Tag: 3BL

Originally published on principal.com

When Chery VanHouweling signed up for the Feel Your Best Self (FYBS) volunteer event, she thought it sounded fun—a lunch hour at Principal® creating an educational puppet kit for schoolchildren. “Expressing my creativity and getting outside of myself to do something with more purpose—for me, it’s a no-brainer,” VanHouweling says.

For VanHouweling, the event, organized by the Principal® Foundation, quickly morphed into something bigger. She made a kit—then two puppets for her grandchildren. She shared notes about the group with her daughter; maybe a local youth support group could plug into FYBS. And VanHouweling, a senior change management consultant, wondered how FYSB might work with volunteer efforts for other agencies in her community. “Just being in a room with people I don’t know and possibly making some new friends along the way is inspiring,” she says. “It’s a great mental health opportunity.”

Employers like Principal have increasingly realized that supporting mental health through volunteer events like FYBS, employee resource groups (ERGs), or employee assistance programs (EAPs) improves not just the workplace, but work overall.

Volunteering: Offering a connection to mental health

VanHouweling connected what research has already proven: Volunteering does give a boost to mental health. It improves happiness and confidence1 and leads to a flood of feel-good endorphins.2

Providing access to those volunteer opportunities at work is even more important at this moment. More people than ever are struggling with their mental well-being at home and at work.

For example, 24% of U.S. adults say their mental health is either fair or poor; women, younger adults, and those with lower annual household incomes suffer in greater numbers.3 Nearly two out of five adults—39%—say work negatively impacts their mental health, reporting mental health concerns, performance issues, and stress.4

Struggles with mental well-being don’t stop once you get to work; if you are suffering, you may have reduced focus, insomnia, and decreased teamwork.5 Workplaces that ignore mental health supports may also face increased attrition, particularly with younger generations.6

“Similar to physical illness, when mental health suffers it is difficult to deliver peak performance at work,” says Mackenzie Sheehan, senior associate, Principal Foundation and community relations. “Mental health struggles can impact focus and steal joy from work we love.”

ERGs: Finding supportive communities

Both Jennifer Schwartz and Anna Mundy have children with severe medical challenges. Schwartz’s son has muscular dystrophy, and Mundy’s son was born with spina bifida. For their families, it’s not just about caregiving and adaptations; there are also mental and emotional hills to climb—again and again. Having a workplace that supports their total well-being and provides employee resource groups, or ERGs, to share resources and stories helps.

“My leaders and my department both conveyed that I needed to take care of myself,” says Mundy; she’s legal counsel with Principal. “I didn’t feel like my ability to come back to work was in jeopardy.” For Mundy, sharing her experience is a way of supporting her well-being—and others, too: “I’ve learned things going through what I’ve gone through, and so I can offer that to people, but I can learn from them, too.”

Schwartz agrees; she and Mundy co-chair the Principal OneAbility ERG, dedicated to creating a place of belonging for all abilities. “I was able to open up about my vulnerability, and I may not have been able to do that at other companies,” Schwartz says; she’s a human resources business partner at Principal. “I feel like I can be a balanced parent and a balanced person.”

Common mental health support in an EAP may include:Counseling for anxiety and depressionCrisis interventionGrief supportSupport for behavioral health issues such as eating disorders or addiction

Research backs up the importance of ERGs to mental health and belonging. Because of their very nature—building community and connection—ERGs help employees feel authentic at work and find purpose.7 Belonging at work can translate directly to performance, reducing turnover, increasing job performance, and decreasing sick days.8

EAPs: Providing outside expertise

As much as mental health affects the workplace, it also affects financial security. If you’re more stressed, you’re more likely to suffer financial worries, and vice versa.9

At work, benefits such as employee assistance programs can help—but they too often carry a stigma. “People don’t know about them, don’t know where to start, and don’t know the full range of what they offer,” says Shelley Garrington, a director at Principal.

