Organizational Themes

DEI Accountability

Nurturing a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment requires a solid accountability structure to support organizational change. Branksome has taken important steps in this direction by establishing a senior leadership position focused on DEI, developing a DEI report card and providing stakeholders with regular updates through newsletters and other communication channels.

Moving forward, it is recommended that Branksome school leaders collaborate with the Board of Governors to establish priorities and DEI goals based on this audit and develop accountability strategies to measure progress and ensure follow-through. Accountability can look like finding support through partnerships with organizations and individuals that can provide advice and access to deepened expertise. It can also come in the form of responding to feedback and criticism authentically. Support and buy-in to DEI are crucial to furthering Branksome’s efforts in building a welcoming and inclusive learning and working environment for all students and employees.

Leadership and Governance

Branksome Hall has already forged a pathway to increase DEI awareness, understanding and action through leadership and governance. This includes training for the Board and leadership and recruiting new Board members from the BIPOC community. Other initiatives for the Board to consider include: conducting a Board DEI audit that examines policies and procedures, as well as developing a DEI strategy for the Board that is integrated with the school’s strategy. Furthermore, supporting the development and oversight of a DEI accountability structure for the school would also be especially important.

Harassment, Discrimination and Psychological Safety

Psychological safety is critical to DEI as it enables employees to be their authentic selves without feeling pressured to assimilate to dominant cultural norms to feel respected and included. The audit identified indicators that suggest psychological safety is lower than optimal for some employees, especially those who are minoritized.

Data Collection

Branksome Hall has already demonstrated its commitment to ongoing assessment by establishing benchmarks through this comprehensive audit, maintaining a DEI report card, and providing regular updates to students and families. Branksome Hall should continue to measure progress by conducting further engagement with the school community to regularly collect both demographic and social inclusion data (on a voluntary basis).

DEI Training and Development

The audit revealed a cross-departmental need for formalized DEI training for all employees, especially leaders (including within the areas of retention and advancement). While existing educational opportunities about DEI are plentiful, these tend to be discrete and may not amount to a fulsome understanding of DEI across the organization. The audit identified that a more systematic training and development plan is required to create behavioural change that puts learning into action.

Supplier Diversity

Branksome Hall currently uses suppliers for labour, services and products and achieving supplier diversity for thirdparty employees on campus is important to establishing an organizational culture of DEI. While the audit was not scoped to analyze procurement procedures for outside vendors, it included recommendations to ensure DEI standards are upheld across the organization.

Return on Investment/Business Case

The long-term success of Branksome Hall as an organization hinges on a robust DEI strategy with institutional buy-in. DEI strategy can improve the financial value of the organization, attract talent, reduce turnover, improve the organizational image, expand relationships with clients and customers and help mitigate legal exposure. However, currently, there is little understanding of how DEI is connected to returns on investment (ROI). Linking ROI to leadership decisions whenever possible can motivate follow-through on commitments as well as support innovation and risk-taking.