Built In recently compiled a list of 54 statistics about diversity in the workforce; from gender diversity in the workplace to statistics on how diverse workplaces perform. These stats show that U.S. employers have a ways to go when it comes to creating and developing companies that are representative and inclusive.
ACCORDING TO BUILT IN’S LISTICLE…
- Though the white population is steadily on its way to becoming the minority in the United States, white people made up 77 percent of the U.S. workforce in 2020.
- While women make up almost half of the U.S. workforce, they are more likely to face discrimination at work and less likely than men to be promoted to leadership positions, or even hired in the first place.
- As of last year, just six Fortune 500 CEOs are Black, and roughly a quarter of Black and Hispanic employees have experienced discrimination at work.
- People with disabilities are less likely to be employed than people without disabilities.
- Forty percent of U.S. employees feel their companies don’t have inclusive hiring practices that attract LGBTQIA+ candidates.
As the U.S. reckons with systemic racism, Chicago companies like SRAM, Yello and ActiveCampaign are committed to driving diversity, equity and inclusion in their workforce.
And it’s what employees want. Built In’s statistical roundup also highlighted that 80 percent of respondents to a Deloitte survey said a company’s efforts toward inclusion were an important factor in deciding whether to work there, and half of employees wish their employers would invest more in DEI — and for good reason. First, diverse, equitable and inclusive companies see higher rates of employee engagement. Second, diverse and inclusive organizations find greater success. McKinsey found that racially-, ethnically- and gender-diverse teams outperform their industry’s median financial returns.
DEI isn’t just about increasing the representation of populations so often marginalized in the tech industry, like women, people of color, LGBTQIA+ individuals and people with disabilities. It’s about creating a culture where employees of all backgrounds feel safe and like they belong. And that takes effort.
“DEI work is just that, work. It requires ongoing education, application and commitment,” said Anthony Papini, head of global diversity, equity and inclusion at ActiveCampaign.
Built In Chicago sat down with Papini and other local leaders who are putting in the work to drive DEI forward this year at their companies. They’re in the majority — three in four companies believe pushing DEI initiatives is a priority, according to a survey by Beamery.
SRAM designs and manufactures bicycle components like shifters, derailleurs, brakes, chains, suspension and power meters. Its global reach brings cycling to communities around the world.
What’s one meaningful way you’re driving SRAM’s DEI efforts forward this year? What impact do you hope this will have?
Building talent pipelines is one of the ways we continue to drive our DEI efforts. The practices, activities and tools that we use continue to promote and support our goal of making sure our workplaces are inclusive and represent the broader communities where we live and work. We provide our team members with an equal opportunity to reach their potential and professional goals, while also supporting team members who contribute their knowledge, experiences and skills. That is integral to SRAM’s success.
Building talent pipelines allows us to bring in a diversity of backgrounds, thoughts and perspectives.”
Why did you decide to make this a priority in 2023?
Building talent pipelines allows us to bring in a diversity of backgrounds, thoughts and perspectives, which enables SRAM to continue to drive innovation in the products we develop. To achieve this goal, it is critical that we ensure our workplaces are welcoming to a wide range of people, that team members have a strong sense of belonging, and that our culture and practices support team members as they contribute their knowledge, experiences and skills to expand the potential of cycling. Our DEI work encompasses a broad range of factors including race and ethnicity, gender and gender identity, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, physical ability, socioeconomic status, educational background and more.
What tools, resources or strategies are you leveraging to support these efforts, and why?
As SRAM looks to build out our talent pipelines, we are implementing a variety of strategies for 2023 and beyond. Our focus is on building lasting relationships. We plan to participate in and provide support for industry-specific conferences as a corporate sponsor. We will focus on conferences that support diversity hosted by organizations like the Society of Women Engineers, National Society of Black Engineers, and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. We’ll broaden our current investment in job boards to those that are specific to our industry and align with our diversity goals — Women in Sports Technology, Women in Tech and Grow Cycling Foundation — to promote our opportunities to diverse populations that have a passion for cycling and technology.
Industry mentoring programs will allow us to connect with and support professional cyclists that are planning a transition out of the cycling industry into a new career path. Those partnerships will include advice and mentorship on how to progress into leadership roles. And campus recruiting efforts will help SRAM build partnerships with colleges and universities that align with our business.
