Letter from Jackye Clayton
Letter from Jackye Clayton
And just like that—another year has passed. This year we saw a substantial economic shift that partly led to massive layoffs throughout the industry. We also saw a change in the workplace’s perceived importance around Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). DEIB professionals were too often targets of these layoffs, and the DEIB movement came under attack. I feel that more than ever, in 2023, we find ourselves at a crossroads when it comes to the context of DEIB efforts within businesses. There is currently a unique alignment of factors that highlight the urgency of our current situation including the diverse composition of our workforce across generations, the impact of globalization, the transformative potential of digital HR technology, and the amplified influence of ongoing social and political movements. Together, these elements signify a crossroads, compelling organizations to recognize the imperative for proactive and meaningful action in the realm of DEIB.
Sadly, I have recently seen organizations scrub anything and everything showing a commitment to DEIB. And while this work has always been challenging, I never, in a million years, thought there would be a time when people threatened to sue organizations for making themselves fair and inclusive, especially after all the hard work and advocacy that has gone into establishing these roles since 2020. It is tough to get excited about this work when organizations remove any trace of their commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. I feel like these organizations are also trying to erase me as a person.
But this did not stop us at Textio. In fact, our response was to double down on our commitment to creating software that helps organizations recruit and retain diverse talent. Part of that commitment is this research and the publishing of this report. Our goal is to be transparent about what DEIB looks like at a company that is committed to creating a fair workplace by building tools to help others advance their own DEIB efforts.
This report is a reflection of our journey so far and a roadmap for our path forward.
In this year’s report, we compared our employee metrics and DEIB programs to last year’s and identified our successes and areas for improvement. You will also see a blend of data-driven insights, callouts as to what worked and what did not work, and you will get to read about our real-world case study. And while we’ve made progress for sure at Textio, we are far from done.
The narratives and data presented in this report also serve as a call to action. They remind us that DEIB work is never done; it is an ongoing journey of learning, unlearning, and relearning. As we look toward the future, this report encourages all of us to think critically about how we can continue to drive meaningful change within our organizations and the greater world.
I am proud of the work we have done. I hope as you read it, you will think of the journey DEIB is going on at your organization and join me in creating a more inclusive, equitable, and fair future of work.
Jackye Clayton (she/her)
VP of Talent Acquisition and DEIB
Download the 2023 Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Report
Contents
Overview
We know that one of the biggest mistakes organizations can make when trying to implement a DEIB strategy is to solely focus on adding people from diverse communities—with little regard to developing an intentional approach for creating an equitable and inclusive culture that fosters a sense of belonging for all employees. Textio’s three-pronged approach and focus on personal DEIB development, fostering inclusive interactions, and addressing structural policies ensures that we are not being performative or just addressing surface level challenges, but that we are also accountable to identifying and addressing the root causes of inequities and disparities as they show up across the employee experience at Textio. Throughout this report, we share tools and practices Textio leverages internally to advance equity, inclusion, and belonging across the employee experience.
This page contains summary materials of the full report. For full information, download the full 2023 report.
2023 DEIB programs
Our approach to DEIB
The three-pronged model (Individual, Interpersonal, and Systemic), introduced in 2022, continues to guide Textio’s approach to DEIB.
Individual
The individual prong focuses on the personal level, emphasizing self-awareness and personal DEIB development. At the individual level, it is about educating each team member on biases, both conscious and unconscious, and empowering them to understand their role in fostering an inclusive environment. This includes training sessions, workshops, and resources to help employees recognize and challenge their assumptions and behaviors. The goal is to shift the mindset to understand that DEIB is everyone’s responsibility.
Interpersonal
At the interpersonal level, the emphasis is on interactions between employees. This prong involves creating a culture where open and respectful dialogue about diversity and inclusion is encouraged. It includes initiatives facilitating collaboration and mentorship across different groups, encouraging employees to learn from each other’s experiences and perspectives. This approach helps to build relationships and understanding between diverse individuals, teams, and departments within Textio. This pillar encompasses conflict resolution strategies and the nurturing of allyship within the organization.
