Welcome to The DEI Report, a blog dedicated to tracking the latest news and research in diversity, equity, and inclusion practices. Greene Espel's DEI practice is working to change our workplaces to ensure that they are more representative of the communities we live in and serve. But workplaces, and law firms in particular, have been trying to do better for decades (without moving the needle much). What gives? This blog aims to answer that question, relying on the latest science, research, and studies to help us all identify better practices to ensure that our workplaces are diverse and inclusive.
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Restructure Your Organization to Actually Advance Racial Justice
There’s been an influx of interest in DEI of late. This HBR piece explores how to prevent your organization from merely hosting a one-off training and, instead, think about how to truly advance equity and inclusion for Black employees. How do we do that?
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Supreme Court Delivers Major Victory to LGBTQ Employees
Does the 1964 Civil Rights Act protect employees from being terminated on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity? Until recently, the legal answer to this question wasn’t clear. NPR discusses the Supreme Court’s decision that discrimination due to sexuality is, by nature, discrimination based on sex—and thus prohibited.
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Is there any silver lining in the global pandemic?
Is there any silver lining in the global pandemic? The HR Exchange asks whether remote workforces improve diversity and inclusion. They suggest that, in a remote environment, biases come to the fore less as employers focus on productivity and effectiveness. Is this your experience?
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Diversity and Inclusion Efforts That Really Work
Harvard Business Journal explores the question of what’s actually working when it comes to improving diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
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‘Motherhood Penalty' May Fuel Workplace Lawsuits in Pandemic (1)
Bloomberg Law suggests that we will see a rise in lawsuit from parents and caregivers (especially women) as a result of COVID-19.
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How to Confront Bias in the Criminal Justice System
Nationwide surveys regarding perceptions of the American justice system conducted twenty years apart yielded very similar results—respondents overwhelmingly responded that the system treats women and people of color unfairly. It is clear that these implicit biases exist, so how can the justice system combat them? The American Bar Association explores possible solutions.
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Why Workplace Diversity is so Important, and Why It’s so Hard to Achieve
There are numerous benefits of a diverse and inclusive workplace—such as providing access to a wider range of talent and even promoting a more profitable organization. However, achieving these positive outcomes has proven to be difficult. Forbes discusses why.
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How Diversity Makes Us Smarter
The Scientific American outlines how diversity fosters creativity. Different backgrounds and experiences bring a range of viewpoints to the table, which could be why diversity is highly correlated with better performance within an organization.
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