Your DE&I policy is being trashed online. What now?

Nantale Muwonge is the founder of  Black Girl PR and a research fellow at The Center For Black Entrepreneurship.

Recently several companies have faced intense backlash after backing out of their DE&I initiatives, from Microsoft letting go of one of their DE&I teams to Tractor Supply Company eliminating their DE&I roles and related goals. But the criticism reflects a heightened expectation for businesses to engage in equity more substantively, which means it’s an opportunity for growth and improvement. So here’s how to turn online criticism into a catalyst for positive change.

1. Understand the criticism

Identify the core issues being expressed by the public. First, differentiate between the types of feedback you’re receiving. Understand whether the criticism stems from genuine concerns or if it’s driven by misinformation or trolling. Be mindful of unconscious bias and prejudice within your team, since this can influence how feedback is perceived and addressed. Then analyze common themes within the feedback. Look for recurring issues in the feedback. Are there specific aspects of your DE&I policy that are consistently criticized? And finally, assess the impact of the criticisms by following these steps:

1. Evaluate how the criticisms align with broader societal issues such as systemic inequality. Start by identifying criticisms that reflect systemic patterns of inequality, such as racial discrimination, gender bias or economic disparities. This will help you understand the deeper roots of the concerns being raised. Also, consider how the feedback ties into ongoing social movements or public discourse, such as the Black Lives Matter movement, gender equality campaigns or calls for climate justice. Aligning your actions with these movements can demonstrate awareness and commitment to societal progress.
2. Assess how the criticisms are affecting internal stakeholders, such as employees, leadership and minority groups. For instance, employees from marginalized backgrounds may feel disheartened if your company’s DE&I efforts are perceived as inadequate.
3. Examine how the criticisms relate to your DE&I goals. For example, if feedback highlights a lack of inclusivity, assess whether your current DE&I goals are sufficient and if they need to be redefined or expanded.
4. Evaluate how the criticisms are affecting your public image and brand perception. Negative feedback, especially if widely shared, can damage reputation and stakeholder trust. And consider the impact on your relationships with external stakeholders, including customers, investors and community partners. Criticisms related to DE&I can influence stakeholder confidence and willingness to engage with your organization.

During this stage, it’s important to acknowledge historical context. Understand how past incidents or policies might be impacting current perceptions.

READ MORE: How to prepare to be targeted by activists

2. Establish a listening framework

Creating an optimized listening framework is essential for effectively addressing public concerns because it’ll ensure that feedback is not only heard, but also acted upon constructively. Begin by creating channels for open dialogue:

• Set up accessible feedback channels: Implement transparent channels such as social media forums, surveys and community focus groups to gather feedback.
• Encourage direct communication: Provide avenues for stakeholders to voice their concerns directly, ensuring that feedback is heard and valued.

Simultaneously, teach your team for active listening:

• Train your communications team: Equip your PR and communication teams with skills for culturally sensitive active listening. Focus on empathetic engagement and non-defensive responses.
• Employ active listening techniques: Teach techniques such as paraphrasing concerns, asking clarifying questions and acknowledging the emotional aspects of the feedback.

This approach fosters trust, enhances stakeholder engagement and contributes to long-term success in managing DE&I challenges.

3. Respond conscientiously

Resist the urge to just focus on damage control. Rather, focus on long-term, constructive engagement that’ll allow you to rebuild trust and drive meaningful change. How? By opening the door to long-term engagement:

• Foster ongoing dialogue: Instead of focusing solely on immediate responses, establish a framework for continuous communication with stakeholders. This involves regularly scheduled updates and maintaining forums for feedback.
• Build relationships: Use this opportunity to build deeper relationships with community leaders and stakeholders. Show a genuine commitment to understanding their perspectives and working collaboratively on solutions.

And then this is where building trust comes into play because after engaging in dialogue, you’ll get to demonstrate your commitment to change by implementing what you’ve learned:

• Implement thoughtful revisions: Engage with feedback to make meaningful changes to your policies and practices. Ensure that these changes are well-considered and aligned with your organizational values and the community’s needs.
• Showcase progress: Regularly communicate progress and improvements in response to the feedback you’ve received. Highlight the steps you’ve taken and the impact of these changes, to reinforce your commitment to ongoing improvement.

The conscientious approach emphasizes thoughtful, transparent and proactive responses, which demonstrates a genuine commitment to addressing concerns.

4. Turn criticism into actionable change

This is a crucial step in leveraging feedback for organizational growth and improvement. And because it’s where the real work happens, this is also where things usually fall apart. However, having a process with accountability checks in place will save you. So keep this mind while following these steps:

• Review your DE&I policies and initiatives to identify gaps and areas for improvement.
• Work with experts and community members to co-create and implement changes that address identified issues.
• Share updates and improvements openly with stakeholders, explaining how feedback influenced these changes.
• Continue to engage with the public to demonstrate your ongoing commitment.

This approach not only addresses immediate concerns but also fosters a culture of continuous improvement and long-term sustainability in DE&I efforts.

Bonus: Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

1. Reacting defensively: Responding defensively can escalate tensions and alienate stakeholders. Plus you’ll come across as dismissive or resistant to change, which can damage the trust and credibility you’ve built over the years. Focus on listening and understanding rather than justifying your decisions.
2. Making disingenuous promises: Making promises without a genuine commitment to follow through will be seen as a mere PR tactic, with no real intention to change. And inconsistent actions can damage your credibility and lead to further criticism, so be transparent about what can and cannot be done.
3. Pandering: Making superficial gestures that don’t address the underlying issues and that aren’t supported by substantive change doesn’t work anymore. Instead, respond in a meaningful way, take action and engage all stakeholders authentically.
4. Over-promising and under-delivering: Over-promising results or timelines can lead to disappointment and skepticism if you fail to deliver, which can erode trust and damage your reputation. So set realistic expectations and deliver on your promises.
5. Focusing solely on short-term fixes: Addressing criticism with short-term fixes rather than long-term solutions can result in recurring issues. This approach often fails to address systemic problems and doesn’t lead to sustainable change. Conversely, implementing solutions that address underlying issues can contribute to systemic change and long-term improvements.
6. Ignoring constructive feedback: Dismissing or ignoring constructive feedback can prevent you from learning and improving, while also exacerbating negative perceptions about your business. But if you treat all feedback as valuable, then you open yourself up to opportunities to identify where improvements can be made.
7. Inconsistent communication: Inconsistent or unclear communication can lead to confusion and misunderstandings, which can erode trust and make it difficult for stakeholders to understand your actions and intentions. Maintain clear and consistent communication.

Embrace feedback as a catalyst for growth

A listening-centered approach to PR crisis management can be a catalyst for transformation. By engaging empathetically, addressing concerns constructively and committing to ongoing dialogue and transparency, you can turn criticism about your DE&I policies into growth opportunities. Simply embrace feedback as a chance to enhance your equity efforts, which will ultimately contribute to your organization becoming more resilient and more sustainable.