For many, 2020 was a tumultuous year where we encountered unprecedented times in the wake of a global pandemic. For our employees, this meant feelings of fear, anxiousness, and uncertainty in the face of an ever-changing social landscape. These feelings were intensified for our minority employees, who witnessed heightened levels of aggravation, discrimination, and violence. As an organization and community, we stand firmly against these violent acts and actively inserted ourselves into the discussion by ensuring we were promoting a safe environment for all. It is our belief that racial justice and equality is not an end goal, but an investment into the fabric of our society.

To address this challenge of racial tension, we approached the conversation from a place of learning and humility. We took action by starting a listening campaign, led by our Executive Leadership team, focused on understanding employee emotions, perspectives, and activators for change. It was through these discussions that we found a place of understanding through the lens of common humanity, where no singular or straightforward solution could properly address racial tensions, but instead was positioned as a long-term journey where education, action and continued support would aid us in taking equality from an aspiration to a reality.

As we concluded our listening campaign, we achieved several outcomes, including the creation of a focused multi-year DE&I strategy, supported by the appointment of a DE&I consultancy. In addition, we saw the extensive review of our recruitment, talent development and retention strategies as well as the establishment of DE&I goals for every employee within the company. It is through these shared efforts that we aim to foster a culture of belonging, where everyone is welcome and appreciated, because diversity, equality and inclusion is not just something we do, it is the core of who we are.

Shannon Kehle; Jonathan Hussey