Yello helps organizations modernize the talent acquisition process with innovative recruiting solutions.
What’s one meaningful way you’re driving Yello’s DEI efforts forward this year? What impact do you hope this will have?
In 2022, one of our most successful initiatives was setting aggressive goals for increasing diversity in our pool of qualified applicants. We are continuing that program in 2023 but increasing the targets for our roles at the director level and above to drive diversity in our company leadership.
Why did you decide to make this a priority in 2023?
Leadership works closely with our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council to review employee data and feedback from employee experience surveys. We use this information to inform our goal setting. We’ve seen positive employee feedback and sentiment about our diversity, equity inclusion measures, but we still have work to do on representation within the organization. We’ll focus on increased representation in hiring and programs dedicated to retention and development.
We’ll focus on increased representation in hiring and programs dedicated to retention and development.”
How are you holding yourself and the leadership team accountable to this goal?
Throughout the pandemic, we’ve been focused on transparency, and we continue to push ourselves forward in our communication and accountability. The goals we set are part of executive MBOs that are reported to our Board of Directors and factor into executive compensation. To hold ourselves accountable to employees, we share updates on our DEI efforts at all of our company town hall meetings. We also believe that candidates should get to know what employees think about a company’s DEI efforts, so we have a public page with details on diversity, equity, and inclusion at Yello that shows our current demographics and survey results.
ActiveCampaign’s Customer Experience Automatic Platform provides pre-built automations that combine transactional email and email marketing, marketing automation, e-commerce marketing and CRM so businesses can segment and personalize their messaging.
What’s one meaningful way you’re driving ActiveCampaign’s DEI efforts forward this year? What impact do you hope this will have?
We’re starting the year with a significant investment in inclusive culture. We began 2023 with a company-wide conversation focused on what it means to cultivate a culture of inclusion. This is a vital investment that enables all employees to show up and bring the best versions of themselves to ActiveCampaign and feel seen and valued. Our session, Ignite Inclusion, leveraged the latest behavioral science behind why we feel like our identity can be threatened by DEI initiatives. The session was meant to break down barriers that often stifle conversations and action. We focused on clear tangible actions employees can take to contribute to a more inclusive culture at work to drive ownership and accountability.
When all voices are invited to contribute and discuss the ideas of others freely, it reinforces that everyone has a part to play.”
Having a company-wide conversation means that we have set clear expectations and provided employees with the necessary language and framework to incorporate inclusion in all aspects of their work, regardless of level or role. When all voices are invited to contribute and share their individual and diverse ideas, and discuss the ideas of others freely, it reinforces that everyone has a part to play.
Why did you decide to make this a priority in 2023?
Our approach to DEI is to win the hearts and minds of our employees. We want to empower them to contribute to a culture that cultivates inclusion so that everyone can bring all of who they are and do their best work. We found that many of our past inclusion and diversity initiatives unintentionally created exclusion, anger and frustration as it polarized and divided our workforce. We wanted to deliver an initiative that invited everyone into the conversation with clear accountability measures and centralized practices.
Data from our employee inclusion and engagement survey showed us that employees wanted clearer accountability around DEI initiatives. We decided to start the year with this company-wide conversation, building upon our conversations with the executive leadership team in 2022, to advance understanding around how inclusive behaviors improve culture, support retention, and ensure that those who are systematically oppressed both have agency and are celebrated at ActiveCampaign. We want a culture where we can all show up as ourselves.
What tools, resources or strategies are you leveraging to support these efforts, and why?
As the head of our global DEI initiatives, I continue to invest in my own learning, practice and recommitment to the work of cultivating a culture of inclusion. I create time during my work week to learn from thought leaders, particularly individuals who have identities different from mine, who inform my practice as an intentional and accountable ally.
One particularly powerful resource I have recently come across is DEI Deconstructed by Lily Zheng, which left me rethinking power structures and my own capabilities as a change maker within AC. A long-time mentor and friend who has also been a major influence on my professional and personal framing of DEI is Dr. Kim Everett, a researcher and consultant in the DEI education space. These are just a few examples of how I leverage ongoing DEI learning to challenge my own thinking around this work, ensure I continue to address root causes of inequity and injustice and cultivate intentional inclusion and justice at ActiveCampaign.
