Beginnings Are Such Delicate Things...
- The Belonging Lab
- Nov 7
- 4 min read
When organisations respond to crises, the first message, decisions and commitments they make don't just fill headlines, they set the frame for what follows. Early responses shape employee expectations, create accountability surfaces or hollow them out, and determine whether momentum becomes durable change or fades into performative noise. The choices you make in the first days and months after an issue lands, will be the scaffolding for long-term EDI&B traction.
Why First Responses Matter
Rapid public commitments shape employee trust and expectations. A clear Day 0 statement signals intent; what follows determines credibility.
Visible promises create accountability surfaces - KPI's, dedicated funds, named owners and timelines that stakeholders can measure.
Weak follow-through erodes credibility, damages retention and risks reputational harm that lasts far beyond the initial incident.
Think of the early phase as the narrative opening: it either creates a roadmap or leaves people waiting to see whether the organisation means what it said.
Case Study: Corporate Promises After George Floyd
In 2020, many organisations issued statements and announced racial-equity commitments in response to George Floyd's murder. The surge in pledges illustrated two things: the widespread appetite for change and the danger of well-intentioned but under-resourced promises. Where organisations translated pledges into measurable plans and governance,
change stuck. Where plans were vague and accountability absent, momentum evaporated.
The lesson is simple: public pledges are a starting point, not a finishing line.
Translate Promises into SMART Commitments
To stop pledges being performative, translate them into SMART commitments:
Specific - define the exact interventions (e.g., targeted leadership development places, apprenticeship slots).
Measurable - set KPIs such as hiring, promotion rates, retention, pay equity and engagement.
Achievable - tie ambitions to business strategy and resource them with budget and people.
Relevant - alight with core talent risks and client expectations.
Timebound - create quarterly milestones, annual reviews and clear deadline-driven outcomes.
A SMART approach converts emotion and intent into operational work that can be measured and improved.
The Data Mix: Qualitative + Quantitive Is Non-Negotiable
Numbers alone don't explain why gaps exist; stories alone don't scale: Effective EDI&B relies on a mixed-methods approach.
Quantitative: Human Resources Information System (HRIS) demographics, promotion velocity, pay-gap analyses, pulse survey scores.
Qualitative: confidential focus groups, lived-experience panels, exit and stay interviews.
Mixed methods: use numbers to identify gaps and narratives to uncover root causes and appropriate interventions.
The balance ensures interventions are evidence-led and contextually appropriate.
Practical Ways to Collect Reliable Workforce Data
Audit and clean HR records; expand inclusive categories and provide opt-in disclosure options.
Run short, frequent pulse surveys that include open-text fields for nuance.
Host confidential, compensated focus groups and lived-experience panels.
Systematise exit and stay interviews and anonymised story-collection to feed co-design processes.
Good data practices make it possible to detect early signals, test pilots and scale what works.
Getting Senior Leaders and the Board Involved
Leadership sponsorship converts promises into resources and accountability. Practical steps:
Make EDI&B a standing board agenda item with named owners and data-backed updates.
Tie specific EDI&B KPIs to executive scorecards and remuneration where appropriate.
Provide leaders with concise, business-focused briefing packs that show implications for talent, risk and commercial outcomes.
Use pilots with control groups to demonstrate measurable outcomes before wider rollout.
Board-level attention ensures the work survives personnel changes and competing priorities.
Addressing Board Pushback: Arguments and Tactics
When you meet resistance, reframe EDI&B as both risk management and value creation:
Present job-focused evidence: attrition in critical roles, pipeline gaps, client expectations.
Start with pilots and A/B-style evaluations so the board sees measured outcomes and costed impact.
Use external benchmarking and peer comparisons to contextualise performance and ambition.
Show the board the commercial upside of preventing avoidable departures and ambition.
Demonstrating Return on Investment: A Worked Example
An illustrative worked example shows how retention improvements translate into measurable savings:
Organisation: 10,000 employees; baseline voluntary turnover 12%.
Problem group: 4,000 employees with turnover target reduced from 20% to 14%.
Programme cost: £1,200,000 per year.
Cost per departure (hiring + lost productivity): ~£25,000.
Avoided departures: 6% of 4,000 = 240; savings = 240 x £25,000 = £6,000,000.
Net benefit year 1 = £6,000,000 - £1,200,000 = £4,800,000.
A simple financial narrative like this helps move EDI&B conversations from the moral to the measurable.
Measurable and Governance: Keep it Iterative
Build feedback loops into plans with a quarterly measurement cadence, named owners and corrective actions.
Publish aggregate progress internally and report high-level outcomes to the board annually.
Use control groups and baseline measures in pilots; define success thresholds before interventions start.
Iteration matters: test, learn, adapt and be transparent about what's challenging and why.
Quick Checklist to Avoid the Performative Pledge Trap
Seven short actions to convert momentum into sustained change:
Translate statements into SMART KPIs.
Allocate ring-fenced budget and clear owners.
Combine HR metrics with qualitative listening.
Pilot interventions, measure results and publish outcomes.
Make EDI&B a regular board item with a named sponsor.
Tie a portion of executive incentives to EDI&B outcomes.
Revisit and communicate the roadmap annually.
These actions create the scaffolding that turns a statement into a sustained intentional change.
To Close - Durable Beginnings
The first response sets the story; data and governance write the sequel. Convert momentum into SMART commitments, measurable pilots and board-level accountability. Start small, measure rigorously, scale what works and keep leaders and the workforce informed.
Durable beginnings are deliberate: they require clarity, resourcing and the humility to learn and adapt as the work unfolds.
If you aren't sure where to begin or how to make it meaningful, contact us, we would love to talk.
The Belonging Lab
Some clear and easy guidance to help build long-term change
Really informative and makes you think