The window to pass federal LGBTQ inclusive nondiscrimination policy is closing. Our Equality and Fairness for All Americans framework will not only make real federal civil rights protections for LGBTQ Americans, but will also codify the SCOTUS decisions on marriage equality and discrimination in employment.

Panelists:

Angela Hughey, President and Co-Founder, ONE Community

Michael Soto, CEO, Equality Arizona

Shapri LoMaglio, Principal, The Raben Group

Rev. Marian Edmonds-Allen, Executive Director, Parity

Sarah Kate Ellis, President, GLAAD

Increasingly, businesses talk about the importance of practicing“social responsibility”–but what does that mean? For the purposes of this panel, we mean actions that benefit society. Socially Responsible companies adopt policies that promote the well-being of society while working to lessen negative impacts on society. Our panelists will discuss how their organizations approach social responsibility and the intersection of good business practice and social change.

Moderated by Angela Hughey, President, ONE Community & ONE Community Foundation

Panelists: Marina Carpenter, EVP, Public Affairs and General Counsel, Arizona Coyotes

Amanda Ventura Zink, Public Affairs, Waymo

Katee Van Horn, Chief People Officer of ChargeNet Stations

We kicked off the 2022 Point of Pride LGBTQ Summit with a conversation with Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo.

The Secretary joined ONE Community co-founder and President Angela Hughey for a virtual conversation on the state of the LGBTQ+ community, workforce development, equity, and inclusion.

This conversation provides an opportunity to highlight investments across the country to uplift minority communities and to discuss how employers, local governments, non-profits, and communities across the country can partner with the Department of Commerce to provide workforce development opportunities for LGBTQ+ communities & foster inclusive environments for LGBTQ+ workers.

What is one subtle sign that there may be discrimination against employees in the workplace?   

To help you recognize subtle signs of discrimination in the workplace, we asked business leaders and HR managers this question for their best insights. From denying
employees religious leave to the lack of diversity on teams, there are several subtle signs that may indicate employees could be facing discrimination in the workplace.

Here are nine subtle signs of workplace discrimination:
● Denying Employees Religious Leave
● Promotion Decisions Not Based on Merit
● Assigned Work Roles Based on Gender
● Criticizing and Micromanaging
● Assigning Non-Work-Related Jobs Based on Gender
● Exclusion from Informal Networks
● Passing Improper Comments
● History of Lawsuits
● Lack of Diversity on The Team

Denying Employees’ Religious Leave

One of the more subtle signs of discrimination in a workplace are employees being denied religious leave. Unlike more obvious signs, like lack of diversity, individual cases of employees being denied religious leave often fly under the radar. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission requires companies to make reasonable accommodations for employees, including those requesting religious leave, especially if the leave doesn’t adversely impact the workplace.  If requests for leave are being flatly denied, without management asking any questions of the requestor, there’s a high likelihood discrimination is at play.

Joshua Chin, Chronos

Promotion Decisions Not Based on Merit

One subtle sign that there may be discrimination against employees is if a supervisor or manager makes decisions about who gets promoted, who gets raises, or who gets layoffs based on factors other than job performance. Such factors may be race, gender, or religion. There are a few signs that you can look for to identify this type of discrimination. First, pay attention to whether your supervisor or manager makes decisions about raises and promotions without considering input from other employees or managers. Secondly, see if there is a pattern of employees who are laid off being from a particular group, such as women or minority employees. If you notice either of these signs, it may be an indication that your employer is discriminating against employees.

Jonathan Baillie Strong, Spotlight Podcasting

Assigned Work Roles Based on Gender

Gendered roles and duties are subtle discriminations to watch for in the workplace. While the demographics of a company may show a fairly equal split between genders, it's important to note what kind of positions and duties they have. Qualified women may be inexplicably excluded from executive and managerial roles, and be placed in support, informative, and clerical positions. 

Even more pernicious is when women are still expected to do clerical work that wouldn't be expected of a man in the same position. Or when women are promoted to higher positions, they are given an excessively heavy workload, or assigned duties that are humiliatingly below their qualifications, creating a scenario in which success is virtually impossible.

Jaymee Messler, The Gaming Society

Criticizing and Micromanaging

Some employers and managers may exhibit discrimination through extensive criticism and micromanagement. While they may not make overt comments that reveal bias, it is evident when they refuse to acknowledge quality work or trust employees to get the job done well. If you or another employee is experiencing this form of discrimination, you can either approach the issue directly with the instigator or bring it to your HR department.

Justin Soleimani, Tumble

Assigning Non-Work-Related Jobs Based on Gender

One of the more subtle yet degrading forms of workplace discrimination is assigning non-work-related jobs based on gender. Always asking women in the office to grab a cup of coffee for a visitor, or only sending men to the C-level suites to pick up a file and get some “face-time” with upper management are just two examples. Those being discriminated against have difficult times proving their allegations, accused of being “too sensitive.” Until those benefiting from the discrimination stand up for their colleagues, the dynamic is difficult to remedy.

Patricio Paucar, Navi

Exclusion from Informal Networks

Informal networks are often the key to success in any workplace. They provide access to important information, social capital, and support which can be essential to career advancement. If people of color or women are routinely excluded from these informal networks due to their race or gender, they will have a much harder time succeeding in their careers. This type of discrimination is also difficult to prove, but if you notice that the same people are always included in social gatherings or excluded from them, it may be a sign of subtle discrimination.

Danielle Bedford, Coople

Passing Improper Comments

Comments can tell you so much. A simple way to spot discrimination against employees at work is just to listen to what’s being said. Even a seemingly harmless comment, or joke or story made about someone, or a group of people, can have major ripple effects and is a huge red flag that this company is not aware of the bigger picture or maybe doesn’t care to be. Listening to the day-to-day conversations in a workplace can be a major indicator of what’s happening below the surface of the company and what possible discrimination may be taking place.

Staci Brinkman, Sips by

History of Lawsuits

A history of lawsuits or EEOC complaints filed against the company can be a sign that employees are facing discrimination in the workplace. 

Employees who feel that they are being discriminated against at work may choose to file a lawsuit or complaint with the EEOC. These actions can be helpful in proving that discrimination is happening, and they can also prompt the company to take action to correct the problem.

Gino Louise Reichert, LSAT Prep Hero

Lack of Diversity on The Team

Lack of diversity on the team. One tip-off of discrimination in a company is if most people on the team or workforce are primarily of one race, demographic, or age. When a company does not diversify its team, that’s a sign that there’s some discrimination going on, intentionally or unintentionally, and that it needs to be addressed. The only way we move forward and stop discrimination is to meet it head-on and change it here and now.

Karim Hachem, Sunshine79

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What is one way I can show my business is LGBTQ+ inclusive?  

To help you show that your business is LGBTQ+ inclusive, we asked business owners and PR professionals this question for their best tips. From making sure your policies are updated to featuring LGBTQ+ experts on your website, there are several ways to show that your business is inclusive to the LGBTQ+ communities.

