News

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

A new report reveals major misalignments between employers and employees that are hindering DEI efforts.

BY MARCEL SCHWANTES, FOUNDER AND CHIEF HUMAN OFFICER, LEADERSHIP FROM THE CORE

In the last year, companies have been forced to rethink their approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), creating more inclusive environments to meet the needs of their employees, customers, and investors.

Our society is still in the infancy of a true DEI movement in the workplace, but its importance is growing by the day. And for many companies, DEI may not only become a needed social initiative but also a requirement for employee recruitment and retention.

The Great Resignation has plagued the workforce in 2021, with 52 percent of workers planning to change their job, worsening existing labor shortages amid job openings surging above 10 million. DEI has become an important organizational attribute, but what are companies really doing to further DEI? And what do employees think about those efforts?

To uncover how employee perceptions of DEI compare to employer actions, Lever, a talent acquisition suite, recently released their State of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Efforts: Progress, Priorities, and Opportunities Report. The report surveyed over 1,000 employed adults and over 500 HR decision-makers in the U.S. to discover how DEI initiatives have progressed within organizations, and how employers and employees view these initiatives.

Read the full article HERE.

Frank Orozco - Forbes Technology Council

The events of the last few years highlighted how much diversity and inclusion matter in an organization, but this isn’t new information. We now have years of research making the business case for a diverse workforce.

As the most racially and ethnically diverse generation in history joins the workforce and our country engages in complex conversations about injustice, bias, privilege and opportunity, it’s our responsibility as business leaders to build and grow effective DEIB initiatives.

How can we create meaningful initiatives? How do we measure initiative efficacy? How do we push beyond the PR statements and platitudes to genuine action and change? 

Read the full article from Forbes HERE.

Leading brands across the U.S. are being encouraged to take part in ground-breaking diversity and inclusion report that aims to shed light on some of the key issues holding back growth, innovation and creativity in the economy.

This first-of-its-kind study aligns with the multiple facets of diversity and inclusion that the Diversity Workforce Coalition promotes and supports. Learn more about the study HERE.

NEWS PROVIDED BY

The McKenzie-Delis Foundation 

Sep 20, 2021, 11:17 ET

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How can companies better honor their Black Lives Matter pledges?

By Madhu Chamarty August 29, 2021

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Study after study has shown that when it comes to increasing diversity in the workforce, companies are making little progress. After the death of George Floyd and the nationwide protests against racism and police brutality that followed, corporate America pledged to do its part in raising up people of color and making more opportunities available to minority workers. Many businesses are stepping up and showing they not only talk the talk but also walk the walk. Yet, the efforts made by the majority of companies pale in comparison to what’s possible if we all do our part and take a bigger-picture look at how we can address this problem.

To read more, click HERE

The Diversity Workforce Coalition has made a statement regarding a pending New Hampshire State Legislature Bill, HB 544. The language from HB 544, no matter how framed, could restrict the free exchange of ideas critical to understanding, growth, change and acceptance in the workplace and beyond. 

Now more than ever, we need leaders in business and government to stand for civility over conflict and dialogue over division. While the DWC has not taken a position on such matters, we do encourage open, unrestricted, candid but respectful and civil discussions in the workplace and in the community.

Full Statement

Dear Honorable Senators:

The Diversity Workforce Coalition is a not-for-profit organization comprised of over 65 organizations representing private and public organizations of all types and sizes. Our purpose is to promote diversity in the workplace through education, training, enhanced networking opportunities and to identify and connect resources to our members and the public.

New Hampshire businesses have been challenged on many levels throughout the pandemic, but the resiliency, loyalty and creativity of our employees have been the critical factors in our ability to survive.   We believe that if enacted HB 544, An Act Relative to the propagation of divisive concepts, will have a negative impact on our workplaces and on the business climate in New Hampshire. We encourage, open and respectful discussions in the workplace and in the community.

