company’s objectives. Catalyst.

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The post Episode 101: Why The “Why” Matters appeared first on Catalyst.

According to the Catalyst research report How to Talk About Diversity With Employees to Achieve Your Company’s Objectives, 93% of employees want their companies to be vocal about their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. 

Struggling to get your DEI messaging to resonate with employees? 

Humanizing your approach to DEI helps build internal support. Catalyst found that 37% of employees say they’d prefer their companies emphasize that DEI is the right thing to do, which is often referred to as the “fairness case.” Only 15% say they would prefer their organization to use the “business case” (how DEI helps the bottom line).   

Messaging that emphasizes the fairness case can have an important positive effect on experiences of inclusion, perceptions of meritocracy, and retention. In contrast, the business case may inadvertently harm employees from marginalized groups, who are more likely to be on guard against bias when it is used. 

Use this infographic as a conversation starter with DEI advocates, practitioners, and communications leaders to create DEI messaging that resonates with employees.

For more insights, visit https://www.catalyst.org/diversity-messaging/. 

Methodology: Catalyst surveyed 6,800 employees in 11 countries to investigate the impact of participants’ perceptions of diversity rationales on employee outcomes.  

How to Cite: Effective Messaging on DEI: Understanding Employee Perspectives. (2024). Catalyst. 

Download the Infographic

The post Effective DEI Messaging: Understanding Employee Perspectives (Infographic) appeared first on Catalyst.

It’s no surprise that one in four employees says their leaders rarely or never talk about DEI according to Catalyst’s recent report, How to Talk About Diversity With Employees to Achieve Your Company’s Objectives.

The good news is that DEI and HR practitioners can equip leaders and advocates by drawing inspiration from the marketer’s messaging framework.

Marketers use messaging frameworks to help visualize and craft messages that align with the brand’s values, communicate the value proposition, and address the needs and concerns of all of their audiences.

In the same way, DEI and HR practitioners can use a messaging framework to speak about DEI in a way that’s meaningful to their audience—in this case employees—by following this four-step structure:

1. Brand Promise: A brand promise represents the company’s commitment to customers regarding the experience it will deliver. The promise sets a vision for who the company wants to be. For HR and DEI leaders, this translates to the overall workplace culture you are trying to create. For diversity, equity, and inclusion messages to ring true, leaders must understand how the DEI strategy ties into the business strategy, values, and mission. This first step is crucial. Without it, any messaging can be viewed as performative.
2. Positioning Statement: Companies must tie the messaging to the rationale for investing in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Your positioning statement clarifies how and why DEI meets the needs of your organization and employees.
3. Target Audience: Companies then need to consider the perspective, motivations, goals, and relative power of each stakeholder. How does diversity, equity, and inclusion benefit board members, shareholders, executives, middle managers, and employees at every level?
4. Messages: Companies need to answer the age-old questions for each employee audience type: “Why should I care? What’s in it for me?” In DEI work, these messages often fall into two categories: a business rationale, highlighting the positive financial impact of DEI on the organization, and a fairness rationale, emphasizing the moral imperative of promoting DEI. Catalyst research shows that 76% of employees said their organizations use both rationales.

Our research demonstrates that organizations would do well to emphasize the fairness case to increase feelings of inclusion, fairness, and retention. Take note: If your organization chooses to emphasize the idea that DEI is the right thing to do, your actions must reinforce this message or risk being perceived as inauthentic.

The Bottom Line
As an HR, DEI, or communications professional, focus on crafting multiple messages and proof points that align to your overall DEI strategy and brand promise, and address the benefits to your employees. These messages can then be used in tandem or separately for different audiences and situations.

What companies can’t afford to do is stay silent. Catalyst found that nearly all employees (93%) think their organization should talk about its DEI efforts. Following this framework is by no means the answer to every DEI communications challenge, but it can provide you with a solid foundation to begin to build successful messaging that resonates with both your organization and employees.

Download the DEI Messaging Framework

The post 4-Step DEI Messaging Framework for HR and DEI Leaders appeared first on Catalyst.

We know that taking part in DEI efforts is not only the right thing to do, it’s also good for business.

Catalyst research demonstrates overwhelmingly that when DEI is done right, it works. DEI is the way we create workplaces that work for everyone. Not only do we have evidence, but we have tools and solutions to set up companies implementing DEI efforts for success.