Here are 11 ways to show your business is LGBTQ+ inclusive:

• Make Sure Your Policies Are LGBTQ+ Inclusive

• Train Your Staff On LGBTQ+ Inclusion

• Hire LGBTQ+ Representation in C-suite Roles

• Commit to Inclusion All Year Not Just Pride Month

• Adopt An Online Indicator On Web Pages

• Start Listing Pronouns

• Implement Inclusive Brand Messaging

• Actually Hire People from the LGBTQ+ Community

• Let Your Social Media Handles Tell the Story

• Create a Family Work Culture

• Feature LGBTQ+ Experts On Your Site

Make Sure Your Policies Are LGBTQ+ Inclusive

One way to communicate that your business is LGBTQ+ inclusive to new and current employees is to make sure all your policies have been written or updated to be inclusive. For example, your policies on parental leave, adoption, and pensions, may have a heteronormative focus if they have not been examined carefully.

Of course, LGBTQ+ inclusion should be a core part of your Equality and Diversity policy too - and having a separate LGBTQ+ inclusion policy can show even more strongly your commitment to inclusion for this group.

Camille Brouard, myhrtoolkit

Train Your Staff On LGBTQ+ Inclusion

One way to ensure that your company is LGBTQ+ inclusive is to provide training to your staff members. This can be done in a variety of ways, such as through workshops, webinars, or even online courses. Training should cover topics such as LGBTQ+ terminology, pronoun usage, and the unique challenges that members of the LGBTQ+ community face.

By providing this type of training, you will help ensure that your employees are knowledgeable about the issues faced by LGBTQ+ people. Additionally, this will show your employees that you are committed to creating an inclusive environment.

Demi Yilmaz, Colonist.io

Hire LGBTQ+ Representation in C-suite Roles

One way to invest in the LGBTQ+ community is to hire executive leadership to represent LGBTQ+ interests in your business and for your customers. Including and seeking out these perspectives ultimately strengthens your business to cover blind spots and avoid faux pas.

LGBTQ+ leadership will voice their inclusive campaign ideas and company policies while defending workers’ basic rights. The more variety you add to your voices in leadership, the better you can grasp a 360-degree perspective of your business from the consumers’ perspective.

As we move forward, businesses need whatever edge they can get above the competition. Showcase your company’s inclusivity by granting LGBTQ+ leaders a voice on your board.

Zach Goldstein, Public Rec

Commit to Inclusion All Year Not Just Pride Month

One way to show that your business is LGBTQ+ inclusive is to commit to inclusion year-round. Something as simple as a rainbow flag to show support, or social media callouts against new discriminatory legislation, can speak volumes. Pride month is only one month out of the year after all. Adopting more supportive internal practices year-round shows commitment to the cause, not just a one-month-long performance.

Phillip Akhzar, Arka

Adopt An Online Indicator On Web Pages

One sure way to show that your business is LGBTQ+ is to advertise this fact on your web presence. For example, Yelp has attributes that allow you to mark your business as "open-to-all," as well as indicators for features like non-gendered bathrooms. You can also show your inclusivity to the LGBTQ+ community by making a note on your social media profiles, your website, and the sign-offs of your email newsletters.

Carly Hill, VirtualHolidayParty.com

Start Listing Pronouns

One simple and effective way to show your business is LGBTQ+ inclusive is to start listing pronouns on company name identifiers. Pronouns provide everyone the opportunity to say how they would like to be addressed. This call to action shows your business is supportive of LGBTQ+ rights and ensures everyone is treated and referred to as they would most prefer.

Sasha Ramani, MPOWER Financing

Implement Inclusive Brand Messaging

One way to show off your company's inclusivity is through brand messaging. For example, an easy way to be mindful of all your consumers is to keep your copywriting gender-neutral.

Instead of using 'he' or 'she,' use 'they' so that anyone can envision themselves as a consumer of your product. It's the small changes that make the most significant difference. I would recommend building a company diversity committee to create an inclusive strategy.

Breanne Millette, BISOULOVELY

Actually Hire People from the LGBTQ+ Community

I'm going to be honest here as a Talent Acquisition professional. There is a lot of lip service being paid to inclusivity, particularly the LBTQ+ community. Companies all put their rainbow flag background up on LinkedIn during Pride Month, but what does that actually mean?

If you aren't actively seeking to hire members of the LGBTQ+ community and foster their career growth, don't bother with the flag background. People will see that your efforts are inauthentic at best, offensive at worst. It is a misrepresentation to the LGBTQ+ community, virtue-signaling without substance.

Instead of following the crowd, do a few things that make a difference. Actively seek LGBTQ+ applicants for your open positions at your business by advertising on sites that cater to this diversity, like Campus Pride, LGBT Connect, and Out and Equal, to name a few. And once you've hired diverse candidates, foster their growth by promoting mentorship opportunities and Employer Resource Groups (ERGs).

Sarah Peck, AEVEX Aerospace

Let Your Social Media Handles Tell the Story

Manage and organize your business's social media handles making them vibrant with pride colors. With the pride month just a week away you can start uploading catalogs and pictures in an LGBTQ-centric way. Make your preferences obvious by collaborating with prominent LGBTQ models and activists, and organizing community dinners and potlucks for the LGBTQ community. Don't shy down from posting views and appreciation about commendable achievements of the LGBTQ community as a whole or individual success stories.

Isaac Robertson, Total Shape

Create a Family Work Culture

You can't fix something rotten inside. To show that your business is LGBTQ+ inclusive, start by working out a family work culture. In really inclusive workplaces, LGBTQ employees feel "at home." They are comfortable showing private photos, talking about their partners, inviting them to business events or hanging out with workers. Much of this depends on the employees themselves, but you, as the boss, can encourage such positive behaviors.

Show your respect, value people, for who they are, and support them if needed. If your budget allows, organize an integration event and invite all employees with their partners. Make it clear that everyone is welcome. You may as well distribute some rainbow stickers. Finally, update your non-discriminatory policy. Put your actions on paper too.

Nina Paczka, MyPerfectResume

Feature LGBTQ+ Experts On Your Site

An excellent way to demonstrate that your business is LGBTQ+ inclusive is to give a platform to amplify their voices. Consider interviewing an LGBTQ+ person within your industry, preferably someone who already has something of a following. Whatever the topic of the interview ends up being, it's key to ensure that you highlight how LGBTQ+ people have contributed to the field and continue to do so.

Adrien Dissous, Babo Botanicals

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How can employers support LGBTQ+ employees at work? 

To help you with ways to support LGBTQ+ employees in the workplace, we asked business professionals and D&I leaders this question for their best tips. From establishing an anti-discrimination policy to educating employees on the importance of using gender pronouns, there are several insights that may help you better support your LGBTQ+ employees.

Here are 8 ways to support LGBTQ+ employees in the workplace:

• Establish an Anti-discrimination Policy
• Support The Employee by Supporting Their Family

• Be Sure to Educate Yourself
• Support The LGBTQ+ Community

• Practice Inclusive Hiring to Support LGBTQ+ Employees

• Celebrate Pride Month

• Prioritize Intersectionality Within Company Initiatives
• Educate Your Employees on Using Gender Pronouns

Establish an Anti-discrimination Policy

Employers can create anti-discrimination policies that explicitly declare zero tolerance for any form of discrimination. This policy should apply across all company activities, including recruitment and promotions. The employer must ensure that all employees know this policy and the consequences of going against it. If an employee breaches the policy, the employer must not shy away from promptly taking action against the offender. Rather than assume that all human staff are unbiased, set laws that make lack of bias compulsory. Business owners should also ensure that employees feel safe when making discriminatory or harassment reports.

