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.png "Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: It’s not just checking boxes.")
AgCareers.com
November 28, 2022
Newsletter ArticleDEI, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. We hear these words thrown around often, but what are organizations actually doing to implement DEI in their workplace?
Katie Hunter, AgCareers.com, sat down for an interview with Shauna Wilkinson (Vice President, People and Culture) and Michele D. Cameron (Director, Diversity, Inclusion and Employee Well-Being) of Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL), to talk about how they are implementing DEI daily at their organization.
If you are familiar with Co-op, you know their employee promise is “You’re at home here.” This employee promise fits with their perspective on DEI and their goal of having an inclusive work environment. Cameron stressed that their vision is a workplace where all team members bring their whole selves to work every day.
How it started:
The Diversity and Inclusion vision was developed in 2018 following an internal survey to hear from team members on their experiences and understand where there were barriers and where there were opportunities to make the workplace more inclusive. Using this information, the company developed a goal-oriented strategy including diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
How it is going:
FCL has experienced positive changes within the organization since increasing their efforts to improve DEI over the past five years. However, FCL also recognizes that this is a continuous process and to look at the work of DEI in the workplace as a journey. FCL started with educational sessions to ensure a common and current understanding of DEI in the workplace and then it began developing guidelines and policies to support team members to bring their whole self to work. The focus has been to work across the organization to embed DEI practices and principles into various business lines. Bringing learning opportunities to team members remains a top priority, as well as engaging the team members in the DEI journey. One example is through FCL’s inclusion networks.
Ways Federated Co-operatives Limited is standing out:
FCL took the step to develop specific roles to support Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, which they felt was necessary to truly influence and evolve DEI within their workplace.
As they continue increasing authentic DEI efforts, the advice that Wilkinson gives is to enter this space authentically. Cameron also shares, “Checking off a box for DEI doesn’t work— this does not lead to success. An organization must authentically implement a DEI strategy using a change management model, and it must do so for the right reasons, not because everyone else is doing it.”
Some more advice:
Opportunities for DEI
FCL offers live and on-demand options for their team members to learn more about DEI, including expanding team members’ usual streams of information by providing recommendations of podcasts, articles, and more!
To close out our discussion, Wilkinson shared that she is “proud of the progress FCL has made on its DEI journey but I remain humbled by the ongoing work that is to be done as we create work environments that realize our DEI vision, which is for all team members to bring their whole selves to work.”
Check out Federated Co-operatives Limited jobs on AgCareers.com.
