Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) have become key pillars of workplace culture—which we love! So when days/events like Pride roll around, of course we want to celebrate and post about it to spread awareness.
But before we press send, we always do a gut-check and ask ourselves: are we showing up in the right ways?
It’s not enough to post about a DEI initiative or movement just to be like everyone else—this can come off as performative. It’s extremely important to consider how you/your organization are showing up for those communities and if you can do something tangible to offer support (check out our Pride in Practice research for inspiration). True support is about consistent, meaningful action rather than a one-time effort that lacks systemic change.
In this blog, we’ll cover tips and tools for you to thoughtfully consider if posting about DEI awareness or celebration days/events is appropriate—AND how to do it properly if you do. Let’s get into it!
Step 1: Ask yourself why you want to post, then determine if you should
Before you do anything, you should ask this question individually or pose it to your team—and be honest. Do you want to post because “everyone’s doing it” and it seems like a “trendy” thing to talk about? Do you want to be seen as an inclusive company, even if you haven’t put in the work to be inclusive? Or are there folks on your team from communities you want to show support for? If you’re honest about why you’re compelled to post about something, then you can decide if it’s appropriate.
Step 2: Consider if you’re doing anything to support the cause
Are you/your organization actively involved in any DEI initiatives? Do you donate to organizations close to your heart or volunteer your time? If the answer is yes, amazing! You should have fair game to post about it. If there’s an opportunity for you to do more, maybe forego the “did you know it’s X day?” post and put that time towards supporting an organization or cause you care about. Try to focus on amplifying those voices rather than your own.
But I care about these causes and can’t make a financial contribution—how can I show my support and spread awareness?
Great question! There are other ways to show support in a respectful, authentic way, even if you don’t have the budget. Here are some ways you can lift up other organizations doing incredible work in the community:
- Reshare posts from other organizations (don’t forget to tag them!) and encourage your audience to check them out.
- Volunteer your time.
- Use accessible, inclusive language in your posts. This includes using gender-neutral pronouns, people-first language (or identity-first language if that’s how someone describes themselves) and spelling out acronyms in full first. Avoid euphemisms like “differently abled” or “special needs.”
- Make your post as accessible as possible by using alt text and ensuring your visuals have adequate contrast between text and backgrounds. Don’t overuse emojis and avoid using them as bullet points (screen readers will describe each emoji which can be distracting when there’s a lot of them).
- Engage with impactful organizations on a regular basis. Find ways to build relationships and give back throughout the year.
- Collaborate with diverse partners and organizations on projects, especially if they represent the communities you want to speak to and support.
What not to do:
- Don’t post a generic “Happy ____ Day” without giving it some thought. This messaging isn’t always appropriate and without understanding the origin of a day, it could come across as insensitive. However, sometimes this messaging is okay in the right context—just don’t forget to tag the organization(s) and include relevant information.
- Don’t post about DEI awareness or a celebration day/event and only make it about you/your organization. There’s some nuance to this—because it’s fantastic when organizations post about tangible things they’re doing to support the community. It’s not fantastic when organizations talk over the communities they’re speaking about, or when the post feels like an ad for their own business.
- Don’t expect free labour from folks. It’s not appropriate to ask community members to do your emotional labour, participate in speaking engagements for donations to an organization of their choice or worse yet, to pay them in “exposure.”
- Don’t pass off another organization’s philanthropic work as your own.
- Don’t speak on behalf of marginalized communities.
- Avoid using “our” when speaking about communities you aren’t a part of, so you don’t sound possessive.
- Don’t reach out last minute to content creators from communities you want to celebrate.
Embodying DEI in your organization and personal life won’t happen overnight, and that’s okay. What’s important is being honest with where you’re at and intentional about what you want to achieve. If you can, create a DEI strategy to help foster safer spaces in your workplace and online presence. We hope you stay curious, listen, ask questions and keep talking about it!