John Tian, Mobitrix

Support The Employee by Supporting Their Family

One of the most often overlooked ways to support LGBTQ employees is to include their families in meaningful ways. For example, train yourself and your employees to avoid heteronormative language, like inquiring about a "partner" instead of assuming that a team member is with someone of the opposite sex and asking about a husband/wife or girlfriend/boyfriend. Make sure LGBTQ employees' partners and children are invited and feel welcome at company gatherings. Also, ensure that benefits like health insurance cater to the needs of these individuals, for example, including providers that are LGBTQ-friendly or specialize in the community's special medical needs.

Tasia Duske, Museum Hack

Be Sure to Educate Yourself

Be sure to educate yourself and encourage others to do the same. Consider reading books, watching documentaries or attending seminars that can provide information. You can also support employees by going to rallies and signing petitions that support LGBTQ rights. By educating yourself on the topic, you can improve employee well-being while taking initiative to change.

Corey Ashton Walters, Here

Support The LGBTQ+ Community

One of the best ways you can show support for LGBTQ employees at work is to take the time and the resources to support local LGBTQ organizations and programs. The business community can often be insular, so showing your employees that you are donating to these organizations or offering speakers to share their experiences and knowledge with your peers goes a long way. Encourage volunteering efforts too and organize company outings to LGBTQ events and fundraisers.

Brandon Brown, GRIN

Practice Inclusive Hiring to Support LGBTQ+ Employees

Some people are made uncomfortable by what they don’t know and understand. For this reason, education in the workplace is vital to ensuring that all employees feel comfortable in the workplace. But even more important is the practice of inclusive hiring. Education alone won’t support LGBTQ+ employees as well as education in conjunction with an inclusive hiring process and company culture. 

In addition to inclusion helping to ensure that LGBTQ+ employees are comfortable and supported at work, inclusion also benefits the company. This is because inclusive and diverse companies tend to innovate better and they also tend to perform better than their competitors. Inclusion doesn’t just mean hiring at lower levels of the company, however. Decision-making positions, management positions, and higher-level positions need to be inclusive as well.

Dave Rietsema, Matchr

Celebrate Pride Month

Celebrating Pride Month is one-way employers can support LGBTQ employees at work. Beyond simply changing the company logo to rainbow hues for the month of June, organizations can plan thoughtful programming such as playing trivia that highlights LGBTQ history, screening documentaries and films that speak to LGBTQ experiences, and curating care packages made with goodies from LGBTQ small businesses.

Carly Hill, Virtual Holiday Party

Prioritize Intersectionality Within Company Initiatives

Make sure all efforts in updating or introducing new inclusive LGBTQ company initiatives are intersectional. It's essential to remember that LGBTQ people of color can have workplace experiences that are more negative than those of white LGBTQ employees. In what areas? In a research brief written by the What We Know Project at Cornell University, among LGBTQ people surveyed, they found that Black respondents have had their success and work-life balance fostered less extensively, they've had less transparent evaluations, and have been respected less by supervisors in comparison to the answers given by white respondents. As an employer, you can look into these widespread issues as possible areas of improvement. If you'd like more specific information, consider creating a carefully thought out survey where you ask employees what they believe should be done to improve the workplace environment.

Nicole Ostrowska, Zety

Educate Your Employees on Using Gender Pronouns

One of the greatest tips I can give any employer to support LGBTQ employees at work is to educate all your employees on using gender pronouns! Every person who identifies as LGBTQ+ and has a different gender pronoun always runs into the same problem on the daily, people mispronouncing them in any context! This problem can of course be accidental, and most of the time is! However, employers should make it their duty to teach their peers and employees why and how you should pronounce your fellow LGBTQ+ co-workers' gender pronouns! Having gender pronoun educational classes or presentations is a great initiative to support your LGBTQ+ employees in the workplace!

James Burati, 1-800-PackRat

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What is one activity that you've done to promote diversity in your workplace? 

To help you promote diversity in your workplace, we asked small business owners and HR leaders this question for their best insights. From inserting slack profile identifiers to hosting team huddles, there are several tips that may help you encourage diversity in your organization.

Here are nine ways to promote diversity in the workplace:

• Insert Slack Profile Identifiers
• Create Mentorship Programs

• Sponsor Diversity Initiatives and Groups

• Host a Team Building Event
• Partner with Minority Institutions

• Showcase Your International Work Environment Online

• Give Time Off for Religious Holidays

• Show No Bias While Hiring

• Recruit in Different Places
• Hire a Psychologist

• Host Team Huddles 

11 Ways To Ensure Inclusivity In Leadership

What is one way an organization can ensure inclusivity in leadership? 

To help you ensure inclusivity in your organization’s leadership, we asked CEOs and HR managers this question for their best insights. From offering project ownership opportunities to creating open forums to challenge the status quo, there are several tips that may help you ensure leadership inclusivity in the future.

Here are eleven ways to ensure inclusivity in leadership:

Offer Project Ownership OpportunitiesCreate Mentorship Programs
Partner With Diverse Businesses
Share Authority
Promote With Diversity in Mind
Mandate Inclusion Training
Invite All Employees to Meetings
Strategize an Intentional Plan
Actively Seek Different Perspectives
Avoid Tokenizing People
Create Open Forums to Challenge the Status Quo

• Offer Project Ownership Opportunities

  One way an organization can ensure inclusivity in leadership is to offer projects and that allow team members to practice and develop leadership skills. For example, TeamBuilding empowers team members within certain communities to write and design products like cultural trivia for Women's History Month or Pride Month. These opportunities show that we value employees' voices, perspectives, and experiences, and give diverse groups of employees the opportunity to lead initiatives, have internal visibility, and make a mark on the company.

  Michael Alexis, TeamBuilding

  
  

  Create Mentorship Programs

  Creating equitable mentorship programs is one way to improve inclusivity in leadership. Often, diverse employees lack access to the leadership training and opportunities that other employees receive through their communities. Matching these employees with a mentor early in their careers can help to bridge this gap and show these team members the paths to leadership. Such programs provide diverse employees with the information, tools, and visibility needed to grow and move up within the organization over time.

  Tasia Duske, Museum Hack

  
  

  Partner With Diverse Businesses

  Creating a true culture of inclusion means implementing diversity-based efforts across the business. That way, you'll attract diverse leaders to a company that actually follows its values of inclusivity. One of the biggest growth opportunities and most valuable experiences is partnering with women, LGBTQ, and BIPOC-led businesses. It's a really great way to support each other and develop like-minded content and initiatives that can help both brands excel. By growing together, you're expanding your network of support and creating a wide array of future opportunities for collaboration.

  Lisa Odenweller, Kroma Wellness

  
  

  Share Authority 

  In our organization, we believe in sharing authority as this enables employees throughout the organization to become leaders themselves. Leadership at every level has become the most critical element of our success. It initiates ownership and empowers our team members to take initiative. But it's not just taking ownership of the wins but also the losses, enabling them to see why their work matters. We are a company of owners who have diverse backgrounds and skills, but we're all passionate about building a more efficient and inclusive infrastructure — together. Leading up the chain of command creates a culture of accountability that is crucial for accomplishing goals, completing assignments, and making decisions. It also strengthens our bond as a team and creates a more rounded employee experience for everyone.