We are a small state that is in constant competition with neighboring states to attract and retain the best talent. The success of New Hampshire businesses depends on the ability to attract diverse generational, gender and racial employee groups at all levels within our organizations and to do so must constantly work to create an environment that makes all our employees feel empowered in their role. 

The language from HB 544, no matter how framed, could restrict the free exchange of ideas critical to understanding, growth, change and acceptance in the workplace and beyond. HB 544 would not only harm the ability of New Hampshire businesses to be competitive, it would severely harm the state's image as business-friendly, since it stifles the ability of organizations who do business with the state to foster diverse workforces as they see fit.

HB 544 leaves employers vulnerable to being sued for employment discrimination. If an employer cannot train or counsel its managers and supervisors on recognizing patterns of unconscious bias and stereotyping, it leaves the employer vulnerable to being sued for employment discrimination and for not taking any action to avoid such discrimination. To be inclusive in a manner that fulfills the public policies underlying our discrimination laws and strengthens the fabric of our society, we must have these conversations so we can understand other people’s experiences beyond our own, and learn from them.  Employers, should not be constrained by the State in being able to design such trainings, especially when such trainings reflect their own corporate values and culture.

More than ever, we need leaders in business and government to stand for civility over conflict and dialogue over division.  The Diversity Workforce Coalition strongly urges you, our elected representatives, to protect the state, its people, and its businesses from this dangerous and damaging legislation by eliminating HV 544’s language from HB2.

Sincerely,

Tina M Sharby

Board Chair, Diversity Workforce Coalition

Bangor Savings Bank Claims Top Honors in Workplace Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Diversity Workforce Coalition (DWC) announced that Bangor Savings Bank is the winner of the 2021 Workplace Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Award.  The other three finalists were BAE Systems, Mascoma Bank, and Port City Pretzels. The award was announced at DWC’s fifth annual DEI conference, Moving On and Moving Forward, held virtually March 9 – 11.

“All the finalists demonstrated their commitment to promoting DEI in the workplace and understand the importance of acquiring, developing, and retaining a diverse workforce,” said DWC Board President Tina Sharby.  “The Selection Committee felt Bangor Savings Bank was exemplary in how it exhibited strong leadership and commitment in advancing and advocating for DEI in its workplace and community.”

With more than $6 billion in assets, Bangor Savings Bank offers retail banking to consumers as well as comprehensive commercial, corporate, payroll administration, merchant services, and small business banking services to businesses.

“Diversity is inherent to our culture and is one of our eight core values,” said Bangor Savings Bank SVP/Director of Talent, Diversity & Inclusion David Pease, who accepted the DEI Award on his company’s behalf.  “I’m proud of our ongoing, bank-wide conversations and programs; the efforts to support our communities through actions such as raising awareness of organizations dedicated to racial equity work; and the role DEI plays daily in our plans, policies, practices, and values.”

Given the significant events transpiring across the country, the Bank’s DEI efforts increased in 2020.  Notable accomplishments include a high level of employee engagement, multiple initiatives on race and equity, robust professional development programs, pay equity, and virtual DEI training programs in light of the pandemic.  The Bank has also created an employee DEI Council with 17 members from different backgrounds and departments across the organization.  The Council’s goal is to build upon Bangor Savings Bank’s experience-focused culture to reflect who employees are—and what they want to be—while creating an environment where all employees feel that they belong and can thrive.

Prior to the announcement of the DEI Award, the finalists participated on a panel with last year’s winner, Eastern Bank.  The session was moderated by Tina Sharby and panelists were David Pease, Eastern Bank’s Tye Graham, BAE Systems’ Leah Brokhoff, Mascoma Bank’s Melissa Carson, and Port City Pretzels’ Katherine Errecart.

The Diversity Workforce Coalition is comprised of employers and other community members whose purpose is to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace through education, training, enhanced networking opportunities, and to identify and connect resources to its members and the public. To learn more, please visit diversityworkforce.org