Overcome Stubborns

Making Flexibility a Core Value, From Hybrid Work to Career Growth

When Deanna Jones, now chief human resources officer at Baker Hughes, began her career at the energy and technology company, the rig workers would typically work 28 days on an oil and gas platform and then have 28 days off.“Early in your career, the ability to take a month and go skiing or travel the world when you’re not actually at work can actually be something that’s very engaging, but I do think it is very difficult,” Jones told moderator Paul Pavlou, the Dean of the C.T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston, during From Day One’s Houston Conference.Although having 28 consecutive days off gave rig workers a lot of freedom, they didn’t have much flexibility during their time on a platform, says Jones.“So, one of the things that we’ve been investing in is a lot of automation and the ability to be in a situation where we can operate a lot of the things that are on the platform, but not actually being physically in those spaces, but in the offices,” she said, noting this is allowing Baker Hughes to “provide a different type of flexibility out into the future.”During the pandemic, the company automated a number of drilling services.“It’s amazing to see those leaps in terms of technology adoption, when you have to go through that and then realize you can do work differently,” Jones said. “I think the pandemic allowed us to really think about the art of the possible as it related to flexibility.”Deanna Jones of Baker Hughes was interviewed by Paul Pavlou of the C.T. Bauer College of BusinessEmployers must be flexible in all aspects to attract the best and brightest minds, says Jones. “If we’re not willing to be flexible in the way that we think about work, how are we ever going to attract and retain the workforce of the future?” she said.Stamping Your Skills PassportFlexibility in the workplace helps employees to transition from the work they are currently doing to what their jobs will involve down the road. For example, “How do I take someone who understands technology from one perspective in oil and gas and take them into something like carbon capture and storage or geothermal?” she said.The key is to determine what transferable skills an employee has and which ones they need to develop, according to Jones. Instead of an individual getting a degree and using that knowledge throughout their career, they begin thinking of their skill set as a passport to a continuous learning journey, she says.One of Jones’ mentees who plans to work in human resources did a rotation in sales and commercial. He found it daunting at first, but then realized, “Wow, I use a lot of skills in HR that actually apply in that sales environment.”Embracing Inclusion is Key to Attracting EmployeesFlexibility goes together with inclusion, another critical core value for companies, when it comes to making the workplace more welcoming to the broadest possible pool of talent.“Employee resource groups are a way for us to create communities of like-minded people across the organization for them to come together from whatever background they are from and be able to provide insights to the organization around ways we could change or adapt so we become more open and inclusive to those various groups,” she said.For example, members of the employee resource group for parents can give corporate leadership feedback on the work schedules and employee benefits that work best for them.For a global company like Baker Hughes, it’s important to have a multicultural employee resource group that can provide insight into what makes sense for different regions of the world, Jones says.The integration of inclusion and technology to create a more flexible working environment is going to be absolutely incredible in terms of unlocking human performance over the next 20 to 30 years. “I have said to people recently that I wish I was starting my career at this moment,” she said.Mary Pieper is a freelance writer based in Mason City, Iowa.

BY Mary Pieper | March 14, 2024

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The From Day One Newsletter is a monthly roundup of articles, features, and editorials on innovative ways for companies to forge stronger relationships with their employees, customers, and communities.

