NAA hosts first annual Diversity & Inclusion Awareness Week, releases D&I survey results.
The culture is changing in America, and so too are company values and standards. The National Apartment Association (NAA) recently conducted a survey to understand and document the current state of diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the industry and gather the information needed to develop strategies that can support member organizations’ efforts to embed D&I in their cultures. These findings were presented in a report and webinar, “The State of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in NAA Member Organizations.”
This coincides with NAA’s first-ever Diversity & Inclusion Awareness Week, happening now. NAA’s first annual D&I Awareness Week features five masterclass education sessions on diversity and inclusion that provide information on storytelling, allyship and leadership in the workplace. Each day, there’s the opportunity to learn and engage with other rental housing professionals on new ways to expand company D&I conversation and make actionable, long-lasting changes that benefit everyone.
“NAA is in the process of publicly raising the bar for DE&I with commitments, actions and reporting,” said Suzy Burke, Ph.D., Principal at T.H. Easter Consulting, one of the webinar presenters. “Changing a culture is complicated work. …When everyone can succeed, organizations do better.”
According to the survey, 88% of respondents said their company values improving people’s feelings of connection and inclusion, and nearly half reported their organization has an effective DE&I strategy. One of the best ways to begin is to “learn from others who have figured it out and share best practices,” said Burke.
It’s a two-dimension change, said Terri Hartwell Easter, Principal and Founder of T.H. Easter Consulting, in the webinar. “Capacity: Can you move from Position A to Position B? Second, how do you do that—training, training tools?” However, there is a time when Diversity & Inclusion can become overwhelming—DE&I fatigue, Easter called it. Trying to do too much in too little amount of time. “Move incrementally with intention and allow people to move with us – you don’t want people to fall off the bus.”
For more information, visit Diversity & Inclusion Awareness Week.