​Why D&I is Important Within an Organisation: Derek Diviney, Indeed

Derek Diviney is the EMEA VP of Sales & Customer Service at Indeed. Prior to this Derek spent the last 12 years at Google, most recently as the Managing Director of Google Ads in the Professional Services group. Derek has strong finance and analytical experience with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the National University of Ireland, Galway. He is a Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland following 5 years of business advisory, mergers and acquisition experience with Ernst & Young and Arthur Andersen.

Indeed gets over 250 million unique visitors every month from over 60 different countries. Indeed has become the catalyst for putting the world to work and has over 10,000 employees worldwide.

Derek gives an account of what D&I means to Indeed and how their team of D,I&B partners along with management consultation and coaching helps promote an inclusive culture as well as positively impacting on employee retention.

Tell us a bit about your current role/professional background.

I joined Indeed just over 4 months ago to lead up their EMEA and South East Asia sales teams. As of the start of January, I also took responsibility for our Client Success teams. My aim is to have these teams work seamlessly together so we deliver a great end to end experience for our customers.
I also act as site lead for our Dublin offices with a big emphasis on supporting Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (DI&B) initiatives across all our teams here in Dublin. Sponsoring and supporting our Inclusion Resource Groups, such as Women at Indeed, is a great way to embed DI&B initiatives into the business. My passion for DI&B and the positive impact it has on business performance and employee engagement goes back to my experience at Google. I was at Google for just over 12 years. I was fortunate enough in those later years to be part of the Google Ireland’s leadership team and also lead up our D&I initiatives across the Dublin campus.

Why is diversity and inclusion important within an organisation?

At Indeed, we proudly support a work environment where inclusion is not only valued but leveraged. We know that when our employees feel empowered to positively contribute to our success, we see more creative problem-solving, easier employee recruitment, and improved employee retention.

How can an organisation promote an inclusive culture?

Last year Indeed appointed LaFawn Davis who is now our first VP of Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging. Having someone in this dedicated role will really help to drive change. Reporting into LaFawn are DI&B Business Partners, IRG Programme Managers, DI&B Communications and Content Strategy Managers etc. all helping to create awareness and to hold people accountable.

How can a leadership team ensure a commitment to diversifying their workforce?

Inclusion & Belonging are part of our Core Values. We believe diversity of background, experience, and thought makes for a better workplace, better decision-making, and more innovation. We focus on cultivating a sense of belonging and an environment where everyone can thrive. We believe the more our team represents the world around us, the better we are at helping all people get jobs.

How can an organisation improve its D&I hiring strategy?

At Indeed we have an experienced group of recruiters who are focused on hiring diverse talent. This includes partnering with the right academic universities and organizations to create a diverse pipeline of talent, experimenting with how best to remove bias from job descriptions, and focusing on specific populations that are underrepresented at Indeed.

What do you think are the biggest obstacles that an organisation may face when implementing a D&I strategy? Do you have any examples?

The tone for the entire organization is set from the top and is felt all the way down through the varying levels of management. That is why it is essential to the success of our teams to have leadership support and accountability in a way that fundamentally changes the company for the better. Initiatives are most successful when a company uses a D&I professional as more than a figurehead and genuinely sees the program as something that is a valuable asset to the organization. It is essential that organizations are ready to look within, invest, and really do the work, rather than simply ‘check the box’.

What efforts has your organisation implemented over the years to promote a more inclusive culture?

An inclusive workplace understands the needs of their employees, making them feel valued and respected. It has a significant and positive impact on employee retention. Companies that openly articulate values of inclusion and belonging and have a diverse workforce tend to appeal to a wider customer and supplier base.

At Indeed we promote and support Inclusion Resource Groups which play a large role in driving diversity, inclusion and belonging within Indeed. Also having hired people dedicated to engaging with Indeed employees globally to cultivate an inclusive work environment and sense of belonging is essential. This team is helping to foster partnerships through Inclusion Resource Groups, community organizations and training/educational institutions.

We also provide consultation and coaching to all levels of management to improve workforce inclusion and belonging. Training such as Ally Skills, Cultural Intelligence and Unconscious Bias.

How does a lack of a D&I strategy effect employees individually? What effects does it have on office culture?

A lack of D&I may cause an organization to become too insular and out of touch with their increasingly heterogeneous customer base. It does not foster an innovative environment where a diverse and inclusive workforce may come up with a wider range of solutions to business problems.

We want a culture where an individual can feel they can bring their authentic self to work. A company that does not place any emphasis on this may cause employee disengagement.

Derek Diviney joins us on the panel for our next WWMB D&I event on Thursday 5th March. Contact events@wwmb.ie to register your interest for free tickets.