Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Update
Hi team:
As we look forward to next quarter, we have several cultural celebrations. For April, we will recognize National Volunteer Month as well as International Earth Day. In May, Asian American Pacific Islander Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, Jewish American Heritage Month and International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia on 5/17. Finally in June it is PRIDE Month, Juneteenth, and Caribbean American Heritage Month. In our DE&I Council alone, we have learned so much about each other’s cultur al background, as members have stepped up to volunteer and host an event or write an article. While the Council is carrying the torch for DE&I at BioCare, I am asking all of you to raise your hand if you would like to partner with one of us for any of these cultural celebrations. Also, as you have seen, not everything is virtual coffee. We have been sending educational emails throughout the month (we hope you have enjoyed them). If this is more suited to you, we would love for you to contribute as we always are seeking diverse perspectives. Lastly, we plan to roll our other learning and enrichment type programming as the year progresses so there will be many opportunities to volunteer. In closing, we are starting to really gain momentum and we want to hear from you! You were all invited to the DE&I TEAMS Channel. I encourage everyone to start or partake in conversation about the cultural events we celebrate. If you have an interesting article for the full team related to DE&I, post it! When you do post something, make sure you start with @general so that we are all alerted there is something new on the channel. Also, Debbie adds new employees as they start, but if you feel you have not been included, please send us an email so we can add you. Here is a link to the channel: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/channel/19%3aWwblPHW6h8_LfWoXk0_FRi3qX2Uc8p GfYIgk6DelAA01%40thread.tacv2/General?groupId=a8e794d4-1ad9-4726-86d5- 178f43249e7c&tenantId=bec1ef07-c7bd-4cd8-bbbf-dff9a9e33c8e
Happy Spring!
I want to give everyone an update on the DE&I Council, initiatives to-date, as well as some potential events in the near term. Since the launch of the program in the fall, the DE&I Council has been meeting regularly working on several items behind the scenes to ensure the DE&I initiative is focused, is clear on its remit, and is set up foundationally for success. It is important to ensure the unit is self-sustaining even if members in/out over time. For this to happen there must be a solid Mission and Vision, a formalized DE&I Charter, a clear program objective/purpose and a year one communications plan. I am happy to say we are about 90% complete on these items and finalizing the last on at the next meeting. We also established and have rolled out four sub-committees in the following areas: Communications, Attraction & Recruitment, Inclusion, Engagement & Retention, and finally Community Partnerships. Each of these committees meet independently to “get the work done” for the Council agenda. As everyone knows, we often must fly the plane and build it at the same time, and this council has risen to the occasion on this front. Through their commitment, we have been able to put on three Education & Enrichment events to celebrate important observances in January, February & March. We celebrated MLK Day, Black History Month & National Women’s History Month. As Linda mentioned in her column, they have been fun and educational and have also allowed the team across the country to connect with each other. From an “Inclusion” perspective (the “I” in DE&I), this helps those who work remote to be more connected and included with the team in Tempe. I’m excited to say that over 50% of the BioCare team has joined these virtual events so far. The Council’s goal is to continue to enhance progr amming. Every event is an opportunity for us to refine and hone, so we grow when we hold the next one. I encourage all of you to provide us suggestions on topics or discussions you would like us to consider for future events.
Have a great quarter!
Barb
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