Board
Is DEI part of the strategic priorities of your board?
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Is there a Diversity and Inclusion Task Force on your board?
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Organization/Staff
If DEI is not a strategic priority of the board, do you have the resources and autonomy to work on DEI initiatives/priorities?
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Is there a DEI task force made of staff members?
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Is the senior leadership team involved in a diversity task force?
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What is the involvement of the senior leadership team with DEI?
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Is there someone on your staff whose job/role is to focus on DEI within the organization?
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Are you looking for someone? Here's a sample job description.
What activities have been done by the staff/organization regarding diversity? Activities might be centered around creating/instituting policies, hiring practices, etc.
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If you have a diversity task force, who is on it? Staff only? A combination of clients/residents and staff? Just clients/residents?
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What systems or processes do you have in place to support staff regarding DEI? Do you have mentoring programs? Leaders of Color groups?
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Is everyone treated fairly regardless of their level in the organization? For example: if working from home is an option, is it afforded to all employees? Are there special perks that are only offered to certain people? Are the same considerations with regard to time off applied to everyone? Best practice: text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text
Do leaders create an environment where staff feel appreciated? Do staff members see a path to advancement in the organization?
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Does your organization have a policy in place to protect staff from discriminatory treatment by clients/residents?
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Does your organization have a policy that is enforced to protect staff from other staff and discriminatory practices?
Best practice: Allow continuing education/extra training opportunities for all staff members. Consider the different needs of staff members when establishing policies related to trainings and other privileges.
Partnerships
Does your organization have policies set regarding the use of outside vendors?
Best practice: While it's tempting to stick to using vendors we know, this is a great opportunity to expand your vendor list to support minority owned businesses.
What community partnerships does your organization engage in?
Best practice: Consider partnering with external organizations to widen exposure to diverse communities. For example, work with diverse sororities or fraternities on an event, engage students from a nearby school in a read-to seniors program........
Marketing
How do your recruitment efforts pay attention to diverse client/resident groups?
Best practice: Establish tactics and measures that focus on reaching different cultures.
What are the current demographics of your organization? Consider your board, leadership, staff, clients and residents.
Best practice: Are certain areas in your organization more diverse than others? Diversity should exist at all levels within your organization.