The pandemic only accelerated both the employee desire for support like those offered in EAPs, and employers’ focus on mental well-being. Seven in ten workers believe their employer is now more concerned about mental health than in the past.10 But only about half of employees that have access to an EAP are even aware of the benefit.11

Mundy was able to turn to an EAP during a past traumatic family event; it helped. “You often don’t know who to start with or where to start, and it’s an avenue to open doors,” she says.

The awareness of and willingness to access EAPs may be changing—for both employers and employees. Retaining talent means meeting the human side of employees, says Mundy, and willingness to talk about EAPs helps destigmatize them, Schwartz has noticed.

“I had a team member that talked about going to a counselor—she considered that professional part of her care team, and a proactive way to strengthen her health,” Schwartz says. “I was always so proud of her, especially for making the conversation common. The more we do that, the more people can find out how to get the help they need.” 

1NAMI 
2Cleveland Clinic 
3Gallup 
4APA 2022 Work and Well-being Survey 
5Cost of Workplace Mental Health 
6Harvard Business Review 
7McKinsey 
8Deloitte 
9National Library of Medicine 
10APA 2022 Work and Well-being Survey 
11HR Executive 

This article is intended to be educational in nature and is not intended to be taken as a recommendation.

About Principal® Foundation 

Principal Financial Group Foundation, Inc. (“Principal Foundation”) is a duly recognized 501(c)(3) entity focused on providing philanthropic support to programs that build financial security in the communities where Principal Financial Group, Inc. (“Principal”) operates. While Principal Foundation receives funding from Principal, Principal Foundation is a distinct, independent, charitable entity. Principal Foundation does not practice any form of investment advisory services and is not authorized to do so. Established in 1987, Principal Foundation works with organizations that are helping to shape and support the journey to financial security by ensuring access to essential needs, fostering social and cultural connections, and promoting financial inclusion. Principal Foundation funds a growing network of more than 140 charitable organizations in 25 countries and territories.

© 2023 Principal Foundation

Principal community relations supports the communities where affiliates of the Principal Financial Group®, Des Moines, IA 50392 operates. Insurance products and plan administrative services provided through Principal Life Insurance Company®, a member of the Principal Financial Group, Des Moines, IA 50392.

2914011-052023

RESTON, Va., June 1, 2023 /3BL Media/ – CACI International Inc (NYSE: CACI) is dedicated to creating a better future by investing in education and opportunities for young innovators in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). CACI’s philanthropic arm, CACI Cares, has taken steps toward this by aligning with the San Antonio Museum of Science and Technology (SAMSAT), an up-and-coming technology museum dedicated to promoting and enabling STEM education and “inspiring what’s next.”

“CACI works closes with the U.S. Air Force to fulfill its important missions and is an active member of the San Antonio community,” said DeEtte Gray, CACI President of Business and Information Technology Solutions. “As we continue to grow our presence in this area, our support of STEM education and SAMSAT enables future talent to consider a career in national security.”

In support of SAMSAT, CACI has sponsored the creation of the new Tech Port Innovation Center as well as the CACI Cyber City exhibit, an interactive model of San Antonio constructed out of LEGO® bricks. Additionally, numerous CACI employees volunteered for more than 200 hours and organized more than 20 STEM student volunteers to help build the LEGO exhibit. 

The construction of CACI’s Cyber City exhibit was built from the company’s City Block technology. City Block is a software-based cyber-physical modeling and simulation environment where cybersecurity specialists, network administrators, and industrial control systems and operational technology (ICS/OT) security testers can train and conduct cybersecurity operations.

“We are excited to see our software superpower being used to stimulate young minds in San Antonio,” said Todd Probert, CACI President of National Security and Innovative Solutions. “City Block leverages virtual reality, 3D modeling, and other technologies to help our military partners prepare for the digital battlefield of the future. We hope that students who visit the exhibit will be inspired to join us in our continuous efforts to defend and protect our nation from cyber threats.”  

