Leadership

DEI and JEDI Partners

By Natalie Arjune-Jones

There is a growing need for a DEI focus in the workplace, and, I’m proud to say, my organization was one of the early adopters. I had been working at my company for three years and had only been through one culture change workshop. It didn’t appear to change anything. So, when I was approached to be a member of our organization’s new DEI taskforce, I was skeptical. This is now my second year on the task force, and there has already been significant progress. I look forward to continuing to help facilitate change within our organization. 

I’m also on the NAMSS DEI taskforce and wasn’t sure I could do both. Quickly, I noticed that although the processes were different, the objectives were the same. Our organization’s DEI taskforce met twice a month, and our CEO (who has now retired) attended these meetings once a month. It was important to the task force that at least one member from senior leadership was heavily involved to help lead and support change. The results of having our CEO attend meetings yielded quick review and quick turnaround. For example, we were able to meet with the HR director to review the current hiring processes and make recommendations to accommodate more diversity within our organization. We also made recommendations to implement Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Juneteenth to be observed holidays (as opposed to optional).

To date, the most impactful experience the DEI task force had was trialing a training by Bueno Consulting. The DEI taskforce members and the company’s executives, including the HR director, attended four three-hour courses facilitated by Sharon Bueno Washington. In the courses, we learned how to engage in productive dialogue. These seminars encouraged us to look within ourselves before we look outward. For example, I thought I was a pretty good listener, but it turns out I’m not! At the first meeting, we were all randomly assigned a Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) partner as a way to connect with each other and continue discussions outside of the seminar. We were sent a short video to view before each meeting, where Ms. Washington outlined what we were going to be discussing. Each course began with Ms. Washington going over the video and delving deeper into each topic or section of the video. We were then sent to breakout rooms to discuss a question(s) posed, and returned to the larger group to share any highlights or new insights. 

I really enjoyed this process. At first it was difficult, because normally, someone like me (a regular employee) wouldn’t be communicating directly with anyone on the executive team. I worried about retaliation if I spoke my truth, but to my astonishment, I found the other participants to be empathetic and understanding. My JEDI partner and I scheduled our calls right after each meeting, just so everything was fresh in our minds. This interaction was very insightful and helpful. Others in attendance shared many of the same fears and most times could empathize with each other. It was like hearing your story, your truth, from someone who couldn’t be more different than you: although we are all different, we go through similar experiences. It was also clear that the folks making the decisions were unaware of what employees of color were experiencing within the company, and vowed to be part of the change. 

I quickly realized that if our company’s culture was going to change, we need to have all the key players engaged in conversations on DEI topics. Change starts from the top. As a result of the Bueno Consulting training specifically, our executives truly listened. Now, we all have the tools to address our biases, to have productive conversations, and hold each other accountable for our actions. The DEI task force and executive members agreed this training would be beneficial for all staff, and I’m happy to report that our acting CEO approved it, and strongly encouraged all employees to commit to this learning experience. It is our newest, proudest company-wide implementation yet, with the first course having started March 2022.