Employers often find it hard to achieve meaningful DEI outcomes because they struggle to find a balance between what they want to achieve and their internal capacity. While many of us have understood, and maybe even witnessed, the profound impact of equity in the workplace, most (if not all) of us are also facing the very real limitations of resources, such as time and money. While the obstacles related to time are complicated, there are some effective strategies that have been proven to free up an organization’s capacity to do more of what matters most—the cultivation of environments in which all people, but specifically people with marginalized identities, can thrive. In all cases, the resulting ROI of these efforts yields impressive revenue (over 700%) and employment (nearly 300%) growth rates—making the question of how we spend our time a valuable and often overlooked key performance indicator.

How to Free Up Time for What Matters Most

The irony of freeing up time is that it takes time to accomplish this end goal. That being said, it can be done and it is worth engaging in this effort for the long-term return on investment that it offers. A study including dozens of knowledge workers determined that by engaging in a Start/Stop/Continue exercise, the average person was able to free up nearly 20% of their time—an average of one full day a week. Having this time available to continuously enhance and implement policies, procedures, and practices which directly impact the experiences of employees is easily recognized as a game-changer. So what can you do today, to get closer to freeing up your time? Check out this resource on strategies for setting and ranking priorities—you won’t regret frontloading a little time on this activity when you experience the returns!

How to Capitalize on the Time You Have

While finding ways to free up time might be considered a longer term initiative, there are simple strategies that teams and organizations can implement today which will significantly impact their ability to uphold the integrity of their value proposition. Typically, the most effective approaches do not require an overhaul but a small adjustment—making it easier to implement without frontloading an additional time commitment. To start, consider changing your SMART goal framework to a SMARTIE goal framework (Strategic, Measurable, Ambitious, Realistic, Time-bound, Inclusive, and Equitable). By making a slight shift in this regular workplace practice, we embed DEI in daily goal-setting activities organization-wide. This can promote a shift in mindfulness that begins to reframe daily decision-making to be equity-focused. We’ve created a SMARTIE goal-setting tool that can help you to get started!

Our clients have made tremendous gains by incorporating their commitment to DEI into daily operations! Here are a few “quick” time-saving adjustments that they have found to make a noticeable impact on equity in their workplaces:

• Make hiring practices more efficient with an objective scoring rubric. A client in the Arts and Culture industry found that by simply adopting Ellequate’s Interview Guide and Scoring Rubric as a routine interview process, not only were hiring panelists able to more objectively assesses the candidates for role “fit,” but operationalizing this practice also had a marked impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of hiring panel discussions and decision-making.

• Be strategic in collecting demographic information. When it comes to establishing and sustaining an efficient supplier diversity program, there can be a lot of back and forth with suppliers. One of our nonprofit sector clients has not only cut down on back and forth communication with suppliers but has also developed a robust demographic tracking data system, simply by standardizing the collection of demographic information as a part of the application process. Unsurprisingly, when employers are strategic in the collection of internal and external demographic information, they have more data available to analyze their DEI status and set data-driven metrics for growth.

• Ensure that DEI committees have decision-making power. DEI committees have been known to lose their momentum when there isn’t enough clarity on the decision-making process. Oftentimes, taking a moment to formalize (in writing) a committee charter that outlines these practices and ensuring leadership representation can produce time efficiencies, expedite action, and result in responsive outcomes. Recently, a governmental organization, engaged in our certification program, recognized that they were coming up against this unknown barrier and it was costing them time, money and leading to frustration. They are on their way to adjusting this practice and it’s already starting to make a difference in how they use their time! 

Don’t Spend Time Guessing, Invest in Approaches that Work

Equity work can feel overwhelming and complicated, especially when we are faced with limited resources. Organizations don’t need to spend tens of thousands of dollars on consultants to get meaningful results. With access to the right tools and resources, as well as organization-specific information about what’s working and where there are opportunities to continue to grow, most organizations realize that they have everything it takes to be able to do this work on their own and to do it well. Dozens of employers have already discovered the capacity-building opportunities available within Ellequate’s Equity Engine. As a result, they are spending less time and financial resources on efforts to operationalize equity in the workplace and they are celebrating the impact!

Even with limited time and resources, you can develop an effective DEI strategy. Learn how an Ellequate membership can help your organization achieve meaningful results.

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