SAMSAT was created with the vision of advancing STEM education while serving as a facilitator between K-12 students, college students, universities, industry, government agencies, and nonprofits in the San Antonio area. Today, SAMSAT provides education opportunities for all ages through tours, online programs, mobile demonstrations, STEM camps, STEM clubs, and adult-focused events.

SAMSAT’s mission of “inspiring what’s next” by exploring the past and present to inspire future innovation aligns closely with CACI’s program of innovation ahead of needs. CACI’s contribution to SAMSAT furthers the company’s commitment to providing the resources necessary to prepare the next generation of innovators for careers in national security. 

About CACI

CACI’s approximately 22,000 talented employees are ever vigilant in providing the unique expertise and distinctive technology that address our customers’ greatest enterprise and mission challenges. Our culture of good character, innovation, and excellence drives our success and earns us recognition as a Fortune World’s Most Admired Company. As a member of the Fortune 1000 Largest Companies, the Russell 1000 Index, and the S&P MidCap 400 Index, we consistently deliver strong shareholder value. Visit us at www.caci.com.

There are statements made herein which do not address historical facts, and therefore could be interpreted to be forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are subject to factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from anticipated results. The factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in CACI’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022, and other such filings that CACI makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Any forward-looking statements should not be unduly relied upon and only speak as of the date hereof.

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Corporate Communications and Media:                                           
Lorraine Corcoran                                                              
Executive Vice President, Corporate Communications                  
(703) 434-4165, lorraine.corcoran@caci.com                         

ST. PAUL, Minnesota, June 1, 2023 /3BL Media/ – We are excited to announce that Erik Foley has recently joined Antea Group USA as a Senior Consultant.

Erik has over 25 years of experience in sustainability and has held numerous leadership roles working with large corporations to small start-ups across a variety of sectors including renewable energy, agriculture, technology, manufacturing, hospitality, and more. He holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Whitman College and a master’s in business administration from Saint Francis University.

“One of our strategic priorities as a company is to make investments that enhance our client’s business resiliency through improved environmental, social, and governance performance,” says Brian Ricketts, CEO of Antea Group USA. “Erik brings a unique business acumen and deep understanding of the ESG landscape, further strengthening our abilities to effectively respond to client needs related to ESG drivers and sustainability services.”

Erik comes to Antea Group from Penn State University where he was the founding Managing Director for the Penn State Sustainability Institute that serves 40,000 employees and 100,000 students and was one of the lead authors of the University’s first Sustainability Strategic Plan. In his previous role, he worked to accelerate the integration of sustainability in business by collaborating across a community of scholars, educators, students, and industry partners. Specializing in sustainability strategy, social entrepreneurship and change leadership, Erik has taught, consulted and led workshops on the role business can play in advancing environmental conservation and regeneration. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Directors for ClearWater Conservancy and Network for Business Sustainability.

Erik is based in Pennsylvania.

About Antea Group

Antea®Group is an environment, health, safety, and sustainability consulting firm. By combining strategic thinking with technical expertise, we do more than effectively solve client challenges; we deliver sustainable results for a better future. We work in partnership with and advise many of the world’s most sustainable companies to address ESG-business challenges in a way that fits their pace and unique objectives. Our consultants equip organizations to better understand threats, capture opportunities and find their position of strength. Lastly, we maintain a global perspective on ESG issues through not only our work with multinational clients, but also through our sister organizations in Europe, Asia, and Latin America and as a founding member of the Inogen Alliance.

At Covia, our commitment to support to our local communities is put into action every day. Many of our initiatives focus on the passions of our own Covia Team Members, but we also understand our commitment to be inclusive of those outside our walls – our friends, neighbors, and other stakeholders.

While Memorial Day is behind us this year, Covia supports actively serving members of the armed forces, veterans, and their families all year long by contributing time and financial support to the defenders of freedom. One of our favorite events is our special golf clinic for veterans, the Stars, Stripes & Links Golf Clinic.

