A strong diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) program is much more than a feel-good formality. For modern organizations, it’s a strategic imperative. An ethical workplace attracts and retains top talent, engenders customer loyalty and spurs business growth. Simply developing DEI initiatives isn’t enough—shaping a holistic program that will resonate with employees is critical to success.
Dani Durante, executive director of Global Inclusion & Impact at CSG, was recently featured in CMSWire discussing the real impact of DEI on the customer experience. Here, she shares actionable insights on how leaders can build effective DEI programs within their organizations.
How do you measure the effectiveness of a DEI program?
The efficacy of a DEI program is evident in the number of voices you hear in your workplace—the perspectives that are represented. If you look around your organization and see that feedback always comes from the same people or groups, you haven’t created a truly inclusive environment. It’s not just about holding space for everyone or meeting demographic goals; it’s about noting who speaks up in meetings, actively contributes to company culture or feels comfortable sharing their ideas in the workplace. It’s also about setting up your leaders to model and be accountable to leading inclusively. If there is an imbalance there, something needs to change.
Can you share examples of successful DEI strategies that have led to tangible improvements in organizational culture?
At CSG, we take a people-first, culture-first approach. We ask that people bring their most authentic selves to work. In return, we foster an inclusive environment that prioritizes employee experience. Our flexible-first approach empowers employees to choose when, where and how they work, allowing for better work-life integration.
Our DEI initiatives are designed around education and action. We foster inclusivity in the workplace by encouraging conversations around identity, culture and the unique facets we can leverage through our diversity.
We offer education to equip employees to have vulnerable or potentially difficult conversations. We offer tangible support to those who need it through wellness, professional development and mentorship programs. Our global employee resource networks have offered community and safe space to hundreds of employees across many facets of identity. Employees also have 24/7 access to mental health support programs and webinars. Importantly, we take a global approach and tailor our programming to address the unique situations and challenges in each region. Signature programs like our monthly microlearning series educate hundreds of employees on topics like accessibility in hiring, psychological safety and LGBTQ+ identity.
Our mentorship and belonging programs have also had a substantial impact. Take CSG’s Emerging Leader Program, which led to a 50% increase in promotions among women in 2023. 20% of CSG employees participate in at least one of our eight employee resource groups, two of which were created last year. In 2023, we launched the Engage Mentorship Program, aimed at pairing critical talent with senior leaders for six months of personalized coaching and support. As a result of these collective efforts, our belonging score has improved +1 year-over-year since we began tracking.
How can organizations ensure that their DEI efforts are genuinely inclusive and not just ticking boxes?
People often paint effective DEI as a mystery because they’re afraid to get it wrong. Yes, it can be a complex, sensitive process, but it’s a daily practice around mindsets and behavior and the starting point is simple: listen. Many initiatives that sound good on paper may ring hollow to employees if they don’t actually address employees’ needs or concerns.
You don’t need to have all the answers; you just need to be open to feedback and adjust your approach when your team tells you what they need to thrive. That is the true sentiment behind our belief in the “power of all.”
How can DEI be integrated into the core business strategy rather than being seen as a standalone effort?
I think it starts when business leaders redefine what DEI means to the organization and see it as an accelerator to their outcomes. At the end of the day, DEI programs are extensions of employee experience efforts; it’s an investment in your workforce just like any other When people feel seen, heard and valued for their unique contributions, they feel safer to innovate and challenge, and they are more likely to stay.
Let that understanding that different groups face different challenges guide your decisions at every level. This is the kind of thinking that will help modern leaders ensure that diversity, equity and inclusion are woven into the fabric of everyday operations, rather than treated as separate initiatives.
Our people-first ethos is meaningful to our investor community as well. In April, we received our second consecutive “Prime” rating from ISS, meaning that we are in the top 20% of peers when it comes to quality ESG disclosure. And we ranked in the top 10% of peers by Sustainalytics and the top 25% of all publicly rated companies according to S&P’s CSA ESG framework.
In the words of our CEO, Brian Shepherd, “A talented and inspired workforce that lives our values and does business the right way makes CSG a more attractive investment and a better technology partner.”
Promote DEI In Your Workplace
Fostering workplace diversity, equity and inclusion in a meaningful way starts with intentional action. Learn about the steps CSG is taking to promote DEI at all levels and find more ways to enact organizational change in the CSG Global Impact Report.
