Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Initiatives
Recent high-profile litigation, media attention, and stakeholder focus on environmental, social, and governance concerns are leading employers to redouble their efforts to address diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) in the workplace. Nilan Johnson Lewis has extensive experience and success in advising clients on DE&I issues ranging from developing and implementing DE&I initiatives, to investigations of workplace “culture” issues, to pay equity and other DE&I audits.
Our expertise is grounded in our firm’s founding core value of Diversity. Our commitment to this guiding principle inspired us to become a certified women-owned law firm, one of the country’s largest. We recognize the importance of diversity not only to our firm but also to our clients. Diversity in the workplace leads to many tangible benefits, such as reductions in turnover and absenteeism, resource acquisition to attract the best talent, increased creativity and innovation, and a wider range of perspectives to promote critical analysis and innovative problem-solving. We know that our clients and employees are better served by it.
Consistent with our commitment to diversity, we have developed deep expertise in DE&I labor and employment law issues.
We regularly help employers:
- Create and implement DE&I programs, balancing desired goals with legal compliance;
- Manage employment issues arising out of the administration of DE&I programs, including shareholder, labor relations, reverse race discrimination, employee morale, and media relations concerns;
- Audit current practices to identify the root causes of workplace race, gender, and other imbalances and improve employee sourcing, recruiting, and retention practices to address those concerns;
- Conduct investigations of workplace culture concerns implicating DE&I goals (see our workplace investigations practice for more information);
- Review and update handbook, policies, and practices to advance DE&I goals;
- Train employees on topics such as respectful workplace policies, anti-harassment policies, and other EEO compliance issues;
- Audit and provide recommendations for enhancement of hiring practices, including the use of artificial intelligence in hiring (see our pre-hire testing and background check advice/defense practice for more information);
- Conduct national, regional, and statewide pay equity audits to allow employers to identify areas of potential risk in their workforce (see our pay equity advice and defense practice for more information);
- On a proactive basis, identify relevant factors the employer should consider when determining compensation; and
- Defend against individual and class action claims implicating DE&I concerns.