Since 2015, the Covia Foundation, in partnership with The Turn’s – Return to Golf Program, the Stand Up and Play Foundation, and Sand Ridge Golf Club, has hosted the Annual Stars, Stripes & Links golf clinic. This unique event provides a day of golf specifically intended for injured combat veterans at the beautiful Sand Ridge course in Chardon, Ohio, and gives Covia the opportunity to show our immense gratitude for the sacrifices made by our veterans.

Over the last eight years, we have supported more than 200 veterans, representing all five branches of the military, enjoyed a morning of complimentary one-on-one golf instruction, followed by camaraderie during on-course team play and a lunch reception to conclude the day. Covia Team Members generously volunteer their time to ensure the event is fun and informative for the participants. But, most importantly, our volunteers provide moral support and conversation. Last year, we had a record number of volunteers that included not only Covia Team Members, but customers and suppliers as well. Their dedication to this special project ensured our veterans all felt warmly appreciated. We look forward to hosting this event again in the fall.

“Our specialized team at The Turn is proud to have played a key role in the success of this wonderful event over the years,” said Gina Babinec. “It’s been an honor to partner with our friends at Covia and Sand Ridge Golf Club to provide this unique experience for deserving wounded veterans and veterans with physical disabilities from the local community.”

For more than 20 years, The Turn has been on the forefront of serving adults, children, and veterans with physical disabilities, helping them “make the turn” into the next chapter of their lives, both physically and emotionally. The Turn is a growing community in Northeast Ohio, inspiring hope and enhancing the health and well-being their members annually through specialized, adaptive recreation, fitness, and social programs to promote inclusion at its fully accessible campus of the Wharton Center at North Olmsted Golf Club.

The Stand Up and Play Foundation, founded by Anthony Netto, aims to help wheelchair users the opportunity to stand up and participate in sporting, artistic, and other activities, or even just experience the empowerment of looking at someone eye to eye. This volunteer-run endeavor supports paramobile recreation events like our Stars, Strikes and Links Golf Clinic, which gives those in wounded in service the chance to play golf.

Click to learn more about Covia’s valuable partnerships that support positive change. 

M·A·C champions individuality and supports equal rights for all 365 days a year – and the first-ever M·A·C VIVA GLAM Day Of Giving takes decades of social activism to the next level with a 24-hour event dedicated to building awareness, promoting advocacy and raising much-needed funds that benefit grassroots organizations.

Want to support LGBTQIA+ rights this Pride Month? Put your money where your mouth is on June 9!

You have the power to support local organizations championing LGBTQIA+ rights around the globe by loading up on all your fave shades.

100% of the selling price of M·A·C VIVA GLAM products is donated to local organizations championing healthy futures and equal rights for all. The Hetrick-Martin Institute, Grassroot Soccer and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS are just a few of the M·A·C VIVA GLAM grantees that M·A·C partners with on an annual basis.

June also marks a celebration for the iconic M·A·C VIVA GLAM I, II and III Lipstick shades – and their contributions to M·A·C VIVA GLAM’s success over the past 29 years.

To date, the M·A·C VIVA GLAM campaign has raised over $500,000,000 USD globally – and counting – simply by selling Lipstick.

“For many, lipstick is more than just a product,” says Dominic Skinner, M·A·C Global Senior Artist, UK and Ireland. “It harnesses the power of confidence, it symbolizes an act of defiance and sometimes provides an armour to take on the world,” He continues, “However, at M·A·C, lipstick is an ACTUAL life-changer. M·A·C VIVA GLAM Lipstick has been uplifting, supporting and changing people’s lives since 1994. Imagine if EVERY M·A·C Lipstick was this powerful? M·A·C VIVA GLAM Day Of Giving transforms 200+ shades into M·A·C VIVA GLAM Lipstick shades – meaning every cent from every sale of every Lipstick* will be donated to organizations empowering individuals and changing lives for the better.”

“Philanthropy has always been at the heart of the M·A·C brand and we are proud of the incredible strides we’ve made with M·A·C VIVA GLAM over the past three decades,” says Aïda Moudachirous-Rébois, M·A·C Global Chief Marketing Officer. “This year’s first-ever VIVA GLAM Day Of Giving offers yet another opportunity for M·A·C to support local organizations that serve as a starting point for the meaningful change that is necessary to promote and support equality for all.”

