DEI Terminations

The concept of hiring employees to fulfill Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives is a noble goal.  On the positive side, it enables an organization to capitalize on the talents of a diverse workforce with a wide range of perspectives, experiences and concepts. It inspires innovation, creativity, a global perspective and shows job seekers that the company engages in fair business practices.

But what happens when a DEI candidate does not work out?

Statistics indicate that approximately 30% to 50% of all new hires leave or are terminated within the first 18 months of employment, with the reasons ranging from poor job fit to cultural mismatches. When the termination is of a DEI employee, a business can find themselves with complex ethical, legal, and organizational issues, depending on the circumstances.

A business should be able to terminate a substandard employee without the fear of accusations of discrimination and bias.

The best defense against potential charges of bias is to follow anti-discrimination laws, be transparent with expectations, provide resources and leadership support to achieve measurable outcomes, diarize all evaluations and discuss with employee, and operate with the best of intentions for both parties.