Team effectiveness is a cornerstone of sustainable success for any organization because high-performing teams consistently deliver value, adapt to change, and uphold the cultural and operational foundations necessary for long-term growth

Understanding these four stages of team effectiveness—Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing—can help leaders and team members navigate the complexities of group dynamics.

When you think about your employee handbook, what comes to mind is probably a collection of rules, policies, and procedures — a document that outlines what’s expected of employees and what they can expect in return — from behavior and dress code to communication standards and performance. But your handbook can be something much more meaningful: it can reflect who you are, what you believe, and how you work together.

As part of your DEI journey, it’s important to provide a forum for employees to ask questions and voice their concerns. Below, we’ve provided sample responses to common inquiries and pushback. We encourage you to engage in the difficult conversations and please reach out to HR if you require additional support or resources.

The growing attention placed on misguided claims against DEI poses a threat to hard-won progress and may even lead to a reversal in any strides that have been made toward more equitable workplaces.  While the long-term implications are still uncertain, the political and legal challenges we are currently facing are already reshaping how we talk about and approach this work. Corporate America is at a crossroads, and those in the field must decide where they stand, how vested they are in DEI, and if and how they will sustain their commitment to equity and inclusion. For DEI practitioners, we’re left to wonder what the specific implications are, how we navigate these unsettling and uncertain times, and how we safeguard this work while safeguarding ourselves.

Gender pay and opportunity gaps still exist in all workforce sectors including the government, higher education and corporate America. And the gender parity gap cannot be attributed to just one factor or one phase of the journey. While career limiting barriers do exist at the individual level, women face institutional barriers that lead to a lack of opportunities for career advancement.

Women’s careers are influenced by a combination of systemic barriers that arise from social structures and societal norms and personal barriers or individual factors that can affect how women approach their careers. This article shares some proactive steps you can take to navigate existing challenges while advocating for systemic improvements.

As divisiveness has escalated, so has the need for meaningful dialogue and connection where people can share what they are feeling and experiencing both in and outside the workplace.  We need to renormalize dialogue where we strive for compassion and understanding and where different ideas and perspectives are viewed as opportunities to learn, grow, innovate, and improve.

When it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion, the discussion cannot focus solely on race and gender. DEI must take an intersectional approach, meaning they acknowledge and work to combat the multiple systems of oppression that exist.

Spotting ageism in the workplace is just the first step. To stop ageism, we need to take proactive steps…

Bias can occur at any stage in the talent acquisition process and can impact where we source talent, how we describe the job opportunity, the interview process and how we assess a candidate. We know bias can and does happen when screening resumes and whether an individual progresses to the interview stage can be influenced by their name, gender, age, if and where they attended college and even where they live. If individual bias goes unchecked, candidates who do not meet the recruiter’s preset idea of who is right for the job can be prematurely overlooked even if they have the right qualifications.

Having a sense of belonging is one of the most important fundamental human needs and is directly tied to our physical and emotional wellbeing. Most people define themselves by their group membership and associations with their family, their spiritual group, local sports team, interests, even their political affiliations. The social connection that is fundamental to our sense of belonging is a protective factor that enables people to overcome challenges, manage stress and cope more effectively with difficult times in our lives. Almost every aspect of our lives is associated with belonging to something – and our workplaces are no different.

As a leader in the organization, you’re probably pretty accustomed to driving the strategy – but as an ERG executive sponsor, your role is to serve more as an advisor– and it can be difficult to find that right balance. Your primary responsibility is to provide enough guidance and autonomy, so ERGs have the tools and direction they need to lead successfully on their own.

Despite what is being reported in the media, much of what we are seeing from organizations and hearing from DEI leaders is more of a reset or recalibration.  After the murder of George Floyd, many companies set lofty goals, increased the size of their DEI departments, and quite frankly bit off more than they could actually do.

Media headlines about the creation and then elimination of corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) positions at Big Tech companies have generated plenty of buzz. This kind of coverage can raise doubts about whether companies are committed to DEI in the long term. But these headlines aren’t telling the whole story.

The authors of this article identify three criteria that make DEI programs most risky and offer solutions to help organizations mitigate legal risk while maintaining the core project of building a more just future.

While managing DEI opposition can be challenging, CEOs and chief human resources officers (CHROs) can view this as an opportunity to reinforce their leadership roles by creating an inclusive and equitable culture linked to their business strategy.

Over the past year, corporations have grown more cautious about following through on DEI efforts as businesses cut costs and conservative activists, lawyers and lawmakers seek to purge the concept from workplace life. That caution, along with the Supreme Court’s ruling last year ending affirmative action in college admissions, has created more speculation over how DEI work might change – and what might be lost in the process.

As individuals we need to be more aware of how the little things that are said or done on an individual basis impact overall corporate culture and personal well-being. We must stop tolerating microaggressions in our workplaces.

We all have bias and although having bias doesn’t make us good or bad, we do have a responsibility to manage the effect of bias on our decisions and actions.

The role of an ERG leader requires a lot of passion, time and commitment. And most of us aren’t sitting around with lots of spare time on our hands. But all that effort and energy comes with significant ROI.

Many times we hear from ERG chairs looking for ways to increase engagement of their executive sponsors and best leverage their power and influence in the organization. When asked, we learn that clear expectations have not been communicated with the executive sponsor and they do not realize what their role entails.

There are some basic standards we can adopt that can support a positive, healthy workplace culture. For starters treat your employees and coworkers with kindness and care. Recognize that we all have feelings and lives outside off work that can impact our lives in the workplace. A respectful work environment also acknowledges and values the different talents, skills, and experiences each of us brings to the table.

How we treat each other in our workplaces matter. What are the benefits associated with a respectful workplace and what can you do to help create a culture of respect?

Respect is a prerequisite for a healthy, inclusive and professional workplace where all employees feel appreciated, valued and safe. We can help create a culture of respect by thinking inclusively with our heads, supporting respect and inclusion with our hearts, and acting respectfully with our hands.

In the workplace, an understanding of the intersectionality definition and the realities it produces helps us recognize the different ways in which people experience workplace policies.

Using intersectionality as part of common DEI language affirms the need to recognize employees for their whole selves.  It’s important to acknowledge all aspects of an individual’s identity because combined, each can shape how they experience the world and the workplace.

The theory behind intersectionality is that we cannot approach DEI with a singular lens because every individual encompasses many components of identity and cannot be reduced to just one dimensional aspect.

Belonging is something all humans crave. And often we find ourselves navigating different social situations, feeling comfortable and accepted for who we are in some and needing to hide parts of ourselves in order to “fit in” or achieve acceptance in others. In those situations where we lack a sense of psychological safety, we may change our linguistic and behavioral patterns to adapt and connect with others. This is known as code-switching, and it raises important questions about authenticity and belonging.

When employees are concerned about being judged or discriminated against for their unique identities, they’ll often hide or mask parts of themselves in order to fit in. This behavior is exhausting and requires constant thought and energy that is dedicated to actively obscuring their thoughts, opinions, and feelings in an effort to feel accepted by their colleagues. Covering, code-switching and the imposter syndrome are all ways in which we hide or downplay who we are, what’s important to us and how we present ourselves.