At TULIP we safeguard business outcomes by delivering people-centric solutions. Our business model is built on the basic premise that business starts and ends with people. Therefore, our approach to solving business problems entails leveraging mixed data sets and gleaning insights through a hyper-focused lens on the workplace experience. Give us a call to get started with a Workplace Experience Risk Assessment. You can reach us by email at info@tulipadvisory.com or by phone at (678) 990-0910. We look forward to hearing from you ..read more

About TULIP We offer services that safeguard business outcomes by leveraging data-driven methodologies to optimize productivity in people, processes and technologies and to mitigate risks of compliance failures through cost avoidance strategies. Our niche service offering is Workplace Experience Analytics & Reporting which includes a Workplace Experience Audit covering HR Compliance, DEI business drivers, an Employee Relations analysis, and an intersecting analysis of DEI and ESG using quantitative and qualitative data to create a workplace experience roadmap embedded with people-cen ..read more

There's a lot of misunderstanding about the state of DEI these days – to be clear, the U.S. Supreme Court did not make DEI unlawful in its 2023 decision on race-conscious college admissions. Rather, the Court concluded that “the [universities’] admissions programs did not comport with the guarantees of the Equal Protection Clause because: The objectives were not “sufficiently focused” and cannot be measured Race was used “in a negative manner” Race was based on stereotypes There was no end to using race as a consideration Therefore, it remains lawful to utilize DEI programs, particularly in ..read more

https://www.canva.com/design/DAF8nf48QnA/rH-brsZ_lfHc1Ln83oaOLQ/view ..read more

Although it’s being challenged, as of now the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) regulation applying a new, multi-factor test for worker classifications is set to take effect on March 11, 2024. The new Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) rule is known as the Economic Realities Test and applies 6 factors equally based on a “totality of circumstances of the working relationship”. To determine whether a worker is an employee or independent contractor, DOL provides the following criteria to guide worker classification assessments: Opportunity for profit or loss depending on managerial skill, Investments ..read more

Remember, the overarching goal of DEI in the workplace is to manage and mitigate risks such as: Prohibiting discrimination Fostering respect for the individual Maintaining high morale among employees Creating safe spaces for expressing concerns Promoting fairness in policies and procedures Eliminating structural barriers to fair outcomes Encouraging work-life balance and mental wellness Ensuring all stakeholders feel valued and welcomed All of the above are consistent with existing employment laws. Therefore, all of the above are lawful objectives of DEI. Don't lose focus of the objectives ..read more

Pay overlaps with various other issues and directly intersects with DEI. The EEOC has asserted “protecting pay equity” as a 2024 top priority. Moreover, compliance with pay is especially going to continue to be an increasing area of focus as more and more states pass pay-related laws. Also, on the federal side of pay compliance, the U.S. Supreme Court kicked off the new year reviewing a case that could impact the way ambiguity in federal statues is interpreted; rather than deferring to expertise from federal agencies, the courts would forego relying on agency interpretations and instead judges ..read more

•       If your DEI programs are focused only on demographics for your organization, you’re diminishing the power and purpose of DEI. •       The “D” is about diversity, represented by all aspects of human differences and social identities at the individual and group levels and which influence behaviors and ways of thinking reflected in the unique attributes of people. •       The “E” is about removing structural barriers so that access to resources is made available to everyone regardless of differences ..read more

In a Harvard Business Review article entitled “Begin with Trust”, the authors cite 3 core drivers of trust, also referenced as “the trust triangle”: authenticity, logic and empathy. The authors further state that it is generally a failure in one of these core drivers that creates a lack of trust. Interestingly, the conclusion (and recommendations) regularly drawn in workplace investigations is a need for training leaders to develop empathy (similar recommendations are also often made in DEI data-driven audits where employees express a low sense of belonging in the workplace). As described in t ..read more

Although equity is often the least understood element of DEI when surveying employees and leaders, inclusion and belonging are frequently misunderstood. On many occasions, I hear the terms inclusion and belonging used interchangeably. I also get a lot of questions about how each is measured. First, to distinguish between the two terms, I've had success by describing Inclusion as an action and Belonging as an outcome. From there, it's much easier to connect the dots for establishing metrics and reaching an understanding that success results when inclusive actions effectively create feelings of ..read more