Systemic
The Systemic prong addresses the structures, policies, and procedures that impact DEIB at an organizational level. This involves reviewing and revising company policies, processes, and practices to ensure they are equitable and support diversity and inclusion. It includes everything from recruitment and hiring practices to promotion and compensation structures.
By integrating these three prongs, Textio ensures a holistic approach to DEIB, aiming for a culture change that is not only supported by the top management but also deeply embedded in every layer of the organization. This multi-level strategy helps ensure that DEIB isn’t just a box to check off but a core value that is lived and breathed across all business areas.
The employee experience
DEIB across the employee lifecycle
The employee experience encompasses the entire journey of an employee with a company. We know that centering DEIB across the employee experience supports the creation of a more supportive and enriching work environment and facilitates a sense of belonging from an employee's first point of connection to our brand, to their exit from the company. When we mention the employee experience at Textio, we are referencing the following:
Attraction
When we talk about attraction at Textio we are truly talking about strategies and methods to attract potential employees. This involves building an employer brand along with a workplace culture that appeals to high-quality candidates from diverse candidate pools.
Recruitment
Recruitment is the process of sourcing and selecting the most qualified candidate for a job opening, whether from within or outside the organization, in a timely and cost-effective manner. It involves analyzing job requirements, attracting potential applicants, screening and selecting candidates, hiring, and facilitating the integration of the new employee into the organization.
Onboarding
Onboarding is the process of helping new employees quickly and smoothly adjust to the social and performance aspects of their roles. It includes activities that aid new hires in understanding their responsibilities, the organizational structure, and the company’s culture, policies, and expectations. Effective onboarding fosters employee engagement, satisfaction, and long-term retention.
Retention
Retention encompasses strategies and practices to keep employees engaged and committed to the organization. This category focuses on creating a work environment where employees feel valued, supported, and fulfilled, reducing turnover rates. It includes initiatives such as career development opportunities, recognition programs, competitive compensation, work-life balance, and cultivating a positive work culture.
Development
Development refers to the continuous efforts to enhance an employee’s performance and capabilities through learning and training opportunities. It involves providing employees with the necessary resources, tools, and experiences to expand their skills, knowledge, and abilities, which can lead to career advancement and personal growth within the organization.
Exiting Textio
Employee exits are inevitable. Regardless of how great your employee experience or workplace culture is, employees will eventually leave the company. At Textio, when we talk about exits, voluntary or involuntary, they are opportunities to learn ways we can improve our programs, practices, and policies to decrease separations from the company.
2023 Metrics
Our Team
This year we had more employees self-identified than 2022, and the data revealed the following:
Gender diversity
Representation of women increased by 9% from 44% in 2022 to 53% in 2023. Representation of men increased by 2% from 40% in 2022 to 42% in 2023. Representation of non-binary people decreased from 4% in 2022 to 3% in 2023.
We have made progress in gender diversity and continue to look for opportunities to grow and improve. This data highlights the need to better understand and support the non-binary and genderqueer communities.
Employee gender as self-identified
Age diversity
A majority of our workforce falls within the 30-39 age range, increasing from 50% in 2022 to 55% in 2023. We also saw an increase in the 40-49 age bracket, increasing from 28% to 31%. We saw a decrease in the 18-29 age bracket, from 18% in 2022 to 11% in 2023. We also saw a slight decrease from 2022 to 2023 (.3%) in the 50+ age brackets. This data shows that Textio has a strong middle-aged workforce and needs to increase focus on attracting younger and older talent.
Employee age
Race/Ethnicity diversity
We saw a decrease in our Hispanic employees, decreasing from 12% in 2022 to 8% in 2023. We also saw a decrease in our white employees, decreasing from 63% in 2022 to 60% in 2023. Black employee representation increased from 9% in 2022 to 13% in 2023. We also saw increase in our Southeast Asian employees, increasing from 4% in 2022 to 6% in 2023. These findings reflect an evolving ethnic landscape. To address the decrease in representation for Hispanic employees, we will be placing an additional focus on Hispanic representation, inclusion, and belonging.