  Jason Sherman, TapRm

  
  

  Promote With Diversity in Mind

  Inclusivity starts at the top. A company’s leadership team should be comprised of men and women who have different racial, ethnic and gender backgrounds. We have attorneys who are active in their local communities and we try to ensure that we have a welcoming environment for everyone - employees, candidates and clients. Roughly 90% of our employees are bilingual, so we make sure to walk the walk when it comes to promoting diversity. We firmly believe that our organization needs to accurately represent the residential makeup of Southern California.

  Alan Ahdoot, Adamson Ahdoot Law

  
  

  Mandate Inclusion Training 

  Assuming that leaders and managers automatically know how to be inclusive is often a huge mistake. Offer guidance by providing inclusion training, diversity training resources, and the possibility of practicing suitable management behavior. Then your leaders will have a solid sense of your expectations and the skills they need to be inclusive leaders in the organization.

  Hakeem Shittu, iPad Recycle

  
  

  Invite All Employees to Meetings

  Leaders should invite all employees to meetings to ensure everyone's voice is heard. They can use this as an effective way to engage and collaborate with others from various viewpoints. By asking questions and connecting as a team, everyone's input is appreciated and valued. This type of leadership behavior creates a positive culture that keeps every team member involved and allows them to share their experiences that are different from our own.

  Lillie Sun, Three Ships Beauty

  
  

  Strategize an Intentional Plan

  First, strategize an intentional plan.  Inclusivity doesn't just "happen". Determine inclusivity goals and map a plan. Try expanding your Leadership Team and invite another level of leaders (for example, all of the company Sr. Managers) to the leadership table. Invite them to participate in the conversation.  Invite them to facilitate topics of conversation.  Leadership can feel exclusive with only a few key people in the circle. Expand your circle and reap so many mutual benefits.

  Kate Walker, Kate Walker Executive Coaching

  
  

  Actively Seek Different Perspectives

  Inclusive leaders are those who guard against letting their own personal biases dictate their decision-making. The way to ensure that those biases don’t interfere with the job is to seek out those who have different perspectives and backgrounds. To be an effective leader, one must be collaborative and willing to listen to others’ points of view. Adopt a diversity effort - that’s the most effective way to ensure inclusivity in leadership. Allow others to enlighten you and base your decisions on more than just your own perspective.

  Scott MacDonell, Bambee

  
  

  Avoid Tokenizing People

  Organizations need to stop tokenizing people. This happens when they intend to be inclusive, but hire only a small number of people from minority groups. So they can point to these few people when asked about diversity. There is a difference between going for “the minimum requirement” and actually making sure your organization is inclusive. Make sure you foster a secure and safe workplace. Minorities shouldn’t be subject to stereotypical treatment in the work they’re assigned or when they’re evaluated. Do not foster a fear-driven environment as this disproportionately impacts underrepresented groups. Make sure there are secure and safe feedback mechanisms. Lastly, go beyond the bare minimum and look into investing in special training programs for specific communities. You can link that to recruitment for a win-win situation.

  Nicole Ostrowska-Cobas, LiveCareer

  
  

  Create Open Forums to Challenge the Status Quo

  Before any organization can move forward on its plans to foster and ensure inclusive leadership, the management must be open to hearing views (both good and bad) from the organization as a whole. These open forums will help identify potential and underappreciated leaders from diverse backgrounds. It will also ensure that inclusivity becomes a norm across the organization. Furthermore, it is important that the management itself reflects inclusive leadership in its overall makeup. All talk without tangible actions will produce subpar results.

  Mogale Modisane, ToolsGaloreHQ.com

  
  
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Today, Governor Doug Ducey signed SB1165 and SB1138 into law. Both these bills are solutions looking for a problem. Like other leaders around the country, the Governor has forgotten that he has a duty to govern for all Arizonans. These draconian laws will harm transgender children, adults, and their families. These draconian laws will harm the reputation of Arizona - we cannot be a state where everyone is welcome and valued if our elected leaders allow discrimination to be the law of the land. You can't be pro-business and pro-discrimination.

Equality Arizona and ONE Community, along with the business community, the LGBTQ+ community, the faith community, and all Arizonans who believe in the dignity of all human beings no matter who you are or who you love, are united in our resolve to not only challenge and repeal these bills, but also to win full equality and fairness for LGBTQ+ Arizonans.

To the trans youth of Arizona, to trans adults, to the families and loved ones of trans youth and adults. Your life is valuable beyond measure. We see you, we love you, and we work daily to create a more just Arizona on your behalf. Today is a setback, but it is not the end. Fear and malice can set us back in terms of policy and laws, but they can never stop the change that is already so clear in Arizona and our nation. Trans people are everywhere, and we will continue to make the world see us, hear us, and we will cede no ground on our humanity.

13 Employee Appreciation Strategies To Celebrate Employees

What is one way your company celebrates employees? 

To help businesses retain their talented staff and create a fun environment to work in, we asked HR professionals and business owners this question for their best insights. From creating special channels on Slack to offering birthdays off, there are several strategies that may help you appreciate and celebrate your employees in a unique way. 

Here are 13 employee appreciation strategies to celebrate your best people:

• #Wins Channel On Slack

• Build Their Personal Brands

• Personalized Tech and Gadgets

• In the Spotlight On Social Media

• Recognition On a Daily Basis

• Employee Appreciation Holiday

• Create the Right Culture

• Celebrate Milestones

• Celebrity Messages Through Cameo

• Employee Recognition Tool

• Extend Performance Bonuses

• Gift Them Paid Skills Courses

• Offer Birthdays Off

#Wins Channel On Slack

We have a #wins channel on Slack where we frequently post wins that happened for employees in the company, big or small. Typically Team Leaders will post on behalf of the people they lead.

A couple of examples: "Check out this great video tutorial Attila created for the investment related pages. Should help the conversion greatly, I'm sure he will let us know in a couple of months!" and "Andrei's content got several natural backlinks from Vice in Romania. Great work on the content!"

Paw Vej, Financer.com Ldt

Build Their Personal Brands

We have a PTO plan where we give our employees fully-paid vacations, even when they're working remotely. Having a paid vacation plan for employees really helps when it's done in tandem with healthy employee recognition and rewarding schemes.

We also celebrate our employees by helping them develop their personal brands. Employees are often overshadowed by the voice of the brand. Placing our employees into positions where they can provide thought leadership, or seeking forums where they can participate has been a gold mine for us.  We routinely forward some of our employees to be trainers and facilitators in boot camps. We also have an active blog, where our employees build online thought leadership through the brand. Employees love it when they're recognized for their expertise. In our opinion, nothing beats placing them in a position where they are the face of expertise in their areas.

Alina Clark, CocoDoc

Personalized Tech and Gadgets

Whether it's a set of wireless headphones or a portable coffee machine with their name on it, gadgets are a fun and exciting reward for most employees. Better yet, if you can offer a piece of technology that aligns with your employee's lifestyles and hobbies. Some may prefer digital watches to keep track of their daily activity while others may prefer an e-reader to read on the go.

