In a radically changing and increasingly polarized world, companies face a new dilemma. When major shifts occur, such as the reversal of Roe v. Wade, should they speak out? Does that imply a political bias that could offend some employees, customers, or other stakeholders? On the other hand, if you don’t speak out, do you risk alienating your employees, especially younger ones, who feel it is imperative that companies stand up for their stated values?
Budget season is always stressful for DEI leaders, especially with the threat of a recession and looming budget cuts on the horizon. To help get through it successfully, Seramount recently hosted a webinar to provide resources and tips for setting a DEI budget strategy. Nichelle Wash, Associate Director, led the webinar and was joined by Seramount President Subha Barry for a Q&A discussion. Subha’s professional experience working at Merrill Lynch as a wealth advisor has greatly influenced her work in the multicultural business world and has positioned her to be an excellent resource for the budget conversation.
DBP Members Celebrate Native American Heritage Month and Veterans and Military Families Month This November 2022
The way employees identify themselves is changing dramatically. According to the United States Census Bureau, the number of non-Hispanic Americans who identify as multiracial increased by 127 percent from 2010 to 2020. For people who identified as Hispanic, the increase was even higher. Younger people are much more likely to see themselves as multiracial and to align with several dimensions of diversity, such as having a disability (including neurodiversity) or being a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Some employers, recognizing this growing intersectionality, have been moving away from traditional affinity-based employee resource groups, preferring to address all “multicultural” needs together. They have created Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) councils, also known as inclusion councils, that have representatives from various affinities but look at DEI issues more holistically. Employers also are responding to requests from some employees who feel that affinity-based groups are unfair to those who haven’t been historically marginalized. This is similar to the argument that hiring/recruiting should be color-blind and that affirmative action unfairly discriminated against those not considered underrepresented. With these trends in mind, Seramount asked this critical question: Are affinity-based ERGs (centered on individual dimensions of diversity) still necessary? A Seramount survey of more than 200 ERG members finds the answer is a resounding yes.
The Week of Belonging came into fruition at MITRE as the grand debut of the re-created Business Resource Groups (BRGs). To increase engagement with the new BRGs and awareness of tools to advance inclusion and belonging, Heba Mahmoud (Senior Manager, Inclusion & Diversity) led the charge to create an enterprise-wide event that was fully supported by Stephanie Turner (Vice President, Inclusion, Diversity & Social Innovation) and others in executive leadership. The MITRE Corporation is a nonprofit organization that manages federally funded research and development centers supporting various government agencies.
