Our Chief People Officer Greg McCaw spoke at d&i Leaders’ webinar on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) on 6 June.
‘At the beginning of this year we shared our predictions for 2024 – what was important, what was getting in the way and the areas of critical focus to continually professionalise the DE&I work we all do. As we get to the halfway point of the year, we are going to take the luxury of a step back and take stock by revisiting those original predictions and reflect on what has changed in the last six months as well as what continues to be an important focus.
- What has changed in the last 6 months that impacts our DE&I work
- How our roles and priorities should continue to evolve in an ever-changing environment
- How to focus our time and energy to create the biggest impact’
This webinar reunited Greg with the two DEI experts from the previous webinar:
- Charlotte Sweeney OBE – Inclusion, Diversity & Equality Specialist
- Pauline Miller – Chief Equity Officer, EMEA, dentsu international
d&i Leaders is a global community of DEI, HR, talent, recruitment & employee network professionals, looking to collaborate, network and accelerate their workplace inclusion strategy.
Greg’s reflections on Progressing DE&I in 2024
Key highlights included:
- DEI is a marathon, not a sprint. Focus on sustainable efforts rather than quick wins.
- As DEI professionals we should aim to advocate for rigorous governance and proactive measures to already be in place rather than waiting for legislation.
- Use maturity tools to assess the organisation’s current DEI state and involve leadership in strategy development.
- The core work of DEI remains constant and always will. Therefore to drive real impact, value, and change it is essential to stay anchored to these fundamentals.
- Align DEI efforts with organisational goals to ensure they are not seen as separate or secondary.
My key message:
Resist superficial gestures and insist on genuine, sustained commitment. Move beyond fleeting marketing hashtags and symbolic gestures by demanding continuous and authentic efforts. We must challenge and reject any tokenism in this profession.
Watch the recording of Progressing DE&I in 2024 via the d&i Leaders website
Read Alive With Ideas’ reflections on Progressing DE&I in 2024
Greg featured in Agile L&D
Greg is one of the L&D and people leaders interviewed for the book Agile L&D: A Toolkit to Improve Organizational Learning and Drive Performance by Natal Dank, published in April 2024.
‘Agile L&D explains how to develop an Agile approach to workplace learning. The business context has dramatically changed, so the way to approach specialisms like learning and OD must too. Based on five design principles, the book provides a dedicated toolkit to help you design learning and OD solutions that solve workplace challenges and improve business performance.’