For many forward-thinking tech companies, having a strategy for diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) has become as vital as any other department, as it can lay the groundwork for successful future growth.
However, identifying the need for the strategy is only the first step, and actively working toward building an environment that fosters diversity, equality and inclusivity can be easier said than done.
That’s why many companies are quickly realizing that in order to effectively implement their strategy, they will need to hire a dedicated DE&I staff member — and that’s exactly what enterprise SaaS company Peakon did.
Peakon’s Chief People Officer Rick Kershaw said that as the company grew, they recognized not only the need for a DE&I function that can scale with the company but also the expertise gaps internally to deliver a function that is best in class. This led them to make the decision to invest in a DE&I leader.
To dig a bit deeper into Peakon’s journey with hiring a full-time DE&I leader, Built In NYC caught up with Kershaw.
Peakon is an enterprise web platform designed to help organizations increase employee engagement using real-time feedback provided by their teams.
How and when did you know it was time to hire a dedicated, full-time DEI leader to your team?
The business was continuing to grow and scale and it was identified that we had a gap in terms of the knowledge and expertise that we held internally. Because of that, we made the positive decision to invest in senior leader capability to advance our journey. It’s pivotal that the actions we take now will continue to shape our future and, therefore, this was the correct time.
At Peakon, inclusion is at the core of our values and we wanted to be strategic about our decisions with DEI as part of that decision-making process.
What are the key skills you look for in a DEI leader?
As a small SaaS business, the ability to collaborate across the organization and make things happen is critical, especially as we:
- Work across teams and understand different points of view and how that aligns with business priorities.
- Understand how inclusion is relevant to each department.
- Are able to involve in the broader strategy to effect change.
Peakon is a data business, and being data-focused is very important for how we discuss and influence decisions internally. Being adept and comfortable with data helps to create a clear understanding that fuels the overall strategy and ensures that all voices are heard.
Transparency is another core value at Peakon, so someone who was authentic and transparent was going to be paramount for our DEI leader. The expectation is that we would be sharing very regular updates on strategy, what they are doing and the key focus areas, why this was the focus and the critical lessons learned along the way. Being authentic and transparent also means that they should be able to assess fully without bias.
Inclusion is at the core of our values and we wanted to be strategic about our decisions with DEI as part of that decision-making process.”
How do you ensure this person has the support and buy-in from senior leadership (and the company) to be successful and effective in their role?
Early engagement is critical, especially with the senior leadership team asking about the “why” for this role. As part of the hiring process, we engaged early with senior leaders and had a significant number of the C-suite as part of the assessment process. This then created some early relationships that could be developed after our DEI leader had onboarded to the organization.
We communicated very early with the business even before our DEI leader had started around the level of the role, as well as the purpose and focus to ensure from the onset that we were setting them up for success.
Freedom and autonomy to act are important. We made a deliberate decision to hire a senior leader with deep expertise. Therefore, providing space and support to deliver is very important.
The positioning of the role at the senior level is important for success. This has enabled positive dialogue and influences decisions with the right leaders.
