What would be your response if someone said diversity, equity, and inclusion is dead? 

Get ready to answer that because… 

My guest today makes that claim. 

And she’s 100% right. 

Kait McGregor is the Director of People Science + Innovation at WithYouWithMe, where she leads the global research team that is developing the testing and matching capabilities of their company’s POTENTIAL platform, a recruitment psychometric testing software. 

(If you LOVE this episode and the research Kait mentions, click this link to grab that research + more! https://go.withyouwithme.com/genzsignup) 

Why is DEI Dead? 

To put it simply? DEI initiatives no longer achieve what they set out to achieve. 

They simply “check a box”.  

It’s no longer about actual diversity + inclusion. Instead, in most companies, quota and box-checking trumps actual diversification of thought, background, and ethnicity. 

Kait rightfully points out that most organizations have DEI initiatives just for show, with no intention of taking steps to achieve them. There is a significant need for change. 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion should mean more.  It should be about recognizing people for who they are and understanding the values they would bring to an organization as individuals. 

Why DEI is mostly discussed as a surface-level thing instead of a systemic change: 

"I don't think it's from lack of trying, to be honest. For some organizations, DEI initiatives come from a place of understanding that this is a fundamental need within the requirements of what we have as an organization." ~ Kaitlynne McGregor. 

The need for this implementation is being discussed but the problem is in the method adopted.  

No one is teaching those organizations about this the different ways to go about it. They're so caught up in what they're trying to achieve that they've not had the time to take a step back and re-analyze their methods to see if it actually works.  

For example: Imagine being a Latina woman recruited by a “diversity recruiter” and given an interview, only to find out you never had a shot at the job to begin with. The position was already filled, but the company had to “fill it’s diversity quota”. 

Kaitlynne speaks on the solution to proper implementation of DEI initiatives:  

"If DEI initiatives are done right, they should start with education. It should start with the conversation around 'How do we recruit neuro-divergent, youths, indigenous people, military spouses...in a way that is friendly to them, not in the way that suits us and is easy for us as HR professionals?" She said.  

She advised having an attitudinal and psychometric assessment of employees, and making that data available to recruiters. That way, a person's alignment with a certain role is more certain. 

It removes subconscious bias. Employment would then be based purely on data from the assessment, and the employees will be better understood holistically as individuals and not the labels we give them.  

But there aren't enough people willing to open their minds to these new ideas.  

When asked what she thinks about using AI as a solution to recruitment bias:  

I asked Kait whether or not AI was a good solution to this problem. 

She pointed out that AI could be a tool we could leverage but can't be the entire solution. Human beings are biased but they have humanity. The human touch is what the AI lacks and that's why it can't be used as a sole tool for judgment. 

A neuro-divergent person herself, Kait explained what it is like to live with it. She also talked about how her organization is working towards creating an entirely different recruitment process for neuro-divergent persons.  

Listening to the full podcast will shed more light on the discussion. Make sure to check it out.  

Bio: 

Kaitlyn McGregor leads WithYouWithMe’s (WYWM) global Research and Innovation operations, with the responsibility of developing the testing and matching capabilities of the Potential platform. She also influences the development of new and existing products across multiple regions. She has previously served in many leadership positions where she has made notable positive changes.  

Books: 

The Potential Platform and Use of Psychometrics Assessments for the Purposes of Unlocking a Person’s Potential.  

Website

LinkedIn