According to the Office of Personnel Management, there are at least 3 tangible benefits for diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Having a diverse workforce helps companies better serve their communities that are represented by diverse peoples. People from different backgrounds and experiences bring more ideas, aiding in creativity and innovation. When employees feel like there are people like them they can go to for open, honest conversations, there is an increase in engagement and productivity.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion isn’t a one-time initiative, it’s an ongoing commitment for a better workplace.
Browse our Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion toolkit below!
RESOURCES
Policy & Program Development
- SHRM – How to Develop a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiative
- How Can You Develop a Comprehensive Diversity Initiative?
- Diversity Equity and Inclusion Sample Policy
- Workplace Diversity Audit
- Sample Program in place:
Articles and Best Practices
- Benchmark – Diversity and inclusion Policies
- Benchmark – Pay Equity and Diversity
- Building a Diverse Company Culture Means Empowering Employees
- Corporate Board Diversity – Moving Beyond Lip Service
- Diversity Recruiting Programs
- EEOC: Discrimination By Type
- EEOC to Update Guidance on Combating Religious Bias at Work
- EEOC’s Best Practices in Diversity
- Employing an Aging Workforce
- Forbes – 4 Ways to Actually Create Diversity And Inclusion In The Workplace
- Forbes – 4 Ways to Create a More Diverse Workplace That Inspires Innovation
- Forbes – 6 Ways to Cultivate a Workplace Culture That Inspires Diversity and Inclusion
- Forbes – 10 Steps Businesses Can Take To Improve Diversity and Inclusion in the Workforce
- Forbes – Why Workplace Diversity Is So Important, And Why It’s So Hard To Achieve
- Gender Diversity Issues of Women at Work
- Harvard Business Review – Diversity and Inclusion Efforts That Really Work
- How These 14 Companies Are Celebrating Black History Month
- LinkedIn – 50+ Ideas for Cultivating Diversity and Inclusion at Your Company
- Majority of Organizations are Looking at Pay Equity
- Making the Case for Diversity
- Managing Diversity – Benefits Issues
- Managing Diversity – Training
- Racial Diversity Initiatives for Including Members of Racial Groups
- Religious Diversity Issues
- SHRM – 10 Tips for Hiring—and Retaining—Gen Z Employees
- SHRM – Attracting and Retaining Workers with Disabilities
- SHRM – Businesses Respond to Demand to Put Muscle into DE&I Efforts
- SHRM – How Managers Can Overcome Their Personal Biases
- SHRM – Influencing DE&I Strategies – Tips for Emerging Professionals
- SHRM – Try These Strategies to Reduce Implicit Bias in Your Workplace
- SHRM Partnership Promotes Inclusion of People with Disabilities in the Workplace
- Steps Toward Building Workforce Diversity
- What Are Some Best Practices in Diversity?
- Workplace Diversity vs. EEO
- Workplace Diversity
Community Partners/Resources
- Area Office on Aging
- CEO Action: CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ is the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
- Disability Equality Index
- Human Rights Campaign
- JAN – Job Accommodation Network
- LGBTQ+ Workplace
- Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities
- Ohio Department of Job & Family Services
- Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities
- The Ability Center of Greater Toledo
- Racial Equity Tool
- United Way of Greater Toledo: Community Resources
A MESSAGE FROM THE EMPLOYERS' ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND SENIOR LEADERSHIP
June 10, 2020
A message from the Employers’ Association Board of Directors and Senior Leadership:
We Can Do Better!
The recent tragic and disturbing deaths of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery as well as the peaceful protests of many thousands of Americans, have caused many of us to re-examine our thoughts, beliefs and actions in the light of these horrendous acts of injustice. The board members and senior leadership team of the Employers’ Association are wrestling with what actions we can take to not simply condemn the injustices but be part of the change and solutions our country needs. While we do not assume to have the answers right now, we believe there are answers and there must be hope. We must take the words of the pre-amble to our Constitution to heart, accept the high calling on all of us as Americans and encourage action.
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
In this spirit, we as leaders of the EA will start with three ways we can move in a better direction.
- Humble Ourselves – no one has all the answers and we will embrace the reality that as individuals and, as an organization, we have a lot more to learn about racial injustice and inequality than we know right now.
- Embrace Open Communication – we will look for ways to have open, honest and often uncomfortable conversations about these same topics and make these same prospects available to members.
- Create Opportunities – anyone who has ever accomplished anything has done it with the help of friends, family and community. We must and will look for ways to enhance opportunities for others. We will embrace the need to increase our level of involvement as individuals. And we will, as an organization, increase our efforts towards promotion of Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace for our members and the community at large.
In the next several weeks, the EA team will be generating some specific steps we can take to address each of the action steps listed above. We invite you, our members, to join us in this journey by sharing your ideas and resources and feedback on the efforts we take as an organization so that together we can learn, improve and help ourselves and others.
Questions? Contact Bob Bethel at bob.bethel@theea.org or 419-893-3000.