To continue progress toward a building a more diverse and inclusive company, Gorst & Compass needed greater organizational awareness and required actions to address the unique needs of diverse employees.  

In 2021 a defined DEI strategy including actions and deliverables was created to ensure that a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategy became a business priority and leadership commitment.  Strategies were reviewed by business leaders and human resources to ensure action plans.

DE&I Strategy: As part of our Gorst & Compass strategy to ensure a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion, three main goals were established:

• Attract and Recruit Diverse Talent – create a workforce broadly reflective of the larger community.
• Engage and Develop Diverse Talent – support employees in building the skills and capacity to work in an inclusive manner with one another and with the communities we serve.
• Build an Inclusive Workplace and Culture – create a welcoming workplace in which employees recognize that their unique characteristics, skills and experiences are respected and valued.

DE&I Statement: To demonstrate our commitment, a DE&I statement was created to outline core strategies and was shared internally and posted on key platforms, including company website and social media.

At Gorst & Compass we are committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture. One that encourages and  celebrates the diverse voices of our employees. Unique skills and experiences are respected and valued as part of our core culture.  We are an Equal Opportunity Employer who does not discriminate against individuals.

DE&I Champion: To provide additional support for advancement of our diversity and inclusion commitment, Shannon Newman was appointed to champion company efforts for strategy and actions in 2021.

DE&I Training: Educational resources was another step to building an inclusive community.

In 2022 through a partnership with WSIA, we obtained licenses for Blue Ocean Brain, an interactive platform to assist us with communication and training toward supporting our diversity and inclusive objectives.

We continue to build means of rolling out learning components for DE&I to progress toward our goals. Exploring ongoing training opportunities and involving more input from employees as a collaborative approach to forums and educational methods.  

On a regular basis, leadership meets together to review and to monitor progress and results. We continue to build toward our goals and have received positive response for these efforts both internally and externally. We have only scratched the surface on Gorst & Compass’ diversity and inclusion strategy and programs. As we look to further expand efforts in development, recruitment, and education this will support building an even stronger culture of understanding and a more inclusive workplace for all.