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A diverse workforce is a foundation for equality.
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Greetings!
Anyone know what season it is? We are calling it "winter," but one thing you can count on from New England weather is change, including temperature variations from between subzero to almost 60 degrees. As hardy New Englanders we know how to adapt and change in response to the weather. But how are we doing responding to larger social changes?
Right now big changes are being driven across institutions within Hollywood, sports and politics. Turn on the news and you will hear yet another story of sexual harassment and abuse of power in an attempt to undermine or strip individuals of their civil rights. Because of these stories,
changes
will move forward efforts to finally make equality in the workplace a reality. This time of tremendous cultural change has the power to cement policies, practices and laws ensuring true equality for everyone in the workplace, so that
people are able to access and enjoy the same rewards, resources and opportunities regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, religious beliefs or sexual orientation.
Many of you reading this newsletter are in the field of human resources. So what can we do to play a part in driving workplace equality within our own organizations? A lot! As HR professionals, we can ensure our employees have the training necessary to build awareness, knowledge and skills that support workplace equality.
In this newsletter, I invite you read about the development of an e-learning module on transgender inclusion in the Massachusetts Trial Court. Further, our recommended vendor is
Morgan, Brown & Joy, LLP
, a highly respected law firm with a specialty in the delivery of sexual harassment training. Our contractor spotlight focuses on one of our senior consultants, Vanessa McClinchy, who has made it her mission to teach the importance of self-awareness as part of leveraging diversity in our organizations to drive success. Lastly, our "tips" article focuses on simple steps all of our organizations can take to ensure there is
workplace
equality.
Dana L. Henry, ODLS Director
(617) 287-4068
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Client Spotlight: The Massachusetts Trial Court
We are proud to be able to support the Massachusetts Trial Court in the delivery of an important training on transgender inclusion.
Transgender inclusion is in keeping with the mission of the Trial Court to treat all people who have business in and who work in the Court with dignity and respect. This training is being developed to enhance understanding of the many challenges transgender people face and to provide valuable guidance to ensure that all Trial Court employees and judges are able to interact with transgender people in respectful, affirming ways. Upon course completion, learners will be able to:
- explain why transgender inclusion is important and mandated throughout the Trial Court.
- define key terms such as "gender identity," "gender expression" and "transgender".
- understand some of the issues for transgender people.
- model and use language and best practices for transgender inclusion.
Please let us know if educational opportunities like this one may be a fit for your organization.
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Spotlights
Useful Resources
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Contractor Spotlight: Vanessa McClinchy
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Vanessa is a senior consultant with over 20 years of experience primarily focused on fostering an awareness of the importance of diversity, inclusion, and the power of authentic engagement in the work of our organizations.
She has informed the journey of more than 30,000 people, via presentations designed to engage all in a common goal of personal and professional excellence, from healthcare and the Mass. judiciary through aeronautics and food service. Her goal is to assist all in achieving their personal and professional goals by enhancing their understanding of themselves as multi-faceted individuals. She believes this understanding results in an enhanced self-awareness and appreciation for their own contributions, as well as those of their colleagues and customers, whose motivations often mirror their own, regardless of real-or perceived differences.
Positive feedback from attendees led to the publication of her first book "The Threads of My Coat; A personal inventory of who you are, and the roots of your engagement with the world'. Vanessa also serves as co-facilitator of the annual Disparities Summit for healthcare leaders with Joseph R. Betancourt, MD, MPH, president of the Disparities Solutions Center of Partners Health Care.
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Recommended Vendor: Morgan, Brown, & Joy, LLP
Morgan, Brown & Joy, LLP, one of Boston's premiere management-side labor and employment law firm, has provided expert legal advice to employers on all matters affecting the employer-employee relationship for over 90-years. With 31 attorneys, Morgan, Brown & Joy is one of the largest labor and employment law firms in New England. The firm's work on behalf of its employer-clients, however does not begin and end with representing employers in court and before the various government agencies. Rather, MBJ's lawyers recognize the important role they play in partnering with organizations to proactively work to prevent legal claims and better the work environment.
