Centering: Practical Strategies for Sustaining DEI During Challenging Economic Times

We’ve heard this story before. In times of economic downturn, some of the first programs and positions on the chopping block are those connected to DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion). In February, Workforce data company Revelio Labs revealed a 33% churn rate for DEI-related roles, compared to 21% for non-DEI roles.

The question leaders now face is how to change this old story. How can organizations continue their DEI work, even under economically constrained conditions? 

One idea to approach this challenge is by “centering” on the needs of the group facing the most barriers in the workplace. That tends to be women of color, and often Black women in particular. “Centering” reflects an idea from the economist Janelle Jones, who in 2020 coined an economic principle that she called “Black women best.” Black Women Best is a framework and ideology that says we should shift our economic policies to center and elevate Black women in ways that will benefit everyone.

Jones points out that this is not about Black women doing well at the expense of other people. In fact, it is highly inclusive – if Black women, who historically have been the most exploited and excluded, are able to thrive in our economy, then everyone should be able to thrive. So, if policies and processes support Black women, they should support everyone.

Outside of Jones’ work, we can see how policies, initiatives and structures designed to support vulnerable populations have had positive impacts on all of us. Take, for instance, closed captioning in TV and movies, text-to-speech software, or automatic doors – all designed for people with disabilities, and all innovations that also support ease and understanding in the general population.

The question is – what does this look like inside workplaces? 

Centering in Practice

Erin L. Thomas, PhD, Head of Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging at Upwork, provided a great example of centering during a conversation last year about her leadership development program, GlowUP. GlowUP is all about centering the needs of leaders of color, by cultivating a safe environment for talking openly about leadership challenges, as well as giving and receiving support from other members. UpWork also has a program called “Our Place,” a membership community for senior Black women to help them strengthen connections and identify growth opportunities.

Centering in practice might also include providing coaching or mentoring for underrepresented groups, offering flexible work arrangements, or creating affinity groups or employee resource groups that cater to the needs of specific communities. It could, for example, take the form of a coaching program explicitly for emerging Black leaders. Ideally, a program like this would also include the managers of those leaders, who play an integral role in making them feel supported and enabled.

But ‘centering’ can’t start by creating a program in a vacuum. The first step to putting centering into practice is listening to your underrepresented employees, with special emphasis on those with multiple historically marginalized identities.

The key here is active listening, asking questions to understand people’s perspective and needs without assuming you know the answers. Then, consider how you might develop a long-term, sustainable program that centers the needs of this group, connecting the program to organizational priorities from the start. It is important to articulate clearly and explicitly to senior leaders how investing resources in one group can create a better environment and outcomes for everyone, and how this furthers broader organizational goals.

Using the feedback you gathered from employee conversations, plan how you will offer that group tailored support, ensuring that representatives of the community you’re centering are actively involved in giving feedback on your initiatives. Once again, make sure to include their managers in this process, too – they’ll play an outsized role in making sure their direct reports feel equipped and empowered to participate in whatever programs or initiatives you’re developing.

Finally, consider how you’ll measure success and impact from the start, building into your strategy a plan for collecting data to measure progress so you can continuously adapt and iterate.

It’s easy to let budget cuts and economic constraints stall DEI priorities. But it’s not inevitable, and it’s not the only answer. Organizational leaders today have the opportunity to change the old story of what happens to DEI programs during an economic downturn, creating a more resilient strategy in the process.

Elizabeth Weingarten is the Head of Behavioral Science Insights at Torch, the people development platform that unlocks the potential of people, teams and organizations by making coaching more inclusive, integrated with strategy, and impactful for business.

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