*All Lipstick sales from M·A·C free-standing stores and online at www.maccosmetics.com on June 9, 2023, from 12am to 11:59pm, will be donated to non-profit organizations that support the health and rights of people of All Ages, All Races and All Genders. Exclusions include but are not limited to lip gloss, lip balm, lip palette and lip primer products.

Available: 

All M·A·C free-standing locations/online, 1.800.588.0070 and www.maccosmetics.com

Global Contact:

Kristen Joyce, krjoyce@maccosmetics.com

FOLLOW US @MACcosmetics

M·A·C (Make-Up Art Cosmetics) is a leading brand of professional cosmetics and part of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Since its creation in Toronto, Canada, over 30 years ago, the brand’s popularity has grown through a tradition of word-of-mouth endorsement from Makeup Artists, models, photographers and journalists around the world. M·A·C is now sold in over 130 countries/territories worldwide. Follow M·A·C on Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok and Pinterest (@MACcosmetics); become a M·A·C fan on Facebook (facebook.com/maccosmetics); follow M·A·C on Instagram (instagram.com/maccosmetics) and watch M·A·C videos on YouTube (youtube.com/maccosmetics). For a M·A·C location near you, visit maccosmetics.com.

We’re thrilled to be expanding our EV fleet to help us meet our company goal to achieve a 50% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 2030. An added bonus, our EVs have features and technology that support our service teams, including outlets for powering and recharging tools on work sites.

Click here to learn more about our EV pilot program and our commitments to sustainability: otiselevator.co/ESGReport

As published in Qualcomm’s 2022 Corporate Responsibility Report

We are committed to promoting and respecting all internationally recognized human rights and avoiding complicity in any human rights abuse throughout our Company, our operations and our business relationships, including our subsidiaries, partners, customers and supply chain.

Our efforts are informed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the eight Core Labor Standards of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Principles and the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Our Company’s respect for human rights is enshrined in The Qualcomm Way: Our Code of Business Conduct and our Supplier Code of Conduct. Our approach is explained in further detail in our Human Rights Statement.

We require all employees to complete training and certification on The Qualcomm Way: Our Code of Business Conduct, including the subsection on human rights.

As part of our human rights due diligence efforts, we regularly conduct formal, third-party human rights impact assessments (HRIAs) of our operations as a whole or at the market level. These assess potential risks across our operations and/or value chain, including risks related to employees, manufacturing facilities, supply chain and communities. HRIAs help us identify our salient human rights issues — those human rights at potential risk of negative impact due to our Company activities or business relationships.

Because we primarily rely on third parties to perform the manufacturing, assembly and most of the testing of our semiconductor products, we do not generally encounter issues with child labor, forced labor or human trafficking in our direct operations. Indirect salient human rights risks exist primarily in our supply chains and with local community members. Although we may not have direct control over or causal relationships with these risks, we are committed to raising awareness of our expectations and working toward mitigating any potential link or contribution to these risks.

Due to our reliance on suppliers, our Company has taken specific steps to prevent human rights abuses in our supply chain through our engagement with the RBA. Our efforts to prevent, mitigate and remediate our human rights risks and impacts in our supply chain include annual assessments of suppliers’ operations in accordance with the RBA SAQ, engagement with suppliers to ensure conformance to our expectations, risk-based onsite audits and participation in multi-stakeholder initiatives.

As previously discussed, we require our primary semiconductor manufacturing suppliers to complete the RBA SAQ, which includes human rights risks, such as working hours, child labor, freedom of association and more. All our primary semiconductor manufacturing suppliers comply with this requirement, and all have low-risk manufacturing facilities according to the SAQ ratings. In addition, we encourage our primary semiconductor manufacturing suppliers to complete an RBA Validated Assessment Process (VAP) audit.

