How to Build an Effective DEI Program in Your Organization: A Conversation With Dani Durante

We offer education to equip employees to have vulnerable or potentially difficult conversations. We offer tangible support to those who need it through wellness, professional development and mentorship programs. Our global employee resource networks have offered community and safe space to hundreds of employees across many facets of identity. Employees also have 24/7 access to mental health support programs and webinars. Importantly, we take a global approach and tailor our programming to address the unique situations and challenges in each region. Signature programs like our monthly microlearning series educate hundreds of employees on topics like accessibility in hiring, psychological safety and LGBTQ+ identity.

Our mentorship and belonging programs have also had a substantial impact. Take CSG’s Emerging Leader Program, which led to a 50% increase in promotions among women in 2023. 20% of CSG employees participate in at least one of our eight employee resource groups , two of which were created last year. In 2023, we launched the Engage Mentorship Program, aimed at pairing critical talent with senior leaders for six months of personalized coaching and support. As a result of these collective efforts, our belonging score has improved +1 year-over-year since we began tracking.

How can organizations ensure that their DEI efforts are genuinely inclusive and not just ticking boxes?

People often paint effective DEI as a mystery because they’re afraid to get it wrong. Yes, it can be a complex, sensitive process, but it’s a daily practice around mindsets and behavior and the starting point is simple: listen . Many initiatives that sound good on paper may ring hollow to employees if they don’t actually address employees’ needs or concerns.

You don’t need to have all the answers; you just need to be open to feedback and adjust your approach when your team tells you what they need to thrive. That is the true sentiment behind our belief in the “power of all.”

How can DEI be integrated into the core business strategy rather than being seen as a standalone effort?

I think it starts when business leaders redefine what DEI means to the organization and see it as an accelerator to their outcomes. At the end of the day, DEI programs are extensions of employee experience efforts; it’s an investment in your workforce just like any other When people feel seen, heard and valued for their unique contributions, they feel safer to innovate and challenge, and they are more likely to stay.

Let that understanding that different groups face different challenges guide your decisions at every level. This is the kind of thinking that will help modern leaders ensure that diversity, equity and inclusion are woven into the fabric of everyday operations, rather than treated as separate initiatives.

Our people-first ethos is meaningful to our investor community as well. In April, we received our second consecutive “Prime” rating from ISS, meaning that we are in the top 20% of peers when it comes to quality ESG disclosure. And we ranked in the top 10% of peers by Sustainalytics and the top 25% of all publicly rated companies according to S&P’s CSA ESG framework.

In the words of our CEO, Brian Shepherd, “A talented and inspired workforce that lives our values and does business the right way makes CSG a more attractive investment and a better technology partner.”