DEI practitioners and organizational leaders should use a multi-pronged approach:

1. Strengthen your messaging and ensure it resonates authentically.
2. Share the facts.
3. Use data to demonstrate how DEI initiatives get results.
4. Stay ahead of the game by keeping an eye on the corporate implications stemming from the 2023 US Supreme Court decision on affirmative action.

No matter where your company is on its DEI journey, these resources enable everyone—from the C-suite to the front line—to thrive.

How to communicate about DEI:

• How to Talk About Diversity With Employees to Achieve Your Company’s Objectives (Report)
• The Business Case for DEI (Resource List)
• Still Making the Case for DEI? Drop the Spreadsheet (Webinar Recording)
• Performative DEI Policies: Flip the Script (Infographic) Supporter-Exclusive
• Words Aren’t Enough: The Risks of Performative Policies (Report)

How to do DEI right:

• Six Actions to Create Genuine DEI Policies (Report)
• 5 Myths Debunked About Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (Blog Post)
• DEI Efficacy: Preempting Pitfalls for Sustained Impact and Value (Webinar Recording) Supporter-Exclusive
• Embedding DEI Into Your Business Strategy: Key Insights From Industry Leaders (Blog Post)

How to be an inclusive leader:

• Getting Real About Inclusive Leadership (Report)
• 5 Strategies to Promote Inclusion: A Manager’s Playbook (Tool) Supporter-Exclusive
• Leading With Empathy (10-Minute Microlearning) Supporter-Exclusive

How employee resource group (ERG) leaders can navigate employee resistance:

• Catalyst Guide to Employee Resource Groups (Tool) Supporter-Exclusive See Chapter 7
• ERG Discussion Guides (Tool) Supporter-Exlusive See guide to “Navigating Resistance”

How to measure results:

• DEI Measurement (Resource List)
• Beginning a Measurement Process: A Tool for DEI Leaders (Tool)
• How to Create Transparency in DEI Measurement: A Guide for Senior Leaders (Tool)

How company DEI initiatives succeed (Supporter-exclusive):

• Barilla
• Boston Scientific
• Enbridge
• Google
• The Hartford
• Parexel
• RBC
• TD
• Uber
• Ulta Beauty
• UPMC
• More examples

US Supreme Court decision on affirmative action:

• How Your Company Can Priortize DEI After the Supreme Court Ruling (Blog Post)
• Takeaways From the Catalyst Affirmative Action Webinar: 8 Steps Companies Can Take to Protect Their DEI Programs (Blog Post)
• US Supreme Court Affirmative Action Ruling and the Future of DEI in Corporate America (Webinar Recording)
• Does the US Supreme Court Decision on Affirmative Action Affect Your Company’s Diversity Initiatives?

The post 33 Ways to Address the Backlash Against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) appeared first on Catalyst.

CEO activism occurs when senior leaders speak out on social issues that are not directly related to their company’s bottom line but may impact corporate reputation as well as public, employee, and other stakeholders’ impressions.¹ It can be an element in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and, more recently, Environmental Social Governance (ESG) programs,² and is generally directly aligned with business goals and strategy. ³

While CEO activism is increasingly common in the United States, there is also pressure on European and global CEOs to take similar action.⁴

This research examines the unique insights CEOs bring to public conversations, how CEO activism is driven by employee and customer expectations, questions for organizations to consider when taking a stand, and descriptions of selected CEO workplace pledges, including the Catalyst CEO Champions For Change.

CEOs Bring Unique Insights to Public Conversations

There is a growing consensus that business leaders should make a positive impact on the world. ⁵ According to the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer, business is the only institution seen as competent and ethical.⁶

Because of their public standing and power, CEOs are well-positioned to start conversations that can have a real impact on public opinion and lawmakers in their communities. ⁷ Indeed, both employees and customers often look to workplace leadership and organizational values for guidance on complex and urgent issues that dominate the news cycle, such as racial and ethnic violence, economic insecurity, human rights violations, and the climate crisis.