During VAP audits, certified third-party auditors conduct record reviews, manager interviews and worker interviews for conformance to all standards of the RBA Code of Conduct covering labor, health and safety, environment, ethics and management systems. For more information on the VAP, please see the RBA VAP guidance documents.

Our internal Human Rights Working Group focuses on strengthening our management of human rights risks. This cross-functional team includes representatives from departments including Legal, Procurement, Corporate Responsibility, Government Affairs, Environment, Health and Safety, Security, DEI, Supply Chain, Risk and Compliance, Privacy and Cybersecurity. The working group is responsible for implementing, improving and supporting adherence to our human rights practices and for engaging external stakeholders on our human rights approach.

We are committed to providing remedies for individuals or communities where we have identified that our Company or third parties acting on our behalf caused or contributed to adverse human rights impacts. As such, we have a formal, third-party operated grievance and remedy mechanism, Business Conduct Hotline. The hotline is a comprehensive and confidential reporting tool available to anyone — external or internal — to raise concerns, ask questions or seek guidance anonymously.

Learn more in Qualcomm’s 2022 Corporate Responsibility Report

June 1, 2023 /3BL Media/ – SkysTheLimit.org, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering a vibrant community of entrepreneurs and their allies, brings the community together to celebrate Pride Month by spotlighting the success of entrepreneur Amnoni Myers and inspiring others to make their dreams happen.

LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs represent a significant portion of the entrepreneurial landscape. According to the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, there are 1.4 million LGBTQIA+ business owners, who are contributing $1.7 trillion to the U.S. economy annually.

Amnoni Myers embodies the spirit of resilience, determination, and innovation. Amnoni became a ward of the state at birth, and through her experiences, in foster care, she became committed to helping others understand the importance of their voice and experiences so that they can break the cycle of poverty.

She is the Founder of You Are the Prize LLC., a service-based company that offers speaking, training and consulting to child welfare agencies, educational institutions and foster parents who work with young people who have experienced trauma. With the success of her book: You Are the Prize: Seeing Yourself Beyond the Imperfections of Your Trauma and her experiences working with the White House and Congress, she developed a brand to help people working with children understand the impacts of trauma.

“Mentors are a form of social capital, and I am realizing that an essential element to building a business is being able to rely on people where you may lack experience. Each mentor has given me more confidence by affirming the work I am doing. They each have encouraged me to seek after clients who are willing to pay for my services. Because I’ve stayed firm on my prices, I’ve seen that I have gained about three clients since,” said Amnoni.

Read more about her remarkable success story here.

To further honor Amnoni’s achievements and inspire others, Sky’s the Limit will be hosting the highly anticipated Limitless! premiere featuring founder Amnoni Myers. Limitless! is a groundbreaking series, where entrepreneurs can share their experiences, insights, and strategies for success. This episode will provide a unique opportunity for attendees to learn from Amnoni’s journey, gain valuable knowledge, and connect with like-minded individuals. More details can be found here.

As an organization committed to building a global community that embraces diversity, Sky’s the Limit recognizes that inclusivity is the key to innovation and progress. By providing a platform for entrepreneurs of all backgrounds, identities, and orientations, we foster an environment where creativity thrives, ideas flourish, and meaningful relationships are formed.

Join Sky’s the Limit this Pride Month in celebrating the diversity, strength, and resilience of the LGBTQIA+ community. Together, we can create a future where every entrepreneur’s potential knows no bounds. For more information about how to get your company involved in mentoring, please visit skysthelimit.org/partnerships.

Sky’s the Limit offers opportunities for traditionally marginalized entrepreneurs – typically those who identify as LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, women, veterans, disabled people, and people from low-income backgrounds – to connect with mentors to come together to foster, grow, and shape modern and future enterprise.

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About SkysTheLimit.org: SkysTheLimit.org is a digital platform that connects young, historically excluded entrepreneurs with one-on-one support from experienced business advisors and mentors, entrepreneurship training, and community-voted startup grants. SkysTheLimit.org is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. 

