When approaching DE&I, lean on your communities
Facebook’s D&I lead shared some of the tactics that are working at the social media company, as well as how to think about long-term progress on this crucial issue for all industries.
For Facebook, everything comes back to its stated mission of bringing people together through technology.
It’s a principle that guides its new products and features, and informs the company’s approach to a topic on the minds of many: diversity, equity and inclusion.
Having a strong foundation for why you are doing what you are doing is crucial for having a cohesive story around D&I, says Jo McRell, diversity communications lead for Facebook. She spoke with Ursula Llabres, global head of enterprise executive programs for Facebook, in a fireside chat on Sept. 17 during Ragan’s The Communicator’s Role in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Virtual Conference.
The COVID-19 pandemic has put a finer point on the racial injustice that has been present in the U.S. for years, McRell says. The innovations that communicators have made in the face of the global pandemic and universal remote work might offer new tools for engaging employees on the subject of race and structural inequality.
“It has sharpened the lens,” McRell says. “It’s made our D&I story more explicit.”
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