Resources

QuakeLab’s latest blog examines how financial policies assume stability and shift risk to employees. Learn how to identify design bias in reimbursements, relocation, and training budgets, and how to redesign systems for fairness, efficiency, and retention.

At QuakeLab, we think this is the perfect moment to talk about how equity work actually gets done. Not in values statements or training sessions, but in the everyday design of systems, policies, and services. We call this Equity as a Technical Skill.

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how we approach it, both inside organizations (as an employer) and outside organizations (through the services and products they provide).

There is a version of this work that rewards certainty. Certainty helps people feel confident in your leadership, it helps anchor a room when the conversation is difficult, it makes equity work look digestible, branded, and contained. But the longer we do this work, the more we have come to understand that certainty should be earned, not performed. Equity work is a form of applied social science, and like any serious discipline, it demands humility.

Designing for equity doesn’t mean spreading resources too thin in an attempt to serve every need simultaneously. We want to aim at dismantling what we call the Framework of Exclusion: the systemic design patterns that consistently leave out entire groups of people. This framework prioritizes dominant identities, often under the guise of perceived neutrality, while marginalizing everyone else.

When equity is not intentionally built into a public system, that system will default to protecting the status quo. That does not happen because people are careless or unkind. It happens because we have been taught to treat equity as a values statement or a communications issue, rather than as a practical design skill.

Laying out all the ways that AI is exasperating existing inequities or creating new ways we oppress the most marginalized - and then leaving us with the call to action of “just don’t do it”, feels insufficient and unproductive.

Simply put, the businesses that succeed will be those that create workplaces that not only attract talent but also empower employees to deliver the innovative, responsive solutions that keep their businesses competitive. In today’s world, how you design your workplace isn’t just about employee happiness—it’s a fundamental part of your business strategy and critical for long-term success.

Together, these concepts create a cohesive strategy: Professionalized Work establishes the “what” and the “how,” while Equity as a Technical Skill activates the “who.” This synergy ensures that equity work is not only well-planned but also fully integrated, dynamic, and enduring. It turns equity from an aspiration into a shared, collective reality.

This disconnect can result in frustration on both sides: DEI practitioners may feel disappointed that their activist-inspired solutions aren't embraced, while organizations may feel overwhelmed or defensive, unable to keep up with the demands. To be effective in the professionalized equity space, recommendations must be strategic, realistic, and aligned with organizational capacity, while still being ambitious enough to drive meaningful change. Recognizing this balance is critical for sustaining progress and avoiding burnout or disillusionment among practitioners.