By Kristy Lilas, Vice President of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at GoDaddy

When learning that a company has a dedicated leader of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) — whether it is a chief diversity officer, vice president or other position— it’s easy to wonder, “Well, what does that title actually mean? What does this person really do all day?”  

To provide more transparency into the critical work that a DEIB leader leads, I wanted to share a glimpse into how I spend my time. In fact, the better it’s understood what DEIB professionals like me do, and how our work affects the business, the more our work will be valued and championed — and the more successful DEIB programs will be overall.

At a high level, my role as vice president of diversity, inclusion and belonging at GoDaddy is to help our organization continually consider, strategize, prioritize and execute inclusive and equitable approaches across the business — all aligned with GoDaddy’s mission of “making opportunity more inclusive for all” and targeted at empowering both our people and our customers. I do this the same way we approach any other business priority, including steps relating to research and analysis, strategic planning, implementation, oversight and governance, experimentation, and tracking metrics.  

Importantly, DEIB does not just focus on employee experience. At least at GoDaddy, DEIB is prioritized across all our business operations as well as our customer experiences. My purview as a DEIB leader is both global and broad, allowing us to make the greatest impact — as a responsible business, as an employer of people and as a tech company. 

Be forewarned: a lot of what I do may seem very dry. In fact, an aspect of DEIB programming that doesn’t often get discussed is how much of this work is focused behind-the-scenes on tactical processes.

Why? Because DEIB is both about influencing people’s actions and designing systems and processes that are inclusive and equitable. In other words, people execute processes, but processes dictate people’s actions. So, to make DEIB truly integrated — and steadfast — we must focus on a two-prong approach, because you can’t have one of these approaches without the other and expect to make progress. 

 In the spirit of transparency, here is a snippet of what I’m up to this month, aligned to this year’s priorities. While it’s not everything I’ll work on — given this role is constantly evolving and every day is different — I hope what I share provides at least a good understanding of a day in my seat, and I welcome other leaders to consider and share how they too are approaching DEIB in the workplace.

CommunicationsRegular meetings with Communications, Public Relations, Marketing, Events, and Brand teams to further embed the importance of DEIB into how we: communicate internally and externally; share best practices around helping people feel authentically represented and included; amplify our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and employee stories; and provide transparency into our DEIB and culture efforts. For example, for June we are discussing how to execute thoughtful, authentic campaigns around both LGBTQIA+ Pride and Juneteenth, including deep consideration of current events affecting the LGBTQIA+ and Black communities that reflect our employee and customer perspectives.DEIB focus groups with employees at various times and across regions to collect feedback about our employees’ experience.
 Learning & EngagementERG one-to-one and group meetings to check in on their plans, programming and feedback so we can better support their efforts and consider their priorities within the broader DEIB work we’re doing.Collaboration with our Learning and Development team to create employee training modules on inclusive engagement concepts, including psychological safety, growth mindset, microaggressions and where bias can appear in the employee lifecycle.Early research and planning around possible new professional development programming focused on enabling representation in management and leadership at the organization. ERG event attendance and participation for this month’s heritage month (Pride!).Webinar presentation on developing DEIB strategies for our Empower by GoDaddy cohort of small business owners in partnership with the Better Business Bureau Serving the Pacific Southwest.Webinar attendance on building a culture of DEIB with a focus on skills, behaviors and actions. A shared DEIB and professional development best practice is to always stay curious and keep learning!
 Operations & Process IntegrationRegular touchpoints with Technology, Talent, Human Resources and other groups to share updates, discuss solutions and prioritize DEIB in our business operations and processes. For example, I meet regularly with our Talent Acquisition team to plan opportunities to continually attract candidates from all types of backgrounds and mitigate how bias can appear throughout the recruitment process.Project status call with Procurement around the launch of our Supplier Diversity program.  Research and meetings around revised self-identification data inputs to further enable an inclusive employee experience and the create more data driven DEIB approaches.Providing and soliciting guidance, input and feedback on different efforts to further globalize our approach to DEIB.  
 GovernanceDEIB Steering Committee meeting to review a scorecard summary of our efforts and discuss status, resources and metrics.Global leadership team meetings to align on goals and provide DEIB-related guidance as needed across our corporate priorities. 