Overcome Stubborns
By Katie Chambers | March 04, 2024

DEI Will Endure, But Corporate Advocates Will Need to Reframe Their Approach

The recent headlines say it all:“Inside the anti-DEI crusade” (The New York Times)“DEI efforts are under siege” (CNN)“DEI is under attack” (Harvard Business Review)With initiatives toward diversity, equity, and inclusion enduring a backlash on several fronts, advocates would be well-advised to rethink their goals, strategies, and messaging. If there’s still a strong business and moral case for DEI, what approaches will work better in the current climate of culture wars, corporate austerity, and legal challenges? Experts on a panel at From Day One’s February virtual conference discussed the path forward.While the headlines make the struggle seem dire, panelist Sue Schmidlkofer, global director of diversity and inclusion at UPS, says not to be alarmed. “There are cycles to this kind of work,” she said. “It’s not going away, and it’s part of the foundation for organizations large and small.” Much of the controversy, she says, comes down to the proper framing and education about the initiatives.William Rolack, chief inclusion & diversity officer for management at Kroll, agrees that the added scrutiny around DEI comes down to a lack of understanding or “misplacement” of its role within the broader corporate conversation. “DEI is not a policy. It is a philosophy,” he said. “We influence policy for equity. We don’t write policy.”“There has been an ebb and flow for DEI, as a term, and certainly as a perceived discipline. In many cases, it's been politicized and weaponized,” agreed Lauren Guthrie, VP of global talent and inclusion, diversity, equity at VF Corporation. “But I personally believe that it is an essential set of concepts, skills, and capabilities that are necessary in our culture for an organization to be successful.”Taking a Global Perspective“We are a consumer-serving organization. And for us to do that work effectively and authentically, and to connect with our consumers around the world, we have to embrace and uphold the tenets of what it means to serve those who are different than ourselves,” Guthrie said. Her organization upholds “integrity, growth mindset, and consumer centricity” as three of its core company values. This infuses the philosophy of DEI into every level of the business – from hiring and establishing a leadership competency model to building an environment of psychological safety for employees, decision-making, consumer support, and beyond.Schmidlkofer says that UPS’s DEI initiatives grew from the company’s global reach, dating back to the 1960s as the company began to reach outside of the United States to what is now over 220 countries and territories. “You're going to reflect the fabric of those communities,” she said.The group of DEI leaders discussed the topic “DEI Will Endure, But Corporate Advocates Will Need to Reframe Their Approach” during the virtual conference (photo by From Day One) “I love how you say, ‘We need to look like our customers.’ I think that will embed diversity into your efforts automatically,” said moderator Nicole Smith, editorial audience director at Harvard Business Review. Having DEI ingrained into the company’s culture allows UPS to operate from a position of strength, she says, so that any new initiatives become a natural extension of its past track record and don’t seem performative.This long term commitment to inclusion can feel more natural and nuanced to potential critics. Gus Viano, VP of global diversity, equity & inclusion at Brink's, says that organizations that only started DEI departments as a response to the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent Black Lives Matter movement, face far more pushback than those that have been incorporating it into strategy for much longer.DEI in Your Business StrategyFor Brink’s, Viano says, DEI is tied to ESG (environmental, social, and governance). “We have to report it to investors as part of our sustainability report,” he said. Guthrie agrees that DEI can have “dollar and cent impact” that can make it easier to make the case for its importance within an organization.“We’re looking to maximize not only the productivity of our workforce, but their ability to live the corporate values in an authentic way,” she said, which in turn can impact benchmarks like retention, attrition, and engagement. Rolack warns that sometimes corporations can get so caught up in compliance and education on DEI, that they miss the economic value, “the understanding that everything that DEI touches has a financial formula.”Looking at consumers from a DEI perspective can also expand customer reach and therefore increase profits. Guthrie notes that inclusive philosophy can come through in marketing efforts, product websites, and advocacy initiatives. “We’re always thinking about this holistically through the lens of associate, consumer, and community. And through each one of those filters, there is a set of metrics that we can use to hold ourselves accountable, and also demonstrate a very palpable return on investment for the work that we're doing in this space,” she said.Mitigating the “Threat Level”Viano emphasized the importance of collaborating with the legal department to ensure that any statements or policies are just and defensible. Schmidlkofer encourages all organizations to do a legal audit of their current DEI practices, especially in the wake of the recent Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action, to ensure they are still being intentional as well as legally compliant.Schmidlkofer also reiterates the need for better awareness about what DEI really means to help decrease the feelings of threat and anxiety around the issue – and making it not just about race, gender, and compulsory unconscious bias training. “We all know how terrible it feels to be excluded. So let’s focus more on bringing people together so that the business performs better,” she said. These “courageous conversations,” as she calls them, take time and patience.When DEI is under attack, employees from diverse groups may feel under attack by extension. “I advise the leaders of the company to speak openly about it, and to be very specific about the position of the company as it supports diversity and inclusion, making sure that employees not only feel safer and that there is a sense of sustainability with regard to the DEI, but also that leaders are committed to the work,” Viano said.Incorporating DEI into employee systems also means ensuring people are not excluded, which can lead to resentment and the feeling of being under threat. “White males are sometimes left out of systems that may only have [identity-based] employee networks, but may not have an intersectionality network,” Rolack said. This nuanced approach to inclusion is crucial to cultivating allyship.Moving the Work ForwardEstablishing DEI as a philosophy that all employees feel ownership over is key to moving the dial forward. It starts with leadership embedding the philosophy, and then creating accountabilities for other employees too. “It needs to have a clear functional owner within the construct of the organization to drive that work,” Guthrie said.“Through programs, processes, and ways of working, the evidence needs to be palpable. Getting tactical about the clear actions, which then can allow an organization to speak transparently about progress or lack thereof, is really where the ownership lies.” Crucially, organizations must choose a path that makes the most sense for its own structure and needs. “There’s so much opportunity to lean into this platform in an authentic and an effective way for your organization.”Katie Chambers is a freelance writer and award-winning communications executive with a lifelong commitment to supporting artists and advocating for inclusion. Her work has been seen in HuffPost, Honeysuckle Magazine, and several printed essay collections, among others, and she has appeared on Cheddar News, iWomanTV, and CBS New York.

