As we settle into a new year, Hollaway is proud of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging (DEI&B) efforts made by our team and the strides we have made to integrate and highlight the importance of DEI principles into our internal practices with the aid of Insperity’s DEI consultants. Team members who have dedicated their time to DEI have been working closely with our Professional Employer Organization to develop our 2024 initiatives, to identify future meeting topics, and to ensure that our goals are aligned with DEI values and Hollaway’s Strategic Growth Plan.
By leaning away from giving quarterly general information sessions on DEI-centered topics, Hollaway has re-strategized our inclusion efforts by frequently conducting surveys for focused feedback on our company’s culture and internal processes. This has helped ensure that the brainstorming and work products for Hollaway’s inclusion efforts are based on our employees’ concerns and ideas. This also allows the feedback we obtain from team members to dictate what DEI&B education topics we will focus on and what opportunities for improvement we can identify as an organization.
Generally, it is also vital to emphasize other aspects of the team that are directly related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and a team member’s sense of belonging. People are not just the inherent characteristics that comprise their identities (race, gender identity, religious affiliation, etc.). We recognize that our inherent characteristics can also directly and/or indirectly factor into how we perceive the world around us and how we navigate it. Prioritizing inclusive communication requires considering our personal and professional experiences, interests, and personality types that factor into how we work and collaborate with others.
In any goals set regarding inclusion efforts, we must always consider the difference in our outlooks and work styles. One must also understand how these aspects of the people we are in community with contribute to our strengths and capabilities. We must also be cognizant of how limited our perspectives are and how these same qualities also factor into our unconscious bias. Race/ethnicity is equally as important as acknowledging our communication styles, stress management habits, our range of skill sets, personality types, and more. These differing viewpoints, professional experiences, and skills contribute to the Hollaway team's reputation as leaders in our industry.
Our DEI focus for the first quarter of 2024 is Inclusive Communication. Inclusive Communication is the summation of communication habits intended to make employees feel valued, included, and empowered. A few key components of Inclusive Communication are:
- Providing necessary accommodations (resources providing closed captions internally/externally, interpreters/producing documents in languages spoken by the communities we serve, multiple modes of communication presented to staff to give feedback, etc.)
- Remaining open to ideas and perspectives other than our own
- Actively listening and encouraging dialogue
- Using neutral, respectful, and non-discriminatory language
- Making ourselves aware/being mindful of various cultural communication styles
To stress the importance of inclusive communication at Hollaway, we will follow up on a previous Brunch and Learn training dedicated to improving how we relay and receive feedback given to the team by Maggie Seay, CPSM with Emerald Fox Marketing & Consulting. We will also seek ways to utilize the results of the Insperity Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness (DISC) Individual Assessment completed by our team and information gathered through the results reviewed during our 2023 Annual Company Meeting.
Through conveying pillars of inclusive communication through a DEI lens, we hope to highlight the importance of taking intentional steps when giving and receiving feedback to ensure that the team is effectively conveying ideas and concerns to others, as well as being active listeners. Having our communication styles, motivators, strengths, weaknesses, and other aspects evaluated and summarized through a team-wide DISC assessment helps to identify the DISC styles of others to determine more effective courses of action for collaboration. Insperity’s DISC assessment results provide an objective reference that breaks down aspects of our behavioral styles to help employees capitalize on their strengths and prioritize collective growth and self-awareness to uphold inclusive communication.
It is vital to assert that the goal of inclusive communication isn’t a destination we will eventually arrive at, but a foundational pillar of successful individuals and organizations that we must continually champion.
