There is a growing push for organizations to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) in their operations. Movements like Black Lives Matter and the controversy around Don’t Say Gay used to fall outside the day-to-day operations of a company. However, more organizations are feeling pressure to vocalize their stance on equity topics. Consumers and employees are aware, and businesses are rethinking what DE&I actually means for their organization. There is a need to craft and execute DE&I strategies that combine business objectives with a diverse workforce.
Photo: Courtesy of CultureAlly, Hannah Stegen pictured left & Ashley Kelly pictured right.
A diverse workplace benefits a business far beyond mere optics. Meaningful DE&I initiatives signal to employees that management care about the quality of the workplace. DE&I acknowledges individual strengths. Collaboration between diverse colleagues allows for a multifaceted approach to problem-solving, creativity, and innovation. This all fosters a more engaged, motivated and effective workforce. The benefits of DE&I go beyond the internal workforce. Customers are beginning to expect more representation within the businesses they use. Additionally, revenues grow with a diverse team that can better meet the needs of diverse customer groups.
That’s exactly why HelloFresh, the world’s leading meal-kit company, invested in CultureAlly’s DE&I training program. For Black History Month, CultureAlly partnered with the US HelloFresh DE&I team to host a virtual Lunch & Learn that focused on the meaning of Black Resistance and Black Joy. Real-time feedback collected was overwhelmingly positive; 100% of responding participants enjoyed the content and would recommend it to coworkers.
Building on this initial success, HelloFresh is continuing with CultureAlly’s DE&I Training program during the year to learn, commemorate and celebrate different DE&I events. As CultureAlly services are available internationally, we look forward to continuing the impactful work with HelloFresh and reaching even more employees across the globe in addition to their North American (US & Canada) operations. This is a clear demonstration that executing DE&I within a company doesn’t have to be challenging to be effective. HelloFresh is passionate about DE&I and committed to doing this work for the long term. They recognize that everyone has a role to play and everyone has something to learn when it comes to creating a company that has an inclusive, equitable and diverse work environment. Establishing a DE&I strategy can often be the most challenging aspect. Beginning with data collection and/or a sentiment survey is a great way to understand the field of employees and what they are looking for, in terms of DE&I.
With continued growth on the horizon, creating a strategy to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion became a top priority for HomeStars, one of the home service brands of ANGI (Nasdaq: ANGI). HomeStars sought a DE&I strategy that would drive positive change within the organization. CultureAlly and HomeStars collaborated on a phased plan, enabling HomeStars to meet their immediate DE&I needs and reach their long-term goals. CultureAlly designed a custom audit and DE&I survey, which set the foundation of HomeStars’ DE&I strategy. Based on the findings, HomeStars implemented clear action items across the company. HomeStars rolled out CultureAlly’s weekly e-Learning platform to continue to engage their team, and CultureAlly has been coaching HomeStars on setting up their DE&I committee for success. CultureAlly and HomeStars have a multi-year partnership to implement their DE&I strategy over the long term. For HomeStars, it wasn’t just about diversity talk. They wanted to see real change in the company and have DE&I interwoven into the fabric of the organization. Since partnering with CultureAlly, HomeStars has seen a 34% increase in their eNPS score of Employee Satisfaction, including in all inclusion sentiments.
At CultureAlly, we recognize that everyone is at a different place in their DE&I journey, which is why we provide intentional solutions to meet you where you’re at. For companies at the beginning of their path, we offer a DE&I consulting package, including audits and strategy development. For companies further progressed, we offer insightful DE&I training, custom resources, and craft tailored consulting strategies to meet their unique needs. Finally, we’ve built our own DE&I e-learning software that allows companies to automate and scale their DE&I initiatives through bite-sized DE&I learning tailored to each individual’s interests, as well as module-based DE&I learning. For us at CultureAlly, it’s not just a discussion about DE&I but actual implementation towards positive change through our partnerships, training, and e-learning. Founded by Ashley Kelly and Hannah Stegen, CultureAlly is a BIPOC, and 100% female-owned and operated, company. Our mission is to help organizations create inclusive practices and environments for their employees and the communities they serve and to help make your organization a better and more inclusive workplace. We want to ensure the organizations we work with are equipped with the tools and resources they need to implement an effective DE&I program that’s right for their organization and to feel confident to continue this work into the future. Implementing DE&I into the workplace isn’t a quick process; it takes time, commitment, and openness to make mistakes. CultureAlly is your partner in DE&I every step of the way.