Overcome Stubborns
By Wanly Chen | March 05, 2024

How DEI Must Evolve: Highlighting the Challenges and Opportunities

In the past year, big corporations like Target and Bud Light both faced backlash for their DEI initiatives, and states like Texas and Florida have even implemented bans to curb the expansion of DEI in higher education. DEI is facing a tough challenge in the nation.The pushback isn’t a surprise to Y-Vonne Hutchinson, CEO of diversity and inclusion product and services firm, ReadySet.“We’re seeing backsliding in those areas of DEI but I always tell people not to be surprised when that happens,” said Hutchinson. “We tend to think of progress as a linear advancement when in reality, it’s more of a push-pull and we have to be prepared for that resistance.”In a conversation with From Day One’s co-founder Steve Koepp, Hutchinson discussed the current challenges and opportunities in DEI, and how companies can continue to progress.Relabeling DEI While Remembering the Core ValuesDespite recent backlash, company leaders are still committed to DEI initiatives. Some leaders have audited their initiatives to ensure no legal risks, while others have rebranded and continued their initiatives more discreetly. When rebranding DEI initiatives, Hutchinson reminds company leaders to stay focused on the core of the problem.“Relabeling is helpful but I think that we have to be careful and we have to still call things what they are,” Hutchinson said. “Language like belonging, inclusion, accessibility is great but I get nervous when companies steer clear of naming some of the very foundational issues that they’re trying to solve because it makes it harder for them to do so. For example, racism still exists but if you rename racism then you have to figure out how to solve those problems without creating a perception that you’re being unfair to other groups.”Utilizing DEI as a Tool to Problem SolveIn the workplace, being diverse, equitable, and inclusive were long problems before the recent attention DEI had received. Hutchinson points to meritocracy as a key example of the clash of diversity and equitability.Y-Vonne Hutchinson of ReadySet was interviewed in the thought leadership spotlight (photo by From Day One)“Meritocracy has never existed when it comes to working in a company. Most people come into organizations through things like referrals and most people’s networks are homogenous,” Hutchinson said. “Even if we were to strip away traditional DEI programs, we would not revert to a meritocracy. Instead, we would be deeply entrenched in those hiring problems that were already there and have fewer tools to solve them.”To be effective in DEI efforts, leaders need to first identify the problem they want to solve, Hutchinson says. “DEI is a toolkit meant to address specific, deeply entrenched problems, and it's evolving,” Hutchinson said. “When we think about the future of DEI, focus on the problem first and specifically name some of these issues that organizations are going to have to deal with, no matter what happens in the DEI space.”Acknowledging Long-Term Effects of the Pandemic on the WorkforceThe pandemic did more than drastically change the style of working; it also left lingering effects that directly impacted workers’ health.In a study on workers’ claims and the impact of Long Covid, researchers found nearly 18% of claimants with long Covid were unable to return to work for over one year, with most claimants under 60 years of age.“We’re seeing people who are sick more often, more instances of chronic illness, more instances of disability,” Hutchinson said. “Traditionally, our tools that were relying on our old school tools, such as sick days, but over time it is not going to serve us. We’re gonna see more labor shortages, more attrition, lower productivity and I think that’s going to have a real impact on our bottom lines.”Leaders must be able to recognize the impact long Covid has on their workforce and be willing to take measures to protect and include those that are directly affected, Hutchinson says.“The best thing that companies can do now is critically think about accessibility and disability inclusion, and how they're going to make those accommodations for their workforce.”Editor's note: From Day One thanks our partner, ReadySet, for sponsoring this thought leadership spotlight. Wanly Chen is a writer and poet based in New York City.



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