Hello, and welcome to LegalEase. Today, we will finish our session on Workplace DEI programs. As you may recall, during our last session, we answered the question for private employers. Are DEI programs still valid? The answer is yes. Yes, they’re still valid post the ruling by our US Supreme Court/SCOTUS that race can no longer be used in college admissions.

Despite the fact that DEI programs are still valid how, as an employer, are you to use them?  Here are some steps you can take:

• Continue your diverse recruiting efforts.  
• When you recruit, make sure that you’re not using a protected class as a basis for hiring candidates. We have discussed the protected classes – race, color, age, disability, sex, religion. Don’t use a protected class during your recruiting efforts.
• Make sure your goals of the DEI program are valid. It’s important to seek legal counsel on this issue. As an example, quotas have always been illegal, right? If you’re saying, I want to have a quota in my workplace, for example, a certain number of women, disabled, or people of color –  that’s illegal. So, it’s important to understand the goals of the program.
• Implement DEI and sensitivity training. This is important, especially for your managerial and executive staff members.
• When you hire candidates under your DEI program, try to retain them through mentorship programs. Do you have mentors in-house who can assist the candidates so that they want to remain on your workforce. Do you have females on staff? Do you have people of color on staff? This is  important for retention.

These are some of the issues you should consider, as a private employer when evaluating your DEI program post the SCOTUS ruling.

If you want your DEI program evaluated or have general questions, please reach out to us. You can set up a consultation through our website, and our link is always in the bio. Thank you for joining LegalEase.