Corporations and their CEOs have a long history of attempting to influence government policies and legislation on taxation and other issues to affect the marketplace and increase profits. In the US, they have also taken stands on social issues by filing amicus briefs in appellate court cases in which they have a strong interest, for example supporting affirmative action in the 1980s.⁸ More recently, companies have signed briefs supporting LGBTQ+ employees ⁹ and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program ¹⁰; in the latest challenges to affirmative action, a historic number signed briefs advocating the importance of racial and ethnic diversity in higher education. ¹¹

CEO Activism Is Driven by Both Employee and Customer Expectations

In a 2023 global survey: ¹²

• 89% of people said they expected CEOs to take a stand on the treatment of employees.
• 82% said CEOs should take a stand on climate change.
• 80% said CEOs should take a stand on discrimination.
• 84% said CEOs have an obligation to pay a fair wage.
• 79% said CEOs are obligated to ensure that their home community is safe and thriving.
• 64% said companies can help society by supporting public figures that build consensus and cooperation.

Employees aren’t the only stakeholders who expect CEOs to take a stand on social issues and ESG investments: Customers and potential employees, particularly younger ones, are watching what leaders do, too.¹³

Millennial and Gen Z Employees Want CEOs to Lead on Social Issues

A global survey of Millennial and Gen Z employees found that they see business leaders as important voices in the public discourse on social issues. But leaders and companies are falling short, as less than half of respondents believe that organizations have a positive impact on society.¹⁴

• Only 44% of Millennials think organizations have a positive impact on society.
• 48% of Gen Z think organizations have a positive impact on society; this percentage steadily decreased over the past five years, only leveling this year.

Younger employees are especially concerned about the increasing cost of living, unemployment, and climate change, ¹⁴ all of which may influence their choices on where, how, and who they choose to work for. Globally, 69% of people surveyed in 2022 said they might even turn down a job offered by a company that did not make a societal impact. ¹⁵

Companies are making upward progress in meeting Millennial and Gen Z employees’ expectations around DEI efforts, but a large majority of these employees are still unsatisfied in this area. ¹⁴ As DEI work evolves, leaders can build momentum by getting creative about where they recruit for new talent, as well as enhancing their internal company culture to improve retention. ¹⁶ CEOs and businesses can also publicly support campaigns and legislation designed to increase DEI efforts based on facts and metrics instead of negative discourse and inaccuracies.¹⁷

CEOs who take a stand on social issues like these give a human face to their company, which can drive attraction and retention as people look for meaning in their day-to-day jobs. ¹⁸

The Bottom Line

Today’s leaders are faced with both a moral and a business imperative to act. ¹⁹ On many issues, saying nothing may be seen as a tacit endorsement of one perspective. When CEOs are perceived as authentically advocating for social causes, they gain respect as individuals, and their organizations are likely to see an increase in revenue and new customers. ²⁰ Studies have found that CEO activism increases stock prices—even in instances where there was an initial decrease in sales—and rarely negatively affects overall firm value.²¹

Questions to Consider

Taking a stand may feel bold and must be done thoughtfully. Before leaders and/or organizations claim a position, consider the following questions:

• Credibility: What is the link between your company’s values and your public activism?²²
• Authenticity: How does your activism connect to your organization’s unique positioning and values? Don’t try to be who you are not.
• Backlash: While speaking out may increase loyalty and recruitment, how will you address employees and other stakeholders who may feel excluded by the messaging? Remember, you cannot be all things to all people. Lead with your values.²³
• The Risk of Silence: Will not speaking out incur risk in the form of assumed complicity, which can lead to boycotts and a decline in sales?²⁴

CEO Workplace Pledges

• Catalyst CEO Champions For Change: A group of 80+ CEOs pledging to advance more women into all levels of leadership.
• CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™A CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
• CEO Activist:Leaders of some of the UK’s largest organisations who have pledged to use their influence, experience, and respective public platforms to create an industry-wide pledge to ‘Move the DIAL on Diversity’ in UK businesses.
• Equality Is Our Business Business leaders support LGBTQ+ rights through the Human Rights Campaign.
• Open to All Public education organizations, elected officials, businesses, and nonprofit service providers pledge not to discriminate against employees or customers based on race or sexual orientation.
• Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders: An initiative of the World Economic Forum, a CEO-led community committed to raising bold climate ambition and accelerating the net zero transition by setting science-based targets, disclosing emissions, and catalysing decarbonization and partnerships across global value chains.
• Paradigm for Parity®: An alliance of CEOs, senior executives, founders, board members, and business academics dedicated to achieving “full gender parity by 2030, with a near-term goal of women holding at least 30% of senior roles.”

How to cite this product: Costigan, A. & Hughes, V. (2024). CEO activism: Trend brief. Catalyst.

The post CEO Activism (Trend Brief) appeared first on Catalyst.