White & Case LLP

Jane Ayaduray

When I applied for my first Diversity and Inclusion role, I was shocked to learn that the department was not part of the HR function. Surely something so intrinsically linked with the employee experience and culture of the organization must be part of HR?  Since then, I’ve seen numerous different reporting structures, each reflecting different perceptions and positioning around how D&I fits within the organization’s strategy.

- Reporting into the Board or CEO may lead to D&I being seen as focused on strategy and leadership, rather than individuals’ experiences. 

- Reporting into Corporate Social Responsibility or a similar department can point to an external orientation, with lots of focus on community relations, partnerships and brand building. 

- Reporting into HR may naturally lead to an internal focus, with policies, processes, and the employee experience being seen as very much in scope.

- Reporting into a broader functional group, such as Operations may lead to D&I being seen as part of the core function of all day-to-day activities and planning.

Regardless of reporting structure, what is obvious is that all business functions are critical to the success and progress of the D&I work of the organization. 

Whether D&I sits within HR or not, here are three ways HR supportsD&I outcomes:

1. Driving equitable processes, policiesand practices.The processes which underpin so much of employees’ experiences – from attraction and hiring, through to talent and performance management, compensation, benefits and feedback – are owned by HR.  This makes HR core to ensuring the organization embeds policies and practices that reduce bias, identify disadvantage or areas of unequal opportunity, and address historic imbalances.

“HR plays a vital role in helping leaders and the workforce as a whole understand and articulate the organisation’s values”

2. Holding up a mirror.HR professionals are often in a unique position of being able to hold a mirror up to an organization to help leaders see (sometimes) uncomfortable truths.These may come in the form of:

a. demographic data on employees highlighting under or over representation of particular groups.  This can shed light on: equity in development and advancement opportunities;and the effectiveness of (or need for) interventions to drive better representation and equity throughout the organization.

b. analysis of information gathered about the different experiences of certain groups through planned feedback mechanisms, such as engagement surveys and exit interviewswhere employeeshave the opportunity to provide feedback on the culture of the organization.

c. insights gained through formal grievance or performance management processes, or informal engagement with employees which reflect how different groups experience the organisation.

While the development of any action plans that may arise from what leaders seewhen they review and reflect on these insights rarely rests with HR alone, it has a significant role in enabling, if not actively driving, identified solutions.  It is worth noting that holding up a mirror can also highlight positives within the organization that can help to build and sustain momentum.

3. Making it everyone’s job.  HR plays a vital role in helping leaders and the workforce as a whole understand and articulate the organisation’s values.  It typically works with leaders to set standards of performance and behavior that reflect these values, and puts in place the mechanisms to hold people accountable for delivery against those standards such as performance reviews and reward structures.  In this way, HR has the ability to make D&I part of everyone’s job by embedding it into the very fabric of how performance, progress and success are viewed.

For D&I to be truly effective, whether the work is dispersed across many roles or centralized into just a few, HR is the catalyst for ensuring key initiatives and progress are embedded and sustained for long term organizational success.

All views expressed are the author’s own.