On Wednesday, March 17th, the LA Business Journal offered three online panel discussions as part of a Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Symposium. The Symposium is a prelude to an awards ceremony scheduled for next Wednesday during which one of the finalists will win the ‘Diversity, Inclusion + Equity Award’. The award is to recognize companies and individuals that have shown an exceptional commitment to advancing diversity, inclusion and equity in the workplace.
We are very pleased that AMS is in that group of nominees, as we do believe Ken Wiseman as an individual, and AMS Fulfillment as a company, have both demonstrated an exceptional commitment.
The first panel was titled, “Master Class on Diversity, Inclusion & Equity.” Ken presented along with three more panelists: Kandee Lewis, Positive Results Center; Teresa Maxwell, Skanska USA Inc; and Renee Young, Quigley-Simpson. The panel was moderated by Dr. Lois Shelton. Professor of Management, CSUN David Nazarian College of Business and Economics.
Dr. Shelton opened with a challenge for each panelist to offer their definition of diversity, inclusion and equity. This was followed by several other questions that delved into what the companies were doing, and how they rated their efforts. We were proud to hear Ken talk about the about the learning center, the B Corporation commitment, the best safety record in the industry, our commitments with regard to hiring, the March for Change and the changes we made, the leadership and advanced leadership classes… so many things.
The other panelists, throughout the 1 ½ hr. session, were impressive, and it truly appears that all of these companies and individuals have done a great deal, and their commitment is impressive. They truly are all winners and we congratulate them all.
We would like to offer Ken’s definitions of Diversity, Inclusion and Equity below, and include below that a link to the recorded event for your enjoyment.
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Diversity is when by design or good fortune, your mix of employees from underserved communities, in terms of their race, gender, sexual preference, judicial background, presence of disabilities, at least mirrors the community in which you do business or the community for which you serve.
Inclusion is not ever having anyone be the last kid in the gym to be picked for a team. Instead, it is the feeling you get in the morning when you wake up and look forward to going to work because you know that your leadership and associates respect you, value your contributions, and they count on you to be a part of the team.
Equity is when you take pride in perhaps having a low turnover rate, or a survey that tells you that you have exceptional employees engagement, but you don’t stop there, you take a stack of the termination exit interviews and the engagement surveys, and you read the comments. Who is falling through the cracks in our organization? Equity is not letting your success stories marginalize the quieter, struggling voices in your organization.
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