Promoting Cultural Awareness & Education

Challenge

At Rich’s, we promote cultural awareness because not only does it foster greater communication among our associates, it also helps build lasting connections, and forms a business bond that positively impacts all facets of our work. As a global company, we need to embrace the diverse cultures of our associates through education and celebration of our differences.

Actions

With associates working across the globe, it is imperative to make everyone feel welcomed at our Rich’s table. Our business is home to a range of Associate Resource Groups (ARGs), including “Kaleidoscope,” which aims to foster an empowering environment of diversity and inclusion focused on associates of color. The Kaleidoscope group emphasizes professional career development, education and awareness, and community outreach, and promotes and empowers diversity, equity and inclusion at Rich’s through a partnership with our Talent Acquisition team. Together they research and advocate for improvements to policies that affect our associates of color, and they have developed partnerships with local organizations and other Rich’s Associate Resource Groups that focus on enriching diversity and inclusion.

Outcomes

With an emphasis on education and awareness, Kaleidoscope, which launched in 2020, shares engaging videos, historical facts, and fun events to bring awareness to the various cultural backgrounds that make up our global company. Impactful experiences by Kaleidoscope have included: 

  • Captivating and collaborative multi-media projects, like a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration coordinated in conjunction with the Parent-to-Parent resource group. Together they chose a painting from Diego Rivera, a famous Latin American artist, and arranged for more than 30 Rich’s associates to collaborate to complete the beautiful mural, now on display at Rich’s World Headquarters.
  • Holiday events with virtual components to connect global offices for celebrations like Lunar New Year, Kwanza, Diwali, Ramadan, Hannukah, and more. During Diwali 2022, for example, Kaleidoscope hosted in-person celebrations in Buffalo and India with virtual components so associates from around the world could enjoy the experience. The events included educational elements to explore the meaning of the holiday and its traditions, as well as Indian dancing lessons, henna tattoos, photo booths, and delicious cuisine, as well as opportunities to hear stories from our India-based colleagues.

Learning opportunities, like a safe space book club for associates to learn about a variety of topics related to race, gender, and cultural inclusivity in America, and educational presentations such as “Race and Ethnicity in the Workplace” and “Juneteenth, Black History is American History.” 

Contact

Lauren Genovese

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