The SEMI DEI Toolkit
SEMI is the broadest tech-focused industry association in the world, providing services and support for more than 3,000 microelectronics companies worldwide. Part of our work is to support the industry in building more equitable and just workplaces, particularly as we navigate a post-COVID world.
Even before the pandemic, our industry faced a critical shortage of workers to fill all levels of sector jobs. It is with this in mind that SEMI is focusing on numerous initiatives to expand the workforce pipelines.
Our industry faces serious equity issues. There are long-standing practices that contribute to inequities across our sector. This is hurting our companies, and our industry. Inclusive workplaces tend to have higher retention rates and better recruitment rates, and companies with diverse leadership are 50% more likely to outperform their peers. This lack of diversity undercuts our industry’s capacity for innovation, creativity, and productivity. It is time for the microelectronics sector to acknowledge the disparities and to redesign our systems and practices to create a more equitable future for our industry.
To that end, we have created this Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Toolkit, which is a companion piece to SEMI’s Roadmap to DEI. The Roadmap is an in-depth DEI framework and guide derived from resources in this toolkit and includes specific initiatives and activities that will further our own DEI journey. It is a resource for any company to adopt and employ.
This Toolkit is a list of assessments, resources, and research designed to illuminate current thinking and practices in DEI. It also includes SEMI’s DEI Events Guidelines which include best/next practice recommendations for creating more equitable and inclusive events, as well as a how-to guide on recruiting speakers and panelists from diverse backgrounds.
The Toolkit is a benefit for our members and is intended to be either a launchpad for companies new to this work, or supplemental support for those already in the journey. Ultimately, our goal in this work is strengthening diversity, equity, and inclusion in our industry, which will in turn make our industry more creative, innovative, productive, profitable, and resilient.
Our sincere appreciation to the SEMI Foundation board of trustees and advisory council members who shared their time, talent, and networks to help us achieve this work.
Toolkit Resources
Assessments
Tools that companies can adapt and use to complete equity audits and learn about where they are on their DEI journeys.
SPIE’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Workbook
Racial Equity Outcome Toolkit: A Six-Step Process for Your Organization
Beloved Community’s DEISI Equity Audit
Resources
Guides and tools for helping organizations work toward DEI:
A Leadership Guide for Promoting Race Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace published by the South Carolina Race Equity and Inclusion (REI) Partnership
Racial Equity Tools: Organizational Change Process
Annie E. Casey Race Equity and Inclusion Action Guide
National Skills Coalition: The Roadmap to Racial Equity
Diversity and Inclusion for a 21st Century Workforce
Best Practices for Gender Diversity At Industry Events
Research
Reports and case studies that help inform DEI work:
Case for Racial Equity, W. K. Kellogg Foundation
Closing the Racial Inequality Gaps: The Economic Cost of Black Inequality in the U.S.
McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.org: Women in the Workplace 2023
Women in Manufacturing: Stepping Up to Make an Impact that Matters
Key Factors Driving Diverse and Inclusive Workplaces
Harvard Business Review: Women are Better Leaders During a Crisis
One is the Loneliest Number
The U.S. in 2050 Will be Very Different Than it is Today
Articles
Articles that make the case for DEI and demonstrate its important:
Do Your Global Teams See DEI as an American Issue?
Workplace.com: 7 Benefits of Gender Diversity in the Workplace
Promoting Diversity in Tech: Bringing Awareness to Unconscious Biases
Getting to Equal: Creating a Culture That Drives Innovation
When She Rises, All Rise
Diversity in Tech: We’ve Got a Long Way to Go
Effecting Real Progress in Executive Diversity and Inclusion