Riley Beam, Douglas R. Beam, P.A.

In the Spotlight On Social Media

Each week we highlight one member of our team on Facebook & Instagram. We use four fun photos and describe their role within the company, their hobbies, and interests, perhaps a photo of them with their pet, along with a short shout-out thanking them for their hard work and dedication. This is very popular with both employees and our social media audience resulting in one proud team member and engaging comments from our followers. It's also a fabulous way for team members to get to know one another. Win-win!

Stewart McGrenary, Freedom Mobiles

Recognition On a Daily Basis

Celebrating employees can take on a LOT of forms, but if you're waiting to celebrate your team once a quarter or just on their milestone dates, you're missing out on opportunities to create more meaningful relationships with them. Here at Motivosity, we make it a point to publicly shout out peers and employees for the awesome things they do every day. So, keep eating cake and celebrating the big moments, but also make time in your day to celebrate the little wins with a "thanks" or a "good job"! It makes all the difference.

Logan Mallory, Motivosity

Employee Appreciation Holiday 

Who says you have to stick to the calendar holidays? Why not start your own, dedicated just to employee appreciation? If you're feeling very brave, you could even shut down the business and announce to the world that you and your employees are taking a day off. This is exactly what we do at our firm. Instead of giving folks the day off, it's sometimes a better idea to do something together. So we go on a riverboat tour or have a day at the lake with a BBQ. Whatever it is, we make it a highlight of the year that our employees eagerly anticipate.

Marilyn Gaskell, TruePeopleSearch

Create the Right Culture

You need to create the right culture in your company so your employees feel valued, motivated, and heard. A great way to do this is by having a culture that recognizes all of the hard work employees do for the company. They want to know that their work isn’t for nothing. Show them that you see what they do for your company, and demonstrate how much you appreciate their role in your organization.

Thorin Yee, Best Companies AZ

Celebrate Milestones

Work Anniversaries are really an excellent way to acknowledge and thank employees for their service.  I worked with a former leader who never missed that date and celebrated with a Top _____ List to mark each of the years. It was so powerful, I have since stolen this idea. I have received my Top List as a personal note and as a Proclamation which I found hanging on my office door. Know your team and deliver this thanks and recognition as they would like to receive this praise.

This cost time and attention and I promise, brought a smile to the individuals who made up the team. An example of the care and feeding of your team to celebrate the individual parts of the whole.

Diane Fennig, The Gallagher Group - Executive Search & Leadership Advisors

Celebrity Messages Through Cameo

One cool thing we do to celebrate our employees is using the Cameo app to send team members special messages from a celebrity. When a celebration is in order for an employee, whether because of a big birthday or work anniversary, or following a significant milestone or contribution, we have one of their favorite celebrities on the Cameo platform send them a direct video message. We give the celebrity some basic info about the team member, why the message is being sent, and then surprise our co-worker with the video. To be honest, this way of celebrating people has taken on a life of its own, with people choosing whacky celebrities to send the messages. It’s something cool for the person getting the message, as well as fun for the whole office. In short, this is a perk that has gotten awesome feedback.

John Ross, Test Prep Insight

Employee Recognition Tool

Employee recognition tools make it easy for everyone to keep track of and instantly acknowledge achievements. Timely recognition of employee achievements, especially by peers, helps keep employees engaged and happy. The net result of a strong culture of recognition is that your employees feel connected to other team members. Modern employee recognition tools can help motivate your employees to show discretionary effort as a team.

Ed Stevens, Preciate

Extend Performance Bonuses

We celebrate our employees by providing them with performance bonuses on top of their basic salaries. Because many of our employees work remotely, activities like parties and retreats won’t suffice. However, since most are motivated by cash, bonuses are preferable and more effective substitutes. That way, we keep their spirits high leading to improved productivity and the company meeting its overall objective.

Ryan Yount, Luckluckgo

Gift Them Paid Skills Courses

As the head of a recruiting firm, I feel lucky to have employees who are as ambitious as myself. They're keen on learning new skills and staying updated with the latest industry-relevant trends. Therefore, I find investing in their personal growth or professional development a great way to celebrate their achievements. In some cases, I myself pick out a paid course that would help their career growth. Other times, I ask them whatever they would like me to purchase from Udemy, Coursera, or Skillshare. I see it as a win-win situation; they grow their skill set and credibility while my business benefits from their enhanced expertise.

Anjela Mangrum, Mangrum Career Solutions

Offer Birthdays Off

The way we celebrate our employees at ProMoverReview is by offering them non-traditional benefits that boost their morale. Birthday's-off is just one benefit that we have found is really appreciated by our employees and makes them feel celebrated and valued. We also ensure that our employees are always recognized for their work achievements. When our employees go above and beyond, we always post in our central channel on Slack for the entire team to see. By recognizing our employees achievements, both small and large, we have found that their productivity increased and they were driven to achieve even more.

Paul Moody, ProMoverReviews

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What is one way for a business to ensure equality for all employees in the workplace?

To help businesses ensure equality for all employees, we asked business leaders and people managers this question for their best insights. From investing in proper training and development to offering virtual options, there are several ways for businesses to ensure equality for all employees in the workplace.

Here are ten ways for businesses to ensure equality for all employees:

• Invest in Proper Training and Development

• Create a Safe Work Environment

• Make Accommodations for Employees

• Inclusivity Begins at the Recruitment Stage

• Salary Transparency

• Include a DE&I Team

• Listen to All Employees

• Non-binary Gender Inclusion

• Try Blind Hiring

• Always Offer Virtual Options

Invest in Proper Training and Development

A business needs to foster a culture in which equality is a primary value, and this can be done through proper training and development. Evaluate your workplace’s culture, surveying employees to see where there are shortcomings. Then, invest in training and development programs that increase understanding of equality, enabling employees to take more responsibility for the advancement of equality in the workplace.

Randall Smalley, Cruise America

Create a Safe Work Environment

Have an outlet for your employees to reach out to management and decision-makers on issues that they may feel uncomfortable publicly speaking on. Foster a policy where these thoughts can be shared discreetly and taken seriously in order to promote equality within your company culture. There won't be changes made to ensure equality in the workplace if you do not know which issues to properly address.

Jacob Dayan, Community Tax

Make Accommodations for Employees

Have regular meetings with all of your employees. Showing them that you welcome feedback goes a long way in making them feel more comfortable in the workplace. It is advantageous to talk to them about bigger issues and show that the culture of your work environment supports equality and the issues surrounding it. Employees want to feel safe at work. Taking these steps will help in this regard.

Brittany Kaiser, Gryphon Digital Mining

Inclusivity Begins at the Recruitment Stage

Developing an inclusive team begins at the recruitment stage. The hiring and onboarding process is an opportunity to communicate your company's culture and vision while facilitating a workplace strategy that is united rather than perpetuating a divided culture. Diversity selection isn't enough. It's also about instilling the concept that different backgrounds enhance creativity and perspective.

Nick Shackelford, Structured Agency

Salary Transparency

In the workplace, salaries are the best indicator of inequality between employees. For example, certain employees may receive additional pay benefits due to favoritism. Salary transparency solves that problem because it eliminates pay disparities and fosters employee trust.

