As companies are devoting more resources to developing diversity, equity and inclusion, known as DEI, initiatives, local business leaders have started exploring how they can use DEI to make their organizations welcoming to an ever-changing pool of customers and prospective workers.
The Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce hosted a panel discussion on DEI this Tuesday, specifically, how the local business community can enact policies, practices and procedures to make the Northern Kentucky workforce more inclusive.
“We’re also here to talk about the whole of the communities that we serve and the different flavors and colors and backgrounds that are represented,” said panel moderator Christopher Johnson, vice president of DEI at St. Elizabeth Healthcare.
The panel comprised Dr. Eric Jackson, associate dean of Northern Kentucky University’s College of Arts and Science, Gail Manley, vice president of diversity and inclusion strategy at Fidelity, and Reshamar Short, senior director of diversity at Kroger.
Jackson spoke about the importance of “cultural competency,” which he defines as the practice of familiarizing yourself with the cultures, belief systems and religious systems you aren’t familiar with.
“It’s a process of learning over and over and over different cultures and what they stand for, and forming relationships — again, with people who don’t look like you, talk like you, eat the same food, listen to the same music, not even live in the same community but you’re trying to find a relationship and learn over your lifetime and even pass that on to your next generation,” Jackson said.
Cultural competency can be applied in different arenas like education, government and business. Manley told the audience companies must evolve in conjunction with their customer base.
She said that as the U.S. population grows more diverse, companies should adjust to meet the demands and expectations of their customer base. About 70% of Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to support a brand committed to diversity and inclusion, according to a survey published by MIKADO International — a multicultural marketing agency.
“It’s always been the case that our customers are evolving,” Manley said. “It has always been the case that we as companies and business owners needed to evolve with those customers. Think about companies that didn’t evolve, and they’re not here anymore.”
Regarding hiring and employee retention Short said that Gen Z and Millennial employees place a greater value on diversity within the workplace.
“They value diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace and from a retention standpoint, when they don’t see it, they don’t give us a lot of time, you know, they’re gonna find something else to go to,” Short said.
According to a report conducted by Deloitte and NEW research, 77% of Gen Z workers are likely to prioritize working for companies that align with their values. A workforce report published by Johns Hopkins University suggested that companies should promote diversity and inclusion to appeal to and engage with Gen Z workers.
Last year, the Supreme Court voted 6-3 to strike down affirmative action in college admissions. While the ruling doesn’t directly impact businesses, in the wake of the decision, many companies revisited their diversity and inclusion-based recruitment programs and initiatives.
“The Supreme Court decision does, you know, force companies to really revisit the programs that you have, and to ensure that there’s inclusivity within the programs,” Short said. “But when you think about recruiting, a targeted recruiting focus for us to have a diverse pool of talent to consider for positions, we still have to lean into our diverse recruiting efforts.”
From Manley’s perspective, while DEI initiatives within companies are necessary, she noted that every workplace is different. Therefore, all companies are in different stages of implementing DEI practices. She said that having a strong framework is the key to successful implementation.
“We want to be very inclusive, and you can’t leave folks behind, so you have to bring them along to that journey and that journey can take a while depending on where your organization starts,” Manley said.
Looking forward, Short emphasized the importance of having constructive yet challenging conversations between coworkers. It ties back into Jackson’s practice of cultural competency.
“As you get to learn more about people and learn the similarities that you may have, you get to care for them in a different way,” Short said.
