We recognize that diversity and inclusion may not be pervasive in every part of our complex and global organization, as is the case for most companies in general as well as within our industry. Through our employee led Diversity and Inclusion Business Network (DIBN), we believe we can raise this discussion to a point where diversity and inclusion becomes a part of how we do business as an organization. This requires change and hence the importance of DIBN to drive the conversation and ensure all of our employee base and leadership embrace this and together create a culture where every employee is valued and can bring their authentic self to work.

In April 2021, we partnered with TED@Work to drive a company-wide campaign to our DIBN members and bring the power of TED ideas and talks to CommScope. The series explores diversity, equity, and inclusion topics, with globally relevant content released every month followed by a DIBN ambassador-led peer discussion to generate open dialogue and create awareness of different perspectives among our employees. The learning bundles includes topics such as Collaborative Culture Development, The Why – foster an inclusive workplace, Diverse People and Experiences, Allyship, Exploring Biases & many more. DIBN Ambassadors were trained on facilitating discussion around these topics using idea logs and discussion guides to draw out different viewpoints. Feedback and suggestions from these discussions are shared with the leadership council and any ideas that are instrumental in transforming our culture are evaluated and implemented. The TED talks, along with numerous other DEI-related content pieces, are now available to all employees through the company’s learning and development platform.

The program received very positive feedback from participants and employees are truly encouraged to bring their authentic self to work. For example, several employees come forward to tell their stories while we celebrated the Pride Month 2021. Their stories were published in an article posted on our intranet and has prompted others to step forward as well as prompting outreach to these individuals – thanking them for their courage and pride. These members have acknowledged that DIBN has helped to create a more inclusive work environment.

CommScope was awarded first place for the Cultural Inclusivity Campaign of the Year during the 3^rd Edition D&I Summit and Awards in India. The summit brought together professionals to share best practices, encourage networking, and develop actionable solutions to build a more diverse and inclusive workplace.

Urvi Shah