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V O L . X X V I N O. X X I X D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0 18 WO R K F O R C E D E V E L O P M E N T F O C U S In the corporate world, it's not uncommon for a meeting about solu- tions for a group to not include a member of the group in the discussion, Bowen says. In those cases, "e solu- tion that's being put together really is going to fall flat." Creating a connection Breiting and Greason say the solution is about educating, not shaming. "We want to move people along their journey," Greason says. "We really try to push back against that binary of, 'You get it or you don't, you're woke or you're not.'" eir training isn't a rigid framework, but is built around the client. Breiting says building on what a client already knows makes it less overwhelming. "People make sense of the world in the only way they know how, in terms of their own experiences," she says. It's hard for someone to make sense of differences they don't have experience with. She says the starting point is to create a connection. "It gets at the core," Greason says. "Being effective requires meeting people where they're at." An ongoing process At Unum employees have for the past few years organized resource groups as a safe place to talk about issues. Unum's Office of Inclusion and Diversity was created in 2018, spurred by the groups, Bowen says. Unum has several programs to make sure the idea of diversity works in reality. e most recent is a multicultural leadership pro- gram. e nine-month course gives employees of color a track to move their career forward. e company trains managers to be inclusive, and a catalyst program addresses specific issues. A reverse mentoring program pairs managers with diverse employees. Bowen says having employees who feel heard and valued is an obvi- ous benefit. "Diverse teams have been proven to perform better," Bowen says. "So, you are doing yourself, your organiza- tion and your customers a disservice if you're not looking at your organiza- tion through that lens." Breiting says she sees employers more often recognizing the importance of cultural differences in their workplace. Greason adds that companies are also learning, "It costs more to constantly be hiring and training than it does to retain a good knowledgeable solid workforce." e team at Maine Intercultural knows that turning around the grim numbers in the Maine Center for Economic Policy report is a long process, but every success counts. Manning says sometimes in a training session, "maybe they're there begrudg- ingly, but you can see the 'ah ha moment,' that something has changed, and if we have done nothing else, we've disrupted their thinking, and disrupted their natural behaviors, which in turn can help them start to question their own internal bias. at's where you need to start." Maureen Milliken, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at mmilliken @ mainebiz.biz » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E PIERCE ATWOOD Expands and Strengthens Trusts & Estates Practice Laurel Millette Bonnie Ball Wahrer Elizabeth Brown Merrill's Wharf • Commercial Street • Portland, Maine • .. • PIERCEATWOOD.COM Pierce Atwood is pleased to announce that it has further enhanced its top-ranked trusts and estates practice by adding attorneys Laurel Millette, Elizabeth Brown, and Bonnie Ball Wahrer. Our trusts and estates practice provides comprehensive and innovative estate planning, gift planning, and trust and estate administration services for individuals, families, and businesses. We help closely held businesses plan for the future, providing advice and counsel on succession planning, ownership issues, formation strategies, and the complex employment issues that sometimes arise. We also o•er trustee services, duciary representation, probate litigation services, and expertise in Florida estate and tax law. Pierce Atwood. There's a reason… Unum, which has 2,800 employees in Maine, was recognized as one of America's "Best Employers for Diversity" by Forbes. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F U N U M / DA N H E N R Y

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