Tomek Mlodzki, PhotoAiD

Include a DE&I Team

Implementing a DE&I team is a great way to create a level of trust and an arena of diversity inclusion within the company. DE&I teams keep companies honest with their hiring and treatment of employees, providing equality across all teams and employees. If your business objective is to ensure equality, a DE&I team will help meet that goal.

Michael Jankie, Natural Patch

Listen to All Employees

When evaluating over 80 HR and business practices that drive excellence in equality, as well as a series of business outcomes, one practice was by far the best marker of sustained excellence: listening to employees and acting on results. Listening to employees switches equality from a compliance program to a business strategy focused on performance and continuous improvement. When leaders listen first, then hear what was said, and then take appropriate action, they naturally create an environment of belonging, inclusion, and equality - everyone's voice matters.

Brett Wells, Perceptyx

Non-binary Gender Inclusion

Workplace equality can be defined as the absence of discrimination. Many factors contribute to its rate, and one of them is non-binary inclusion that does not discriminate against gender identities or groups. How to maintain it? During the recruitment process, be clear that gender expression (e.g., outfit or hairstyle) and gender identity are protected, and any violations are not accepted. With that said, there should be no place for intolerance in the workplace. It is also good to allow employees to self-identify on HR platforms and systems.

Magdalena Sadowska, PhotoAiD

Try Blind Hiring 

Equality begins with challenging assumptions and the hidden biases we all carry. Start a blind hiring process to level the playing field on the front end. I have worked with a hiring platform called Career. A place that keeps candidate profiles anonymous until the hiring manager selects the option to unlock the profile at the finalist stage. The benefits are threefold: better hiring for a diverse workforce, ensuring compliance, and branding for an innovative candidate experience.

Laura OConnell, PATH HR CO

Always Offer Virtual Options

Remote work has been a huge boon toward reducing ableism and ensuring everyone gets a seat at the table. Why? Because in a virtual meeting there is no physical table or any walls keeping people out. Workers can all have access and, with proper planning, have their say in what goes on.

Offer a remote or virtual option for any meeting that can have one. Default to remote work in everything you possibly can. This opens up more avenues for workers to connect, leading to better equality across the board.

Nate Tsang, WallStreetZen

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For Immediate Release
 

Representative Amish Shah, M.D. and Speaker Rusty Bowers file HB2802: The Equality and Fairness for All Arizonans Act

Legislation will extend Arizona’s non-discrimination protections to LGBTQ Arizonans in employment, housing and public accommodations while also protecting religious rights for people and institutions of faith. It will also ban conversion therapy for licensed healthcare professionals in Arizona.

(February 7th, 2022, Phoenix, Ariz.): Today, Representative Amish Shah, M.D. (LD24) and Speaker Rusty Bowers (LD25) filed HB2802, the Equality and Fairness for all Arizonans Act, that will extend Arizona’s current non-discrimination protections to gay and transgender Arizonans in employment, housing and public accommodations while protecting religious rights for people and institutions of faith. This bill also provides workplace protections for religious minorities and includes a ban on conversation therapy for minors through licensing requirements for medical professionals.

This historic measure is the product of years of thoughtful dialogue between leading Arizona LGBTQ organizations, business leaders and communities of faith to support a bill aimed at updating the state’s non-discrimination law while also preserving religious freedom. The introduction of the bill also follows the passage of similar non-discrimination ordinances in Mesa, Glendale, Scottsdale and Tolleson in 2021. In total, only 10 Arizona municipalities have LGBTQ-inclusive non-discrimination laws, leaving many Arizonans vulnerable to discrimination with no legal recourse.

“HB1018 brings the LGBTQ community and communities of faith together in celebration of the great American tenets of religious freedom, equal treatment, and freedom of opportunity. This bill reflects the true spirit of bipartisanship and democracy - Arizonans coming together to create a more just and fair Arizona for all people. We are grateful to Speaker Bowers and Representative Shah, M.D. for their leadership and example,” said Michael Soto, Executive Director of Equality Arizona. 

“HB1018 will ensure that LGBTQ Arizonans have the same opportunity to live, work, and contribute to Arizona that all other Arizonans have, while preserving religious freedoms. The coalition supporting this bill are Arizonans from all walks of life, willing to work together based on our shared values of equality and fairness. Today we are joined by LGBTQ leaders, business leaders, individuals from both parties, and clergy and members from religious communities including members of the Episcopalian, Methodist, Seventh Day Adventist, Community Church, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Jewish faiths,” said Angela Hughey, president and co-founder of ONE Community at today’s press conference. “If we want to live in a state that grows by attracting the very best talent, has a strong economy, welcoming culture, and is open for business to everyone, then we must pass this bill,” concluded Ms. Hughey. 

Faith leaders are also supporting the measure in recognition of the importance of protecting all Arizonans equally, including LGBTQ Arizonans and Arizonans of faith. “We believe non-discrimination laws should and can protect both religious and LGBTQ rights. Many people of faith are also LGBTQ and many LGBTQ people are people of faith,” said Mr. Soto.

Support for LGBTQ inclusion has continued to grow across Arizona’s faith community, with over 500 religious leaders signing ONE Community’s Open to Worship pledge, and over 100 signing an open letter, noting “LGBTQ rights and religious freedom do not have to be in conflict. Instead, we can come together to protect all people and unify our community on what has for too long been a divisive issue.”

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a statement in support of the bill as well, “The Church is pleased to be part of a coalition of faith, business, LGBTQ people and community leaders who have worked together in a spirit of trust and mutual respect to address issues that matter to all members of our community. It is our position that this bipartisan bill preserves the religious rights of individuals and communities of faith while protecting the rights of members of the LGBTQ community, consistent with the principles of fairness for all.”

Support for LGBTQ non-discrimination protections has continued to grow in recent years across religious and political affiliations. Over 94% of Fortune 500 companies have non-discrimination policies that include gender identity and/or sexual orientation. A 2020 poll from the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute found that 76% of Americans favor laws that would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing and public accommodations. Further, 90% of Arizona’s top 50 employers include sexual orientation and gender identity in their non-discrimination policies and more than 3,400 businesses in Arizona have already voiced their support for LGBTQ inclusive non-discrimination by signing the UNITY Pledge. 

The full livestream of today’s press conference is available at: www.Facebook.com/onecommunityaz 

###

For more information:

Sophie O’Keefe-Zelman

[email protected]

602-380-1809

About ONE Community

Since its inception in 2008, ONE Community has evolved into the member-based coalition of socially responsible businesses, organizations and individuals moving diversity, inclusion and equality for all Arizonans forward.  We are committed to reshaping Arizona’s image through educating, empowering and connecting our diverse LGBTQ and allied communities on the benefits of inclusion and its direct impact on attracting and retaining top talent and businesses—and thereby, ensuring our state’s economic sustainability.

About Equality Arizona

Equality Arizona is a non-profit organization made up of a 501(c)(3), the Equality Arizona Foundation; a 501(c)(4), Equality Arizona; and the Equality Arizona Political Action Committee. Our mission is to build the political power of the Arizona LGBTQ community for our full inclusion in the social, economic, and civil mechanisms of our society. We envision an Arizona where LGBTQ people are included in and lead the social, economic, and civic systems of our state, counties, cities, and communities.

