She will appear at the Canadian Legal Summit to discuss building trust and psychological safety
Open dialogue and psychological safety are not just buzzwords in the world of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) – they are the foundation for real, sustainable progress, says Sandeep Tatla.
Tatla’s conviction comes from experience, not theory. She is a global leader in DEI, an executive coach, and the former chief equity, diversity & inclusion officer at Fasken. She has also held senior leadership roles at Manulife, PwC, and PointClickCare.
When the news of George Floyd’s murder broke, Tatla was asked by the leadership of the tech company she was working for to hold a safe space for employees. She initially thought, “I don’t know if this is a good idea.” But the company’s leadership trusted her. Over 400 employees from across Canada and the US joined that first session. “There were tears, there was fear, there was confusion, there were defensive comments like, ‘I don’t see race.’ And it was uncomfortable, but the beauty of this was that everyone stayed with it. They stayed on the call, and people had the courage to share their experience,” she says.
Her experience at the tech company illustrates that organizations will only foster open dialogue and psychological safety with proper moderation and modelling the right behaviour, Tatla says. “Because I modelled some of that proper behaviour on how to actually have these conversations, that modelling was then how others held forward their comments.”
That experience, Tatla argues, is exactly what law firms and organizations need to replicate to move past surface-level DEI initiatives. “What is required …to have pure, true dialogue is to understand that it doesn’t happen in three minutes. You actually require some time to have these conversations. You have to sit in the discomfort sometimes, and it’s uncomfortable,” she says.
Tatla has worked in workplaces in Canada and abroad, but the core human need for belonging is universal. “People, at the end of the day, across all these geographies, are searching for something in the workplace. They’re looking to be part of something bigger. They’re looking to contribute in a meaningful way and have that contribution valued.”
In the legal context, Tatla sees unique challenges. “Lawyers are trained to be analytical, risk-averse, skeptical, and those are excellent things that make us excellent advocates. But what it also does is start to limit our openness to difference and building belonging,” she says. That skepticism, she notes, can make it harder to build inclusive cultures. “If we can start to work there, we can move away from these abstract ideas and get to what people are searching for, which is belonging. And ultimately, cultivating trust, which drives greater performance,” she says.
Political polarization and social conflict outside the office don’t stay outside. Law firms can’t ignore the reality that people bring these issues into the workplace, often creating conflict that must be managed. Most major Canadian law firms have kept or expanded their DEI roles despite the current backlash, Tatla notes, because these issues are live and need to be addressed, or they will detract from the practice of law.
Tatla is blunt about what doesn’t work. One-off training and events don’t create lasting change. Sustainable progress demands changing both systems and behaviours. She points to work allocation as a practical example: if the same people always get the biggest files, bias is at play, and the system needs to be fixed. “If you get onto a large, juicy file that’s complex, that can actually be a game changer for your career because it opens you up, it gives you exposure, a whole host of things. If the same people are always getting those opportunities, and we know bias comes into play there, we’ve got to have a system … to make sure that that work allocation happens a bit more fairly,” she says.
For smaller firms without a DEI professional, Tatla’s advice can still apply. Partners and senior associates must be intentional about who gets opportunities. Leaders should ask themselves if they are putting the same people on every file and making space for quieter voices in meetings. Inclusion isn’t about big programs; it’s about daily decisions.
Tatla doesn’t let the profession off the hook on measurement. The metrics that matter are those that track real impact, like promotion rates and whether all employees experience belonging. Firms should use both quantitative data – who’s getting hired, promoted, or leaving – and qualitative data from engagement surveys and exit interviews. This approach, she says, reveals where the gaps are and whether initiatives are making a difference.
Barriers to retention and advancement for women and racialized lawyers are not abstract. Bias shapes who gets mentorship, sponsorship, and feedback. Women and racialized lawyers often get vague, less constructive feedback, which can stall their careers. Psychological safety is also a barrier – many feel pressure to hide parts of their identity just to fit in, draining energy that could go into their work.
Tatla’s approach rejects the idea that DEI is about policing or cancel culture. Her job is to create space for people to share experiences and find common ground, not to judge or punish. True dialogue is difficult but essential, especially in law firms where skepticism and fast-paced work make these conversations even harder. Without that space for open, honest discussion, the profession will never move beyond surface-level change.
Tatla will participate in a panel and interactive discussion on the evolving approach to DEI in Canada at the upcoming Canadian Legal Summit on October 9 in Toronto.
This conversation is based on an episode of CL Talk, which can also be found here:
The episode can also be found on our CL Talk podcast homepage, which includes links to follow CL Talk on all the major podcast providers.
