Since the Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements, organisations have started to take more notice of DEI in the workplace, but things still haven’t progressed at the speed that we would hope for.

In this episode, we sit down for a frank, honest and practical discussion with Sheree Knowles, Chief Executive Officer at HR Knowledge Source.

Sheree has been in the human capital space for three decades. As head of HR, she found herself taking on roles within DEI for organisations looking to fulfil DEI targets. This is what fueled her passion to move these organisations beyond what was merely a box-ticking exercise and into a better understanding of how hiring for diverse talent can benefit not just the individual, but the organisation, too.

Sheree speaks with us about how she has been able to sway opinion within the organisations that she’s worked with, such as the tech company that she helped to place more women in technical roles. We speak about the ‘tapestry of diversity’ and how invisible diversity comes into play. We discuss George Floyd’s murder and why it was such a turning point for the world, as well as the differences across the world in attitudes towards DEI, and so much more.

In this episode, we cover - 

• How Sheree was able to change opinions after her DEI workshop was shot down.

  
  



• How to ‘find a bigger pond’ to find a more diverse range of candidates.

  
  



• The damage that ‘masking’ can have.

  
  



• How to do DEI training that works.

  
  



• Why the murder of George Floyd was such a turning point.

  
  



• The DEI mistakes that many organisations made when attempting to bring it to the forefront as a result of the Black Lives Matter movement.

  
  



• What does equity mean for business owners?

  
  



• ‘Calling people in’ vs. ‘calling people out’.

  
  



• Tackling the backlash to change.

  
  

  
  

  
  

LEARN MORE

HRKS - https://www.hrknowledgesource.com/Diversely - https://www.diversely.io/Diversely on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/diverselyio/

CONNECT

Sheree Knowles on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shereeknowles/

Helen McGuire on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenmcguireme/

Diversely on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/diverselyio/

LISTEN

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0FRssDsAUpx1WCbxDfvFoG

Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-d-igest-a-diversely-podcast/id1607041648