What is one strategy to promote diversity and support workplace equality?

To help your company better promote diversity and workplace equality, we asked business professionals and DEI leaders this question for their best insights. From inclusive job descriptions to resource groups, there are several workplace strategies that may help you improve your company’s diversity and equity programs.

Here are twelve strategies to promote diversity and support workplace equity:

• Inclusive Job Description

• Listen to Your Employees

• Create a Cross-cultural Communication Program

• Prioritize Mentorship and Sponsorship Opportunities

• Emphasize the Benefits of Diversity

• Promote More Inclusive Workplace Policies

• Create a Transparent Workplace Culture

• Replace Happy Hours With Cultural Celebrations

• Using Anonymous Surveys for Fair and Honest Feedback

• Celebrate With Your Workforce

• Cast Your Recruitment Advertising Nets Wider
• Create Resource Groups

Inclusive Job Description

Promoting and supporting diversity in the workplace truly begins with the leadership in fostering a healthy and inclusive environment, but if you don't have a well-rounded and quality team to move that vision forward, then it won't work. For me, it all begins with a well-written and inclusive job description that will attract the right candidates. The wrong language in job descriptions can cause your job posting to be overlooked or rejected outright. Have a look at your past job descriptions to see if your posts could be giving out the wrong impression. One under-utilized way you can begin to attract a more diverse candidate pool is by using gender-neutral language. Such a small, thoughtful gesture will say big things about your company culture and draw in more diverse talent.

Linda Scorzo, Hiring Indicators

Listen to Your Employees

You can support diversity and equality in the workplace by honestly listening to your employees’ thoughts on such matters. The likelihood is that your employees want to talk to you about diversity and equality, but they need to be reassured that they can do so openly. So, show them that they can. Whether the issue is discrimination or the gender pay gap, ask your workforce for their thoughts, and respond promptly to their questions and concerns.

Debra Hildebrand, Hildebrand Solutions, LLC

Create a Cross-cultural Communication Program

Today, more teams consist of employees across the globe who have diverse backgrounds and react differently to different management styles. For this reason, leaders will need to learn to communicate differently to create a more inclusive environment. What motivates workers in one country may not be as effective with those who live in another. For example, Western culture values competition and individual achievement. And leaders rely on direct communication to get their point across. Eastern culture places the importance of the group over the individual. And they strive to maintain harmony and avoid conflict at all costs. People in the East prefer using indirect and non-verbal forms of communication. And they value building personal relationships to help them succeed. With such complexity of cultural differences, promoting your brand's training in cross-cultural communication will continue to attract top talent from around the world.

Shaunak Amin, SnackMagic

Prioritize Mentorship and Sponsorship Opportunities

One of the best ways to support diversity and equality in the workplace is by providing support through mentorship and sponsorship. Often, diverse communities may not have the right career mapping for success and leadership. For those who are passionate and committed to getting into leadership, this is a great opportunity to coach and mentor them all the way to the top. Provide an example or be the example to diverse members of your team.

Rronniba Pemberton, Markitors

Emphasize the Benefits of Diversity

Ensuring that your workplace is as welcoming of diversity and as committed to equality as it can be is a team effort. You can easily get your staff on board if you emphasize the benefits of a diverse workplace. At the same time, be welcoming of input and viewpoints from all perspectives. Do your best to provide a safe space for all of your employees to talk about difficult issues and find common ground through constructive discussions.

Sharon Arne, Stuart Hall School

Promote More Inclusive Workplace Policies

It's essential to ensure that all employees feel safe and comfortable in the company no matter what their background is. One of the ways to achieve it is ensuring that the policies are flexible and can be adapted to different traditions, holiday calendars, health conditions, and more. There are plenty of things the company could implement, e.g., flexible working hours, non-gendered bathrooms, facilities inclusive of people with disabilities, a flexible holiday calendar, and more.

Ewelina Melon, Tidio

Create a Transparent Workplace Culture

Create a workplace culture that is authentic and transparent. Don't allow room for systems to grow that prevent diversity, equality, and inclusion. If you create a transparent culture, your employees will be able to see the functionality within your workplace in accordance with what your customers can see as well. If this is done intentionally and well, you will create a workplace culture that is inclusive and diverse.

Boye Fajinmi, TheFutureParty

Replace Happy Hours With Cultural Celebrations

Instead of having general happy hours in the office, celebrate international holidays, as well as history and heritage months. Enlist enthusiastic team members to plan individual events that include catering, games, and even dancing if the occasion calls for it. By participating in these cultural practices, even for short periods, people will better appreciate the diversity around them and will be encouraged to share more of their own diversity.

Matthew Ramirez, Paraphraser

Using Anonymous Surveys for Fair and Honest Feedback

As an organization with cross-cultural teams, we believe that conducting anonymous surveys is one of the best ways to promote diversity and ensure workplace equality. We use anonymous surveys as part of our performance management system to reduce biases and create a safe environment where employees can freely share their honest thoughts. This made our team feel heard and included, especially if their feedback is being acted on.

With an all-inclusive and holistic HR software like QuickHR, you can easily run and send out surveys as part of the company's performance management system. Through integrated HR software, it'll also be easier to streamline the process of implementing the survey results into the performance review and utilize the overall outcome to recognize deserving employees, without any biased effects. This way, organizations can ensure a data-driven approach during the review process as well as consistently provide equal opportunities to all employees.

Suki Bajaj, Enable Business

Celebrate With Your Workforce

It doesn’t have to be too daunting a task to promote diversity and equality. You can start with acknowledging each of the various religious and cultural holidays of your workforce as they pop up throughout the year. Use each holiday or cultural event as a chance to celebrate diversity together, and expand your employees’ awareness and horizons.

Ashleigh Wilkes, A World For Children

Cast Your Recruitment Advertising Nets Wider

Building diversified recruitment ads can ensure that a company remains a salad bowl of top talents from diverse backgrounds. This means drawing up ads for potential recruits from various demographics. In addition, you can also reward employed workers to bring talented people from their circles from diverse heritages. Finally, you can also offer internships to the candidates of target communities.

By doing this, companies attract every talent, including the underrepresented. Also, they can leverage this practice by directing skills to the company’s website page that features the company’s diversity practices. After all, the idea of diversity in the workplace is vital for reflecting a company's societal setup and giving it a more humane employer image.

Jonathan Tian, Mobitrix

Create Resource Groups

Encourage the creation of resource groups, and then ensure that your employees know they exist and can voluntarily participate in them. These groups can act as forums for concerned employees to get together, or even just serve as social starting points. Communication is a key aspect of creating and maintaining an inclusive and equal environment for all, so also encourage these resource groups to work together towards common goals.

Ed Stevens, Preciate

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Presented by Angela Hughey, cofounder and President of ONE Community & ONE Community Foundation, you won't want to miss ONE Community’s Arizona specific results from the 2021 Community Marketing & Insights LGBTQ+ Marketing Survey.

