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In the midst of economic maelstroms and a cost-of-living crisis, businesses and employees alike are understandably anxious about the ever-present big picture issues. This pressure is increasingly compelling business leaders to weed out what some deem to be ‘non-essential’ initiatives to minimise expenses, cautiously evaluating where to best allocate resources.

Not sidelining Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) now may seem counter-intuitive. In fact, in a time of economic turmoil, there is an even more urgent need to invest in DE&I efforts. Far too often, DE&I suffers as a ‘nice to have’ initiative, viewed as something to invest in when times are good.

It comes down to this: recessions are not created equally. The data shows us that there are groups who are impacted more than others, and existing biases and inequalities can quickly become more ingrained and increasingly painful in times of crisis.

Read the full story HERE.

By Entrepreneur contributor Sam Basu Farreca

With voluntary employee turnover costing U.S. companies $1 trillion a year, diversity and inclusion is an area that businesses can't afford to overlook. Furthermore, numerous studies have now shown how the lack of a diverse and inclusive culture has led to high turnover, less innovation and organizational performance problems.

Your DEI program may seem to have all the pieces — A solid, cross-functional council/committee, active ERGs, data on talent acquisition and employee engagement activities, workshops and eLearnings, newsletters, signage and communications supporting the company DEI strategy.

In spite of all this, it is possible that you're still not truly building a culture of diversity and inclusion. To determine if you are indeed developing a diverse and inclusive culture, ask these questions:

• Are leaders and managers receiving empathy, communication and emotional intelligence training?
• Are you applying DEI concepts to day-to-day operations?
• Are your DEI policies and processes fair?
• Are you measuring the right things, in the right ways?

Read more HERE.

Written by Danielle Hess, DiversityInc

Today’s workforce is in a unique position where there are five generations working together, whether it be in-person, remotely or both. And while there are challenges to managing a multigenerational team, there are also opportunities.

The five generations currently in the workforce include:

1. Traditionalists (76 to 99 years old)
2. Baby Boomers (57 to 75 years old)
3. Generation X (41 to 56 years old)
4. Millennials (26 to 40 years old)
5. Generation Z (25 years old and younger)

Some of the challenges of a multigenerational workforce include employees having different relationships with organizations, authority, work styles, etc. For example, when it comes to working styles, Traditionalists very much follow the rules and only want to fix them if something’s broken. Baby Boomers want a structured organization but will challenge the rules, yet they are cautious about change. Gen X is flexible but wants to change the rules, Millennials are flexible but want to make the rules and Gen Z wants balanced rules but is used to change.

Read more HERE.

Business NH Magazine, in partnership with Organizational Ignition, Manchester NAACP and the Business Association for People of Color - NH (BA-PoC NH), is compiling a list of People of Color-led (CEO, president or owner) businesses in NH for the April 2022 issue.

Companies are ranked by community impact and annual sales and listed under general headings (i.e. Under $1 Million in sales, $1 million to $5 million in sales, etc.). Specific revenue figures are used for ranking purposes only and are not publicly disclosed in the magazine but kept confidential.

Read more and respond to the survey HERE.

DEI strategist Amber Cabral outlines what leaders can anticipate in the year to come so they can move toward a more inclusive and successful future.

As a diversity, equity, and inclusion expert, I’ve spent the last decade helping Fortune 500 ranked companies, educational institutions, and non-profits create and execute strategies to embed culture, diversity, and inclusion into the employee experience.

Nonprofits that prioritize different perspectives are likely more able to meet the needs of the communities they serve and, internally, a deep appreciation of diversity also helps to create a more equitable work environment for employees and volunteers. 

Diversity, then, is naturally an important initiative worthy of the time, effort and money it requires to implement; however, managing it and ensuring it’s always top of mind for leaders requires regular internal evaluations. Here, the members of Forbes Nonprofit Council each share one thing nonprofit leaders can do to ensure they continue moving the organization forward in the right direction with regard to workforce diversification.

Read the full story HERE.

The Diversity Workforce Coalition (DWC) is now accepting applications for the Workplace Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award, which recognizes outstanding efforts of organizations that actively engage in promoting and implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace. 

All organizations across the corporate, government, community, and not-for-profit sectors are eligible for nomination.  The DWC will begin accepting applications at the end of November, and DWC Board President Monica Zulauf said the Selection Committee is looking forward to reviewing this year’s submissions.

“Reading the applications and learning about the great work being done is the highlight of our year.  The bar keeps getting higher and higher while the challenges are getting harder to overcome during the pandemic,” said Zulauf. “In a highly competitive employment market, DEI efforts pay off by increasing retention and engagement and making all employees feel that they belong.”

The Selection Committee awarded Bangor Savings Bank the 2021 DEI Award for exhibiting exemplary leadership in—and commitment to—advancing and advocating for DEI in its workplace and community. Finalists also named for their considerable achievements in DEI were BAE Systems, Mascoma Bank, and Port City Pretzels.

Applications for this year’s award program will be accepted from November 29, 2021 to February 11, 2022.  Candidates will be selected for a virtual interview and site visit, conducted by Selection Committee representatives, with the final winner announced at the DWC’s annual conference reception in Manchester on the evening of March 15, 2022. 

For more information, please visit: https://www.diversityworkforce.org/Award/Nominations

The Diversity Workforce Coalition is a membership organization comprised of employers and other community members to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace through education, networking, and the training of its members and community partners.

Media contact:
Monica Zulauf 
(603) 781-5014
mlzulauf@gmail.com  

BY DAN WITTERS - GALLUP

Employee engagement has long been recognized as an important driver of employee retention and performance. And wellbeing -- most often manifested as a wellness program -- has been adopted by some organizations to drive down healthcare costs.

And yet Gallup has found a striking relationship between engagement and wellbeing, with major consequences for employee productivity and performance:

Engagement and wellbeing are highly reciprocal, with each influencing the future state of the other to a similar degree.

But they are also additive -- high wellbeing enhances the benefits of engagement, lifting employee performance to levels not reached through engagement alone.

Paolo Gaudiano - Forbes Contributor, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

On March 18, 2021, the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services, Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion, held a virtual hearing titled “By the Numbers: How Diversity Data Can Measure Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.” This virtual hearing was part of the discussion for proposed legislation that would require certain public companies and government entities to disclose diversity data annually, and would establish other criteria to foster greater progress on diversity, equity and inclusion in corporate America.

The meeting, chaired by Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, featured opening remarks by Congresswoman Maxine Waters (who chairs the House Committee on Financial Services) and Ranking Member Ann Wagner. The Subcommittee had called five witnesses: Thomas DiNapoli, New York State Comptroller; Daniel Garcia-Diaz, Managing Director of the Financial Markets and Community Investment Team at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO); Carolynn Johnson, CEO of DiversityINC; Anne Simpson, Managing Investment Director of Sustainable Investments at CalPERS; and Rick Wade, Senior Vice President of Strategic Alliances and Outreach at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Read the full article HERE.

by Donald Thompson — October 13, 2021 WRAL TechWire

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and this year’s theme, selected by the U.S. Department of Labor, is “America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. By creating diverse, equitable and inclusive work cultures, we open the door for more people to do great work and move the country forward.

At this moment in our economic recovery, all industries are in need of great employees, yet people with disabilities are still twice as likely to be unemployed and also more likely to be underemployed compared to those without a disability. 26% of all American adults — or 61 million people — have a disability, but as of August 2021, only 35.6% of people with disabilities who are of prime working age (ages 16 through 64) are actively employed, compared to 76.8% of people without disabilities in the same age range. 

Read the full article HERE.

Donald Thompson