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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 17 D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0 F O C U S WO R K F O R C E D E V E L O P M E N T State of Working Maine 2020," pub- lished in November by the Maine Center for Economic Policy. e report found that people of color in Maine — Black, Latinx, Wabanaki, immigrants — are less likely to be hired than white people with the same education and skills. For hiring inequities to change, employers have to change the "company culture fit" mindset, those in the hiring industry say. Kimberly Bowen, vice president of talent management at insurance com- pany Unum, says it goes beyond trying to hit a diversity goal. e Tennessee- based insurance company, which employs 2,800 in Maine, was named one of the nation's "Best Employers for Diversity" by Forbes in February. "If you're just focused on the number, you probably aren't going to get there, and you won't keep whatever you find," Bowen says. "If you haven't created that environment, anything you do around increasing diversity will fail." Breiting already sees it happening. "With the way our conversations have shifted, there's been much more attention on the fact that cultural differences matter," she says. "ey're saying, 'We need to shift our systems and figure this out.'" Racism's high cost Hiring people of color equitably would mean $450 million a year more in income for Mainers of color, accord- ing to the Maine Center for Economic Policy report. It would add $519 million to the state's economy and support creation of 4,000 jobs. e ripple effects of low wages and underemployment mean less access to healthy food, health care and adequate housing for Mainers of color. e inequities come from systemic barriers created at the federal, state and local level that have given white Mainers an advantage "while making it harder for indigenous communities, Black families, and other Mainers of color to thrive," the report says. While Maine has a 95.5% white population, that doesn't mean racism isn't a problem. James Myall, the Maine Center for Economic Policy analyst who wrote the report, says one of the goals was to make that clear. "It's sometimes easy for people to assume that racial discrimination and disparities is something that happens elsewhere," he says. "So, it was really important for us to make that case that this is very real and present in Maine as well." Maine Center for Economic Policy works with legislators, and Myall says that there will likely be bills in this year's legislative session that address some of the policy issues that support systemic racism. 'We all lose out' Diversity challenges in workplaces go much deeper than policy, but often coming from a foundation of bias. Breiting and Liz Greason founded Maine Intercultural Communications Consultants five years ago after seeing how difficult it was for the English Second Language learners they worked with in Portland Adult Education to get hired. Breiting says employers would often put someone who isn't a native English- speaker, or is from a different culture, in an entry-level position because they couldn't figure out where the person would fit in. After that, the employer "struggled to know how to move employees along the career path." Amanda Manning, a consultant with Maine Intercultural, says she knows from personal experience that not being treated as a valuable employee can lead to the employee questioning their self- worth. In many cases, the person leaves the company. "We all lose out," she says, when inclusion isn't seen as an opportunity for a business. Bowen says inclusion at Unum is seen as a key to success. "You need to create an inclu- sive environment, and diversity will come," she says. "It's that diversity of thought, cultural differences that give people a different world view or perspective, that you want to tap into because that's where creativity or innovation can live." C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » THE 2020 MEMIC AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN SAFETY — G O E S T O — Moore Painting, Inc. B R U N S W I C K Hissong Ready-Mix and Aggregates, LLC K E N N E B U N K Brewer South Freeport Marine and Strouts Point Wharf Company F R E E P O R T Billings Diesel and Marine Services, Inc. S T O N I N G T O N Congratulations to the management and co-workers of these fine Maine employers for earning The MEMIC Award for Excellence in Safety in 2020. Of the company's 22,000 policyholders, they were among a handful recognized for outstanding workforce safety. The MEMIC Group are insurance specialists that make workers' comp work better with compassion, trusted partnerships, and relentless commitment to workforce safety. www.memic.com It's sometimes easy for people to assume that racial discrimination and disparities is something that happens elsewhere. It was really important for us to make the case that this is very real and present in Maine. — James Myall Maine Center for Economic Policy

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