Diversity in Florida Public Power
Quarterly Newsletter • Spring 2021
Hello and thank you for joining FMEA in this critical, new endeavor. In the months ahead, we look forward to engaging in vital dialogue, doing the hard work, and building an inclusive space so that our organizations and communities are made stronger and more equitable for all. We hope you’ll join us virtually for our first workshop in May, or later this year when we gather this group in-person at both Annual Conference and our Energy Connections Conference. A special thank you to our Founding Sponsors Enercon, Geosyntec Consultants and POWER Engineers, whose generous support has made this shared ambition of ours a reality.
Resources
How to develop a diversity, equity and inclusion initiative
Society for Human Resources Management 2021
Developing a DE&I initiative involves four main phases:

  1. Data collection and analysis to determine the need for change.
  2. Strategy design to match business objectives.
  3. Implementation of the initiative.
  4. Evaluation and continuing audit of the plan.

50 Ways to Fight Bias
LeanIn 03.09.2021
50 Ways to Fight Bias is a free digital program and tool to empower all employees to identify and challenge bias head on. Here, we’ll give you everything you need to prepare for and run a successful workshop at your company.
For small companies: The time is now for diversity and inclusion
Forbes 02.09.2021
Of all the things I've read about D&I, one thing, in particular, stands out. In 2015, global consulting firm McKinsey & Company released a study showing a direct correlation between staff diversity and financial performance. Specifically, companies in the top quarter for racial and ethnic diversity are 35% more likely to generate higher returns.
Men: Here’s how to help the women in your life get ahead at work
MarketWatch 03.04.2021
For too long, the conversation about gender in the workplace has focused on telling women how to navigate a landscape that disadvantages them. That’s all well and good, and has surely boosted the careers of some individual women. But this approach, as it pours energy into “improving” women, leaves intact the factors that make such advice necessary in the first place.
For younger job seekers, diversity and inclusion in the workplace aren’t a preference. They’re a requirement.
Washington Post 02.18.2021
Millennial and Gen Z professionals are avoiding companies without a diverse workforce, clear promotion traffic and a commitment to confronting systemic racism in their ranks.
Eliminating barriers
Society for Human Resources Management 01.30.2021
A 2018 Accenture study found that companies actively looking to include people with disabilities in their organizations had 28 percent higher revenue, double the net income and 30 percent higher economic profit margins. The U.S. economy could get a boost of up to $25 billion if more people with disabilities were to join the labor force, the study found.
Are your diversity efforts othering underrepresented groups?
Harvard Business Review 03.05.2021
In pursuit of living up to anti-racist pledges, many companies have prioritized hiring “diverse” talent to increase representation of Black employees. But this “quick fix” for racial equity doesn’t actually create an environment that’s actually inclusive of people of color. Language is one part of the problem. The term “diverse” erases individuals’ racial, gender, and disability characteristics, and it can result in “othering” the very people you want to include. Fostering an inclusive culture requires not only getting the language right, but also seeking education about racial inequity, measuring more categories of race, and valuing inclusion in hiring, feedback, performance reviews, and promotions.
Does your organization currently offer employee resource groups to its personnel?
Yes
No
Not sure
If you have feedback, questions, would like to join this FMEA Interest Group, or come across a thought-provoking resource to share, please contact ebendele@publicpower.com.
DISCLAIMER OF ENDORSEMENT
References to any persons, organizations, activities, products or services in links contained in this email do not constitute or imply an endorsement, recommendation, or favoring of the Florida Municipal Electric Association,
its employees, or contractors acting on its behalf.

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© 2021