Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Harassment & Discrimination Prevention

Many organizations treat harassment and discrimination (H&D) as completely separate from their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. They silo their efforts operationally and philosophically. The programs are funded by separate budgets, separate teams run separate trainings, and each training isn’t evaluated on how well it aligns with and supports the work of the other. Harassment and discrimination prevention is often viewed as a compliance or legal risk mitigation activity, while DEI is often seen as a recruiting differentiator, a driver of workplace culture, or a marketing and PR tactic. Although many companies today understand the business advantages—and moral imperative—of DEI work, it has been historically under-resourced.