Corporate diversity pledges have fallen off at some companies amid layoffs, according to media reports, but long-term care is “full bore ahead on [diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging],” a representative from Argentum told the McKnight’s Business Daily.
DEIB initiatives have been the focus of recent media reports.
Bloomberg Law recently reported that such initiatives “adopted in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and ensuing protests are fading as sweeping layoffs blunt companies’ bold commitments to boost underrepresented groups in their C-suites and ranks.” The media outlet cited Amazon, Twitter and Nike as examples.
Waning DEI pledges are especially prevalent in big tech companies, Reuters reported. Although tech companies made DEI a priority a few years ago, the industry now faces the consequences of over-hiring, complicated by rising interest rates and changes in business and consumer behavior, the media outlet reported.
Despite those reports, Raymond Perez, of counsel in the Columbus, OH, office of Fisher Phillips and chair of the firm’s Corporate Compliance and Governance Practice Group, told the McKnight’s Business Daily that he doesn’t think DEI initiatives are a passing trend.
“In good economic times and challenging times, efforts to boost underrepresented groups within company leadership ranks will continue to pay dividends across all industries. Companies have come to recognize the benefits of creating a truly inclusive workplace, and I believe many of them will continue to focus on their diversity and inclusion efforts particularly as the bar has been raised and corporate culture is being held to a higher standard across the board,” Perez said.
According to a study by the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston, there is a pronounced lack of diversity among mid-level managers, senior leaders and board members of organizations that provide long-term services and supports.
Results of the first industry-wide effort to summarize the data on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in long-term care were released this fall by the Senior Living DEIB Coalition, a partnership including Argentum, the American Seniors Housing Association and the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care.
According to those survey results, the senior living and care industry was on trend at that time with other sectors in terms of DEIB leadership and forming DEIB committees. Twenty-seven percent of respondents said that their operations have a dedicated DEIB team, and an equal number said they don’t have a formal team but are working to incorporate DEIB policies. Forty-six percent of the respondents said their organizations have no DEIB program whatsoever, however.
The American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living isn’t tracking DEI-specific efforts among member companies, “but we believe the industry remains committed to DEI initiatives,” a representative said. AHCA/NCAL will be including the topic at its upcoming Quality Summit in May.
Integrating DEI into a long-term care organization’s culture is a journey, and that journey still has a long way to go, NCAL Executive Director LaShuan Bethea stated in May.
