It’s one thing to create social media posts, events and web site content to support diversity and women’s initiatives, or to say that your firm has a diversity program, but it’s another to actually incorporate strategies to advance inclusion in the workplace.
Companies that “talk the talk” of diversity and inclusion without “walking the walk” are seeing that inauthentic actions and performative allyship cause disengagement and attrition as Paula Edgar notes in this LinkedIn post.
Paula also posted this quote with a post on LinkedIn, which went viral on LinkedIn and is such an important lesson to companies of all sizes.
In this incredibly competitive legal hiring market, I am seeing some law firms try to use diversity in their recruiting and marketing efforts. This can fall flat when it’s not authentic.
Paula and were talking last week about some of MLK Day social media posts we saw that were well-intentioned but seemed to fall flat because their culture may not yet reflect their stated intentions, and how we might be able to offer some guidance.
I’ve counseled several firms throughout the years, advising them not to do external diversity campaigns because their firms didn’t truly reflect diversity.
As we enter into the various diversity-related monthly commemorations and observances that law firms, professional service organizations and companies in general tend to promote, we think they should be thinking about how to balance their external marketing and branding efforts with their cultures and where they currently are.
Join me and Paula next week on January 26 for a free webinar to learn about some of the challenges and opportunities that exist and the strategies that we recommend when it comes to authentic diversity marketing.
I always learn from Paula, and I hope you’ll join us for this important conversation. Register for the program.
Check out Paula’s web site.