Any company that wants to get real about meeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals should be willing to go on the record. That is what Best Buy decided in 2020 when it set its five-year plan to expand representation of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) and women employees throughout the company, create parity in retention rates, and invest in the futures of underserved youths.
Two years into its DEI action plan, Best Buy leaders attended Compliance Week’s National Conference in Washington, D.C. to discuss—in a refreshingly blunt manner—the retailer’s learnings. General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer Todd Hartman and Senior Director of Global Compliance and Ethics Bill Underwood shared examples of cringeworthy mistakes by leaders, angry blowback from employees, and how their teams navigated delicate and nuanced challenges.