To continually make progress, DEIB programming and priorities need to be authentic, focused and strategic. This work cannot be owned by any one single person — rather it’s a shared responsibility of all across the company, with so many creating great impacts through their passion and commitment. My role as a DEIB partner is to simply guide and enable this orchestra of action and accountability.

Empowering through Equity & Inclusion: A GoDaddy Series – At GoDaddy, we make apps and services that our worldwide community of entrepreneurs can relate to and that serve our mission of empowering entrepreneurs everywhere, making opportunity more inclusive for all. Our people and culture reflect and celebrate that sense of diversity and inclusion in ideas, experiences and perspectives. But we know that’s not enough to build true equity and belonging in our communities. That’s why we prioritize integrating diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging principles into the core of how we work every day. This article is part of the Empowering through Equity & Inclusion thought leadership series that reflects on how organizations can strive for more equitable and inclusive workplaces – as well as communities.

The morning was calm and quiet when Mike climbed into the passenger’s seat of a truck to make the commute to his worksite south of Fort McMurray, Alta. Both he and the driver were Suncor summer students in 2006, each taking turns driving to work.

It was Mike’s turn to sit back and nap on the drive, so he reclined his seat and dozed off. He was startled awake as the truck hit a ditch along Highway 63, the only road leading in and out of town.

“The truck was upside down and I was having difficulty breathing, so I was mostly focused on trying to breathe, not on what happened,” says Mike. “It took a couple of hours to get me out of the truck using the Jaws of Life. But once I got out, I was in good spirits; joking around with everyone and laughing.”

Fortunately, both Mike and the driver survived the accident, but Mike had a spinal injury that left him paralyzed.

“I’m paralyzed from the chest down and technically classified as a quadriplegic because I lost some use of my hands as well as my legs,” explains Mike. “I was also burned on my legs and needed skin grafts, but because of my spinal injury, I didn’t feel much pain.”

Since the accident, Mike has become a passionate accessibility advocate, working to raise awareness of everyday tasks that can be challenging for those with disabilities.

“There are so many ’invisible,’ life-changing accessibility features that make navigating the world easier for me,” says Mike. “A lot of time, thought, care and the voices of countless people with disabilities and allies have advocated for these benefits and I’m privileged to take advantage of them.”

Although features like ramps, elevators, automatic doors and accessible washroom stalls are familiar to all of us, there are other accessibility tools that are less obvious such as alt text on images in a social media feed, and screen readers for computers and mobile devices.

“Things like being able to use the tap feature debit and credit card machines; taking my kids to tourist attractions designed with accessibility in mind ensuring I have a clear view; not having to worry if my wheelchair will fit through doorways or having hand controls installed in rental cars are just some ‘luxuries’ that would be less common had I been injured a decade before.”

Mike returned to Suncor as a student the following summer, and eventually met another student who would later become his wife.

“At this point, after meeting my wife and raising two amazing young girls, the accident seems like a lifetime ago. But because of it, accessibility will always be a part my life,” he says.

Almost 20 years after the accident, Mike now works for Suncor as an accounts payable administrator and is an active member in Suncor’s accessibility employee inclusion network, enABLE. Through the network he hosts regular sessions on accessibility, providing a safe space for persons with disabilities, caregivers and allies to discuss a range of disability related topics.

“Many people don’t speak up about things they know will make their life easier, often because they’re worried about what their colleagues might think,” adds Mike. “But when we are vulnerable and open up, we give our coworkers the chance to help make this an even better place to work.”

National AccessAbility Week runs from May 28 to June 3, and is an opportunity to celebrate the valuable contributions and leadership of persons with disabilities, highlight the work of people, organizations and communities that are removing barriers and improving accessibility, and reflect on the ongoing efforts to become more accessible and more inclusive.