Most companies today advertise a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion on their websites and job postings.
It takes little effort to create a blurb about valuing DEI. But it demands action to actually prioritize it — providing equitable growth opportunities, fostering an inclusive culture, reducing bias and ensuring diverse hiring practices.
A 2022 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management had 65 percent of respondents say that DEI was a high strategic priority at their organization, but 63 percent stated that little or no resources were allocated to advance DEI efforts.
Job seekers who prioritize a company’s DEI track record are likely searching for a workplace that welcomes and supports them in a way previous employers may not have.
65% of workers said DEI was a high strategic priority, yet 63% said little or no resources were allocated to advance it.
A company’s “About” page understandably favors succinctness over detail, but current team members can help provide the experience-based facts to back up truncated bullet points on DEI. That’s why Built In Austin sat down with employees from LogicMonitor and Indeed Flex to discuss their DEI initiatives.
“By encouraging our teams to examine and approach work with a DEI lens, I aim to create an environment of psychological and physical safety that promotes allyship and serves as the foundation of our culture,” said LogicMonitor’s Respect and DEI Specialist Rene Dominguez.
Indeed Flex’s Talent Acquisition Specialist Jeffrey Inman noted that in these divisive and uncertain times, DEI is a crucial priority. “We want to instill a sense of belonging for everyone at Indeed Flex that will drive new conversations, empower new ideas and encourage disruption in traditional approaches,” explained Inman.
Read on for more insights from Dominguez and Inman.
LogicMonitor is a fully automated, cloud-based infrastructure monitoring and observability platform that allows companies to gain visibility into their technologies.
What’s one meaningful way you’re driving LogicMonitor’s DEI efforts forward this year? What impact do you hope this will have?
This year, LogicMonitor continues to send a clear message that our DEI initiatives are an intrinsic part of our values. I was promoted internally to a new role a few months ago, with the mission to spearhead DEI efforts globally across the company. As LogicMonitor’s DEI specialist, I partner with teams across the organization as the centralized driver of DEI-related programs and initiatives.
I was promoted internally to a new role a few months ago, with the mission to spearhead DEI efforts globally across the company.”
By encouraging our teams to examine and approach work with a DEI lens, I aim to create an environment of psychological and physical safety that promotes allyship and serves as the foundation of our culture. This mindset will enable our organization to thrive by driving top performance, increasing retention, preventing negative microclimates and creating an inclusive environment where all LMers can map their career paths.
Why did you decide to make this a priority in 2023?
At LogicMonitor, DEI starts at the top. Our woman-led, majority-female executive leadership team understands that fostering psychological safety results in positive business outcomes. When employees feel comfortable speaking up, sharing ideas and taking risks without fear of judgment, it leads to higher engagement, better product and customer experiences and increased employee happiness.
Our DEI initiatives across the organization start with anti-discrimination and anti-bias practices in the talent acquisition process. Employees have shared with us how much they value our DEI efforts, how they differentiate us from other companies and how it influenced their decision to work at LogicMonitor. I want all candidates to present their authentic selves and feel welcomed by their teams with respect and inclusivity.
What tools, resources and strategies are you leveraging to support these efforts, and why?
The pandemic ushered in unprecedented workplace change. We are harnessing everything we learned about ourselves and our business to create a work model that reflects the massive workplace culture shift.
Employees seek meaningful connections, well-being, purpose, flexibility and career development. To meet those needs, we are reimagining the workplace experience by transforming our offices into “Centers of Energy” that reflect our values: “One Team,” “Customer Obsessed,” “Better Every Day,” “Trust” and “Agility.” LogicMonitor Centers of Energy provide a work environment where LMers can be authentic and do their best work.
As part of the Center of Energy experience, we’re establishing an operating rhythm that brings our people together with intention. We are curating events focused on professional development and DEI with themes such as “Developing Inclusive Leaders,” “Unlocking Your Superpowers” and “Allyship at Work.”
We’re also growing our employee-led community groups, including Women@LM, Pride@LM, People of Color@LM, Neurodiverse@LM and groups focused on environmentalism, volunteerism and wellness. In 2023, we’re excited to introduce a new community group for parents and caregivers.
HR tech company Indeed Flex, one of Built In’s Best Places to Work in 2023, is an app that connects job seekers to temporary work that suits their lifestyles.
What’s one meaningful way you’re driving Indeed Flex’s DEI efforts forward this year? What impact do you hope this will have?
One way we are working to drive DEI efforts forward this year is by making DEI everyone’s responsibility. From a talent attraction and acquisition perspective, our recruiters are connecting with community organizations and nonprofits that have a focus on diversity and intersectionality. In addition, we are creating affinity groups for employees to network internally and externally and encouraging thought leaders in the organization to be mentors to others, as well as enabling and encouraging our employees to connect with community partners to find or offer mentoring opportunities.
One way we are working to drive DEI efforts forward this year is by making DEI everyone’s responsibility.”
Why did you decide to make this a priority in 2023?
Over the past few years, the world has become increasingly divisive and uncertain. In 2023, DEI is a priority because it is crucial that we provide an environment where our workers feel comfortable, safe and welcome. We want to instill a sense of belonging for everyone at Indeed Flex that will drive new conversations, empower new ideas and encourage disruption in traditional approaches — ultimately helping us to improve our capabilities, grow our organization and retain top talent to drive success.
What tools, resources and strategies are you leveraging to support these efforts, and why?
We are leveraging a suite of tools and resources to improve our DEI capabilities, including consulting, training and leadership development for leaders and managers throughout the organization. In addition, we are exploring avenues to apply data to produce quantitative measures to hold individual managers and leaders accountable for driving DEI in their respective areas.