Employee race as self-identified (may choose more than one)
2024 focus areas
Goals and recommendations
2023 was a year full of uncomfortable growth and great learning for Textio. We are excited to transform those learnings into intentional action to continue to support the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion internally and externally and cultivate a sense of belonging for all Textios across our distributed work environment.
Textio will be working towards the following goals and recommendations in 2024.
Targeted development and mentoring
Establish programs specifically designed to identify and nurture talent from underrepresented groups, ensuring they are well-positioned for future leadership roles.
Transparent promotion process
Clearly communicate the criteria for promotions, ensuring these are inclusive and unbiased. Regularly review these criteria to align with DEIB goals.
Data-driven decision making
Utilize data to continuously monitor and improve the equity of promotion practices. This includes not just tracking promotions but also understanding the pipeline of candidates for promotion.
Inclusive environment for non-binary and gender-diverse employees
Develop strategies to support and encourage career progression for non-binary and gender-diverse employees, recognizing and addressing any unique challenges they may face
Individual programming
- Providing a regular cadence of asynchronous all-staff learning and development opportunities that support different learning styles, preferences, and work schedules for a fully distributed team.
- Providing individualized DEIB learning plans to intentionally support employee growth and development from their starting place on their DEIB journey.
Interpersonal programming
- Implementation and evaluation of the revamped Inclusion Council framework. The impact of the program changes will be evaluated and reported on in the 2024 report.
- Providing a regular cadence of synchronous staff training to support understanding and operationalization of Textio’s equitable practices.
Systemic programming
- Policy and practice changes to support the institutionalization of accountability at the individual, team, and department level as it relates to the advancement of DEIB internally.
- Developing an inclusive procurement strategy to support increasing the number of diverse suppliers.
- Streamlining data collection and reporting for all DEIB programs and initiatives across the company.
Our focus on performance feedback
We will also continue to integrate Textio Lift into our internal performance feedback process, reflecting our ongoing commitment to ensuring that every member of our team is engaged in meaningful work and aligned with their professional growth goals. This approach aligns with our broader organizational goals of fostering a culture of open communication, feedback, and ongoing development, ensuring that our team remains at the forefront of innovation and equitable outcomes.
Download the 2023 Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Report
Conclusion
Reflecting on Textio's DEIB journey from 2022 to 2023, it's evident that we've navigated a path marked by significant growth in certain areas yet encountered setbacks that fell short of our expectations. This period has been crucial for understanding the dynamics of our DEIB initiatives and their impact on our organization.
While we celebrate the areas where we’ve grown, it’s equally important to recognize and address the aspects where we still need to meet our goals. Our journey in DEIB is ongoing, and our commitment to continuous improvement and adaptation will be pivotal as we strive to build an inclusive culture where every individual feels valued and empowered.
Meet Jackye Clayton
Vice President of Talent Acquisition and DEIB at Textio
Jackye Clayton is a highly accomplished professional currently serving as the Vice President of Talent Acquisition and DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) at Textio. With over 15 years of experience in the HR field and a strong passion for driving positive change, Jackye is a visionary leader in the talent acquisition and DEIB space.
In her role at Textio, Jackye is dedicated to helping companies hire and retain diverse teams by eliminating bias in critical moments throughout the talent lifecycle. Her approach is deeply rooted in data-driven strategies that align with business objectives and customer needs, making her a driving force behind Textio’s mission to foster inclusive cultures and leverage diversity as a catalyst for innovation. In addition to her corporate role, Jackye has made significant contributions to the nonprofit sector. She has dedicated her time and expertise to various nonprofit organizations, serving on multiple boards and applying her strategic insights to guide these organizations toward their missions and achieve impactful outcomes.
