Tangible Steps to Achieving DEI New Year’s Resolutions

Establishing measurable benchmarks for diversity, equity and inclusion programs means they’re more likely to deliver tangible results.
Written by Jeff Kirshman
January 5, 2022Updated: January 5, 2022

Setting goals is the first step toward meaningful change, and that applies to aims around diversity, equity and inclusion as much as it does healthy living. 

Good intentions, after all, are nothing without discernible follow-through. Once awareness and appreciation of DEI programs are established within a company, it’s time to attach measurable outcomes to those pursuits that will hopefully result in application and accountability.

“As we look to 2022, our focus is on the strategy, operating model, roadmap, metrics and key performance indicators that will help our vision to thrive,” said Shannon Armbrecht, the chief diversity and talent officer at fintech company Western Union

Ambrecht’s appointment as the inaugural holder of such a title at the company is just one maneuver Western Union has made in its commitment to a more diverse, equitable and inclusive 2022. Along with tangible benchmarks relating to gender diversity in leadership (40 percent women in senior management positions by 2025), there are even more resolutions to strive for in the years to come. 

That’s why Built In Colorado checked in with two local tech representatives to learn about their DEI goals for 2022 and how they hope to achieve them for an even brighter future.

 

Shannon Armbrecht
Chief Diversity and Talent Officer • Western Union

 

What’s one way you’re committing to improving diversity, equity and inclusion at your company in 2022? 

There are many ways in which we are committing to improving DEI at Western Union. We continue to evolve our hiring partnerships and practices to increase the representation of women and people of color here in the United States.

We have also placed a priority on building and fostering inclusion practices by implementing behavioral training; employee resource groups; and allyship, mentorship, and sponsorship into our operating model, as they are some of the most effective ways to create cultural change.

 

Western Union’s KPIs for tangible DEI impact

  • Increase gender diversity in leadership, achieving 40 percent women in senior management positions by 2025
  • Increase racial and ethnic diversity among employees, reaching 25 percent Latinx and Black employees in the U.S. by 2025
  • Maintain gender pay equity globally and racial/ethnic pay equity in the U.S.


What do you plan to do to fulfill this commitment? How is leadership supporting these efforts?

In 2021, we created a DEI steering committee that partners with our DEI operating council and helps influence and hold leadership accountable. The goal of these groups is to continue strengthening DEI at Western Union. With that, we recently created our first official Office of DEI. I have just hired a DEI program leader, who will lead the continued development and oversight of our DEI vision, strategy and associated implementation. In 2022, we will deepen our organizational understanding of DEI, further integrate DEI practices into our talent programs and create a DEI data governance and reporting model.

 

Why have you decided to make this commitment a priority this year? 

We are a globally minded, purpose-driven organization. Our work connects people and families around the globe. It is our responsibility to enable stronger connections. Strengthening DEI at Western Union and operating within our values enable those connections with our employees, customers and stakeholders, and is the right thing to do.

 

 

Emily Thorsen
Chief of Staff to the Chief Medical Officer • Strive Health

 

How are you committing to improving diversity, equity and inclusion at your company in 2022? 

Strive’s focus for 2022 DEI is anchored in meaningfully deploying new policies, procedures and benefits in alignment with our 2021 education and awareness campaign. This campaign focused on a myriad of topics, including microaggressions, unconscious bias, the LGBTQIA+ community and inequality in patient care, through forums such as monthly companywide workshops, biweekly lunch and learns and the rollout of a semiannual employee engagement survey to benchmark company performance on key DEI metrics. Strive’s DEI workgroup also identified corporate programs and initiatives to help drive adoption of diversity and inclusion principles into the company’s day-to-day existence.

 

What do you plan to do to fulfill this commitment? How is leadership supporting these efforts?

Strive is excited to announce it will be hiring a director of DEI in 2022! Also, thanks to new recruitment and interview tactics, our hiring process is designed to broaden our outreach and address unconscious biases. Starting in 2022, Strive is participating in a parity pledge, where the company commits to interviewing at least one qualified woman and person of color for every open role from vice president on up, including board positions.  

We are also participating in several local programs to support DEI efforts in Colorado, including the Colorado Pledge to Diversity Program and the Inclusion Diversity Equity Accessibility Task Force. 

Finally, Strivers have launched several ERGs in 2021, with a focus on veterans and women, among others. These ERGs have ambitious goals for 2022 around not only recruiting these types of individuals but also recognizing their importance in the workplace. 

It is a natural next step for us to integrate these learnings into our day-to-day activities so we are better for our patients and teams.”

 

Why have you decided to make this commitment a priority this year? How are you holding yourself accountable to it?

Our 2021 DEI education and awareness campaign established a strong foundation for understanding why this work is integral to our mission of delivering compassionate kidney care the way it should be done, as well as embodying our first company value of caring for others first. After a year of insight and self-reflection, it is a natural next step for us to integrate these learnings into our day-to-day activities so we are better for our patients and teams.   

Strive leadership is exploring a partnership with its DEI workgroup and ERG leaders to develop a DEI dashboard to monitor and provide regular insight into how we are performing on our commitments. This tool will provide transparency into our strengths and opportunities, helping facilitate genuine and necessary discussions across leadership so we can achieve our vision for workforce composition and culture.    

 

 

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