Sexual harassment is an almost daily topic in the media, and every employer should be mobilized to review its policies and training efforts on the topic to ensure they are up-to-date, comply with the EEOC's 2017 draft guidance on sexual harassment, and properly communicate the organization's commitment to, and process for, removing the behavior from the workplace. MBJ has been in a leader in providing harassment and discrimination prevention training to all levels of an employer's workforce since the 1990s. MBJ lawyer-trainers have been very active in the MA Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD)'s Harassment and Discrimination Training train-the-trainer courses for almost two decades. Ten of MBJ's lawyer-trainers have completed the MCAD's certified train-the-trainer courses - a virtual requirement to ensure the most comprehensive and compliant harassment and discrimination prevention training. Jaclyn L. Kugell, the firm's managing partner, has been a faculty co-chair of the MCAD's Harassment Prevention train-the-trainer course since 2000. MBJ has a team of lawyer-trainers waiting to partner with your organization and train your workforce today!
Jackie Kugell
Morgan, Brown and Joy, LLP
200 State Street
Boston, MA 02109
(617) 788-5054
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Our approach to Workforce Planning
Workforce planning is an ongoing process of the identification and
analysis of what an
organization is going to
need in terms of the size, type, and quality of workforce to
achieve its objectives. It determines what mix of
experience,
knowledge, and skills are
required to get the work done now and in the future. It is based on the premise that a company can be staffed more efficiently if it knows its current workforce makeup and can forecast its talent needs as well as the actual supply of talent that is or will be available. Workforce planning is one of the most vital factors that contribute to organizational performance now and in the future.
Planning your workforce helps you to align it with your
company's business plan. It also makes it possible to focus on your organization's staffing needs. Workforce planning helps manage the organizational culture and makes it easier to anticipate and handle risks by proactively planning ahead to avoid talent surpluses or shortages.
Strategic workforce planning helps you build a better workforce. One that'll help you deliver your strategy in the short and long term.
How can UMDI help your organization to implement Workforce Planning?
Based on your organization's existing strategic goals/plans and priority business outputs, UMass Donahue Institute brings together three of its core business units:
- (Current State) Workforce Evaluation: Our Applied Research & Program Evaluation group has over 30 years' experience in working with organizations to align current organizational needs, identify efficiencies and detail workforce requirements.
- (Future State) Talent Forecasting: Our Economic & Public Policy Research group can contextualize the current and future state of your industry, including current labor force characteristics, future jobs, and key occupational characteristics.
- Workforce Planning: Our Organizational Development & Learning Solutions can bring together your organization's strategic plans, a detailed workforce evaluation along with an insightful talent forecast to work with your leadership team to develop a comprehensive approach to Workforce Planning.
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Tips for Promoting Equality in the Workplace
We intrinsically know that diversity in the workplace promotes employee engagement which in turn leads to overall improved organizational performance.
Now we have the statistics to prove that a diverse employee population does positively impact the bottom line in organizations (McKinsey & Co. 2018 Diversity in the Work Place - research study; Deloitte 2017 Global Human Capital Trends Report).
But striving to have a diverse workforce in not enough. Truly having equality in the workplace is even harder to achieve. A diverse workforce is a foundation for equality, but equality requires a culture that supports it. The tips that follow are steps that any organization can take to promote equality in their organization. What is not simple is rooting out behaviors in your workplace that undermine equality and then changing them.
Read the tips.
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Helpful Links
Professional Development Vendors
- Real Cool Productions: Full-service video, animation, and mixed media production company in Boston that services global businesses.
- CommonLook: Rely on CommonLook to achieve compliance with PDF and document accessibility standards through a process called Remediation.
- Tara Hall: Independent graphic and web design consultant
Professional Development Resources
Professional Learning Associations
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