Why Focus Groups are a Key Part of DEI

Focus groups create equitable voice for employee voice and illuminate key DEI problem areas.

Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash

“If you are silent about your pain, they will kill you and say you enjoyed it.” - Nora Zeale Hurston

Within workplace culture, we often create false narratives about the health of our work environments. In the absence of employee feedback, it’s incredibly simple and easy to create a narrative that all employees are happy and thriving.

Further, through phenomena like tone policing and racial gaslighting, many BIPOC employees experience their workplace concerns being pushed aside, minimized, or flat-out denied.

Focus groups allow employees to offer anonymous qualitative feedback to their organizations concerning their workplace experience. Some organizations may think of focus groups as employee “gripe sessions,” but this is far from the case.

As a consultant who has run dozens of focus groups, the number one piece of feedback underrepresented employees offer is that they feel better and lighter after being able to express their concerns.

Focus groups foster psychological safety by creating a contained safe space for employees to express their pain, hurt, and ongoing concerns. The first step to systemic change is transparency, honesty, and accountability.

Consider the following best practices for focus groups:

• Create a Safe and Confidential Space
  Ensure psychological safety by guaranteeing anonymity and confidentiality. Emphasize that there will be no retaliation or negative consequences for honest feedback.

• Hire External Facilitators
  External consultants can bring impartiality to the process and help ensure that participants feel more comfortable sharing candidly without fear of judgment or repercussions.

• Diversify the Participants
  Ensure focus groups represent a wide array of identities and experiences. Consider organizing groups by affinity (race, gender, ability, etc.) to allow for more specific, nuanced discussions.

• Prepare Thoughtful, Open-Ended Questions
  Structure your questions to invite detailed responses, focusing on experiences, needs, and aspirations rather than simply measuring satisfaction. Avoid yes/no or leading questions that might bias the conversation.

• Be Attentive to Power Dynamics
  Be mindful of power dynamics within the group. If employees fear supervisors or senior leaders might overhear or learn about their feedback, they may not participate openly. This is why ensuring confidentiality is key.

• Provide Transparent Follow-Up
  Communicate how the information gathered will be used and ensure that results from the focus group are shared with both leadership and participants. Transparency builds trust and shows employees that their feedback has value.

• Take Immediate, Visible Action
  After gathering feedback, take action based on the findings. Employees will become disengaged if they perceive their input is being ignored or forgotten. Follow through on commitments to address the concerns raised in the focus groups.

Thanks for reading, here’s what I’ve been up to!

1. Developing curriculum for Pride in the Pews, a non-profit that champions LGBTQ+ religious inclusion.

2. Creating the Annual DEI Report for Center for Employment Opportunities.

3. Running employee focus groups for a well-known hospital group.

4. Hosting a variety of workshops for Billion Dollar Boy, SF Ground Floor Public Affairs, and UC Berkeley about religious and racial inclusion.

My books are currently open for the Fall and I’d love to work with your organization!