Why equity matters: An open letter from Cornerstone’s Head of Social Impact

To our employee and customer communities, As a leading HR tech company, we have always embraced our role as innovators and influencers within our industry. At Cornerstone, our purpose is to power the potential of people and organizations to thrive in a changing world. As pioneers in workforce agility, we know that an organization’s ability to reach its fullest potential is directly related to each individual within that organization achieving their potential. Recently, the Society for Human Resources (also known as SHRM) released a statement stating they are dropping “equity” from their Inclusion & Diversity labeling and emphasizing inclusion to address the shortcomings of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) programs. While we agree that addressing the shortcomings of DEIB is critical, we also believe that removing equity from the labeling devalues the importance of this critical component of DEIB. We will not remove equity from our labeling or our efforts. Here at Cornerstone, we take an equity-first approach. We believe there is no inclusion without equity. To us, equity means that our workplace is measurably fair — a place where everyone can achieve their fullest potential. We can only approach this work with integrity when we’re truthful about what it takes to make progress. Our commitment to DEIB has played a key role in sparking greatness and shattering boundaries for Cornerstars and customers alike — and it’s a journey we will continue to improve upon. Cornerstone is committed to being an inclusive, diverse, and equitable workplace for all employees: It’s why we launched an employee self-identification survey annually (in which 70% of our employees participated). Our self-ID survey helps us regularly assess if we have fair and equitable practices. It’s why we ensure our candidate pipeline is diverse from the start by cultivating relationships with diverse talent organizations. It’s why we incorporate bias mitigation techniques in discussions where talent is evaluated.  It’s why we have a team dedicated to accessibility and disability inclusion. And it’s why we use data to ensure all candidates and employees are being treated fairly in all talent processes across recruiting, development, performance management, and internal mobility. And we aim to help our customers achieve a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace, too. Cornerstone Galaxy is a powerful tool that helps organizations drive equity and fairness. We prioritize DEIB in our products with a focus on accessibility, mitigation of AI hallucination and bias, and personalized learning opportunities to empower equitable professional growth. Our platform’s focus on skills adds a layer of objectivity to talent assessment and development and can help mitigate the many ways that bias impacts workforce agility.  Additionally, our award-winning A Seat at the Table series first premiered in 2021 as a way to help people learn and talk about differences at work or anywhere. This series is available as part of our Cornerstone Content Subscriptions offering and addresses some of the toughest social issues in the workplace today, helping our customers create better workplaces.  DEIB is constantly evolving, and we will remain dedicated in our approach to providing equitable opportunities for all our employees while supporting our customers to do the same. You can learn more about Cornerstone’s commitment to DEIB efforts here. For additional resources to help cultivate a culture of belonging and build better connections in the workplace, check out A Seat at the Table, or contact us to see how you can elevate your organization’s DEIB strategy. Best, Jacob Little – Head of Social Impact, Cornerstone