During this panel discussion, community leaders will examine the issue of Arizona's non-discrimination law, including the benefits of updating the law to include LGBTQ people would bring to our economy, culture, and workplace. Leaders will discuss past approaches and efforts over the years while conversing about ways to bridge the political divide. Panelists will discuss lessons learned and how we can work together in a bipartisan fashion to update Arizona's nondiscrimination laws to include LGBTQ Arizonans.

Moderated by:

Michael Soto, Executive Director, Equality Arizona

Panelists include:

Neil Giuliano, President & CEO, Greater Phoenix Leadership

Kate Brophy McGee, Former State Senator

Daniel Hernandez, State Representative

Tim Bourcet, Vice President, Government & Community Affairs, Greater Phoenix Economic Council

In an increasingly global business market with more multinational corporations, customers and problems to solve, companies have a responsibility to respond to this global environment. To do that effectively, they need to bring in diverse perspectives, to encourage employees from different backgrounds to come into work authentically and leverage their unique experience.

Moderated by:

Eric Strafel, founder of Summi7

Panelists Include:

Monica Villalobos, President & CEO, Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Robin Reed, President & CEO, Black Chamber of Arizona

Katee Van Horn, CEO, VH Included

Debbie Castaldo, SVP, Corporate & Community Impact•Arizona Diamondbacks

Key to leveraging LGBTQ+ inclusive - diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace is to start at the beginning – attracting and hiring diverse talent. As the talent pool becomes more diverse, it is critical that organizations across all sectors step up their inclusive recruiting. This panel will feature corporate leaders sharing their best practices and advice on why this is so critically important and how to effectively implement inclusive recruiting into your business strategy.

Moderated by:

Tyler Kinnie, Senior Diversity Talent Partner, Opendoor

Panelists Include:

Laura Lynn Smith, General Manager, ADP

Navid Ladha, Business Consultant - Diversity, Southwest Airlines

Kenneth Walker, Executive Vice President, Diversity and Operational Excellence, Perscholas

Contact:
Sophie O’Keefe-Zelman
[email protected]
602-380-1809

 Equality and Fairness for All Americans Coalition Launches to Advance Federal Protections for LGBTQ Americans

(Phoenix, Ariz. December 1st, 2021) – Today, the Equality and Fairness for All Americans Coalition launched to advance federal civil rights protections for LGBTQ Americans in employment, housing, credit, education, jury service and public accommodations.  The Coalition, led by ONE Community and Equality Arizona, aims to end the partisan gridlock that has stalled equality efforts in Congress. The Coalition’s goal is to gain bipartisan support for federal legislation that can unite all Americans around our nation’s core values of freedom, fairness, and opportunity to make lasting and impactful change.  The nationwide coalition is composed of bipartisan and diverse stakeholders from the LGBTQ, faith and business communities including Local First Arizona, Glendale Chamber of Commerce, Arizona Coyotes, Arizona Diamondbacks, Phoenix Rising, The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation, Upward Projects, the Bishops of the Desert Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church & the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona, and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Phoenix.

Support for LGBTQ non-discrimination protections has continued to grow in recent years across religious and political affiliations. Over 94% of Fortune 500 companies have non-discrimination policies that include gender identity and/or sexual orientation. Additionally, a 2020 poll from the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute found that seventy-six percent of Americans favor laws that would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing and public accommodations.

“We believe there is a path forward for equality and fairness for all Americans. We have a once in a generation opportunity to pass landmark legislation within the next year to bring federal protections and opportunity to millions of Americans,” said Angela Hughey, President of ONE Community and Coalition co-founder.

Last year’s historic Supreme Court decision in Bostock v. Clayton County Georgia brought federal civil rights protections to LGBTQ Americans in employment for businesses over fifteen employees. However, LGBTQ Americans do not have federal civil rights protections in housing or public accommodations, meaning it is not illegal to deny someone service or housing based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Currently fewer than half the states in the country and less than 2% of cities and counties have non-discrimination laws that include civil rights protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity, leaving millions of Americans vulnerable to harassment and discrimination. 

The genesis of the Equality and Fairness for All Coalition comes from the historic efforts in Arizona to successfully pass an LGBTQ-inclusive non-discrimination ordinance in Mesa, Arizona in employment, housing and public accommodations. The Mesa ordinance had broad support from diverse and bipartisan stakeholders such as Republican Mayor John Giles, Senator Kyrsten Sinema, the business community, and the faith community, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.“With the success of our efforts in Mesa, Arizona we feel we have a template that can be successful on a national level, bringing immediate relief to millions of Americans who live in fear of discrimination and have no legal recourse. We believe non-discrimination laws should and can protect both religious and LGBTQ rights. Many people of faith are also LGBTQ and many LGBTQ people are people of faith,” said Michael Soto, Executive Director of Equality Arizona and Coalition co-founder.  

“We are all God’s children, and we need to treat others, as we want to be treated ourselves. Religion is meant to include not exclude, and we all deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, without exception. We believe there is a path forward that can provide fair protections for all Americans regardless of who you are, who you love or what you believe,” said Rev. Marian Edmonds-Allen, Executive Director of Parity.

“Equality and fairness are not red or blue issues – they’re American values. All hard-working people, including those who are LGBTQ, want to do their jobs and provide for their families. LGBTQ people want the same thing as everyone else -- the freedom to work hard, access basic services, and take care of themselves and their loved ones without fear of discrimination. It’s time to advance federal protections that guarantee these rights,” said Tyler Deaton, Senior Advisor of American Unity Fund. 

The Equality and Fairness for All Coalition supports:

• Protecting all Americans in employment, education, housing, credit, jury service and public accommodations, including members of the LGBTQ community.

• Banning conversion therapy, protecting millions of LGBTQ Americans, from harm. This universally damaging practice has been condemned by every major medical association and many religious leaders.

• Reducing the minimum number of employees needed for protections from fifteen (15) to zero (0), which would drastically expand the number of Americans protected against employment discrimination based on race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, color, creed, national origin, and religion.

• Allowing religious institutions to continue to receive federal dollars for social services and education.

Learn more about the Equality and Fairness for All Coalition and join the effort at: EqualityandFairness.com

What is one tip to help identify and manage workplace bullying?

To help recognize bullying in the workplace and what to do if it’s uncovered, we asked HR experts and business leaders this question for their best advice. From training leaders on conflict resolution to identifying different forms of bullying, there are several suggestions that may help you see signs of bullying and take action.

Here are 14 tips for identifying and managing bullying:

• Train Leaders on Conflict Resolution
• Develop Your Workforce
• Recognize Different Forms of Bullying
• Address the Situation Right Away
• Introduce a Policy that Outlines Bullying Behaviors
• Pay Attention to Overly Harsh Criticism
• Implement a Zero-Tolerance Policy
• Document and Report Bullying
• Check for Signs of Isolation
• Look for the Undermining of Contributions
• Stay Aware of Excessive, Unscheduled Meetings
• Focus on Situational Avoidance
• Offer Lines of Anonymous Communication
• Remain in Constant Vigilance

What is one way your company has maximized healthcare benefits to attract and retain talent?

To take full advantage of healthcare benefits in a way that engages and retains talent, we asked HR specialists, recruiting professionals, and business leaders this question for their insights. From taking a holistic approach to including telehealth benefits, there are several ways to optimize your healthcare benefits package in your HR efforts.