The current movement taking place around the country to fight racial injustice and end police brutality has been a lightning rod for emotions that have ranged from disbelief to rage—emotions that aren’t just in evidence at rallies around the country but in workplaces as well.
Not only is it the responsibility of company leaders and internal communication and HR teams to take a stand against racial and social injustice, while promoting diversity, but they must also establish diversity and inclusion initiatives within their own workplaces. Change, which all can agree must occur, happens from the top down. Leaders set the stage for teams to follow.
Video can be a great way for promoting diversity and inclusion initiatives both internally and externally, showing support for employees from all types of backgrounds and visually conveying that despite differences, we can come together. Video promoting diversity can provide a powerful backdrop to prompt discussions on how to promote diversity in the workplace.
Video can strike an emotional chord while addressing sensitive subject matter in a way that impactfully engages the senses of both sight and sound.
Celebrating differences while coming together
Law firm Shearman & Sterling used video effectively to promote its second annual Women General Counsel Forum, making the point that female counsel are simultaneously navigating global investigations while battling gender pay gaps and conquering other megatrends both individual and collectively. The video not only shows the diversity of these female counsels, but shows their passion, engagement and compassion as they interact around shared experiences and concerns.
Another Shearman & Sterling video celebrates Pride Month with employees in New York City volunteering at The Center’s 2019 “Garden Party: A Taste of Pride” event. Staff were asked to use “one word to describe pride,” and shared their perspectives against a backdrop of celebration and coming together for inclusion.
Showcasing organizations that are setting the right example
Video can offer a great way to make introductions especially across large organizations or audiences that might not otherwise have the opportunity to meet a new employee, or in the case of BET, the first black man appointed as VP of diversity ad inclusion for an NBA team. The video helps to personalize a humble man taking on an important role.
Fostering greater representation
S&P Global used video to share its #ChangePays in Energy campaign, an effort that recognizes progress that has been made in representation among women in what has traditionally been a male-dominated industry, while pointing to continued opportunity for companies to motivate a shift toward gender-diverse leadership from within.
Maintaining transparency to set higher goals
Hogan Lovells, a law firm with offices in the UK, used video to highlight its efforts to encourage staff to share their diversity data with the firm so it could improve the accuracy of its ethnicity pay gap reporting—and a success rate of 91% reporting.
Proving that actions (and videos) speak louder than words
The widespread awareness and outrage sparked by the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis has touched every corner of America. Corporations which often try to avoid controversial issues are deciding that silence isn’t an option here. Nike is one example of a company that has been pointed to as a good example of making a statement that employees, customers and community alike can get behind. The impact of the spot, despite its simplicity, illustrates the power that video can have even without high-end production values.
Peloton has also been receiving a lot of positive feedback following their release of a similarly simple video that packs a powerful message.
Join 15K+ subscribers reading our emails every week!
