Inclusion Summit
Challenge
Our front line supervisors and managers are critical to creating a culture and inclusive work environment that allow our employees to be their best. We understand that not all of our leaders have the skills necessary to accomplish this objective.
Actions
We held an Inclusion Summit for leaders that provided training on the traits of inclusive leadership and tied them to our corporate leadership attributes. External experts provided hands on examples and opportunity for discussion and modeling. Attendees were able to participate in discussions with peers who excelled in various skills not only to create a learning opportunity but to also establish personal networks that can be used for support in the attendees practice learned behaviors back in their workplaces. Executives addressed the attendees giving personal examples and thoughts on how inclusion contributes to the success of the company.
Outcomes
Approximately 400 leaders from throughout the company attended and are now acting as inclusion ambassadors in their respective departments and organizations.
Quote
Diversity and Inclusion are a key part of creating an environment that cares for our frontline team members. It's exciting to see real and meaningful efforts underway, but we all know we need to keep pushing for more. This work is critical because it’s important for all of our team members to be in a comfortable and welcoming environment. And trust is enhanced when team members see leaders that resemble their diverse mix. Over time however, I've come to learn it’s even more than that - diverse teams are simply much better than homogenous ones. Diversity of thought and diversity of background in a collaborative environment result in much better empathy and much better decision-making - much better leadership.