Carlos F. Orta, DE&I Executive
As Hispanic Heritage Month comes to a close, it’s an important reminder of how organizations should provide top-down leadership in all diversity efforts. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, also known as DE&I, broadly refers to the efforts an institution takes to create a more welcoming environment for people from historically marginalized communities. This can mean working to ensure upper management reflects diversity in terms of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, political viewpoints, education, work experience, learning type, disability, or sexual orientation. It also means implementing mentorship opportunities for young professionals of color in your workplace.
As a whole, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts seek to create meaningful, systemic change toward more equitable environments. The public’s heightened expectations for companies’ DE&I efforts have dovetailed with the growing interest of investors in corporate responsibility around environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors.
In this issue of The Observer, we reached out to a long-time friend of CommCore, Carlos Orta, a past president of the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR) and an experienced DE&I executive. He provides a prospective on how executive and corporate communications continues to play a major role in the advancement of corporate responsibility.
What is the current state of DE&I?
CO: In less than a generation, according to the U.S. Census, we will become a majority-minority country. No group will be a majority. Whites are expected to be at 49%, Latinos at 25%, African Americans at 13%, and Asians at 8%. Multiracial will grow from 2% to 5% of the U.S. population. DE&I is directly influenced by geography, population, and educational attainment. These three are key to your talent (hiring) and consumer base (buying power). Diversity is coming faster than anyone expects it to.
How has the acceptance of DE&I changed over the past few years?
CO: Over the last 20-25 years, we have seen it evolve rapidly: from simply focusing on “Diversity” to today’s more comprehensive approach. The numbers show that there’s been progress. Today, more Women and minorities are in positions of power and influence than ever before. With that said, we have a long way to go to reach equity. It varies by the type of organization (b2b or b2c), the number of employees, location, population, and most importantly, the level of resources allocated to DE&I. The excellent news is that more and more are seeing the ROI from a diverse society.
What should the CEO or leader’s role be to help ensure success?
CO: Based on my 20+ year journey in DE&I and advising Fortune 500 CEOs and C-Suite executives, the “Must Have” ingredient for success is a commitment from the top. The most effective way to communicate the commitment is by having a diverse C-Suite and board of directors.
DE&I (and ESG) is the right thing to do, but will it enhance a company’s bottom line?
CO: Absolutely. A lack of DE&I/ESG commitment can impact a company’s stock performance. For example: Institutional investors and giant financial companies like Blackrock, CalPERS, and Goldman Sachs have demanded that companies embrace DE&I. Goldman Sachs announced in 2020 that it would NOT take a company public unless it included a “diverse” candidate on its board. Numerous mainstream ESG surveys have questions on DE&I, and the company’s respective responses are factored into the company’s overall survey score/ranking.
What are communications best practices?
CO: When it comes to showcasing DE&I at companies – telling the DE&I story – communications play a significant role in how consumers, employees, and the general public perceive the brand. Encourage the DE&I team to work mano-a-mano (hand-in-hand) with their comms team. This is critical for success. Create an annual DE&I celebration calendar. Work with your employee resource group to identify the “must” celebrated diversity months, i.e., Black History Month, Pride, Hispanic Heritage, etc. Identify which platform(s) the company will use and for which celebration (i.e., FB vs. LinkedIn vs. Instagram vs. Twitter; company website, etc.). Identify who is delivering the message. This is crucial in times of crisis. Is it the CEO, the Chief Diversity Officer, the CSR Officer, the ERG leader, or a company spokesperson? Ensure there is “diversity” on the comms team. Engage with minority media outlets and diverse community leaders.
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- Communication & Leadership: An Inextricable Link
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