Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | September 5, 2022 | Worcester Business Journal 11 the audits will be vital for the City's improvement. "It's only by knowing what you're doing wrong that you're going to do better." Weak structures Worcester is not the only institution struggling to keep diversity professionals for the long-term. Although demand for the role has skyrocketed in the past five years, the average tenure for chief diversity officers is three years, according to Bloomberg News. From September 2020 to August 2021, hiring for diversity and inclusion executives rose 111%, according to LinkedIn. is spike can largely be attributed to rising racial consciousness among businesses aer George Floyd was murdered by police in May 2020, but this may be part of the problem, said Jillian Harvey, the director of diversity, equity and inclusion for the Town of Arlington. "A lot of these roles were created in response to [George Floyd's murder], which isn't necessarily the best thing because it's kind of like that Band- aid mentality," Harvey said. "My advice for folks who are struggling is to really look at their own system right now and ask why they're wanting to hire someone." Although Worcester's CDO role has been around about six years, leadership is still attempting to backtrack and build a stronger foundation for diversity work, Batista said. In Worcester, the chief diversity officer is mainly tasked with internal responsibilities like hiring. Without a strong structure to hold hiring entities make all the difference REL ATIONSHIPS At Country Bank, we're made a little different. We have the expertise, resources, and tools you need to turn opportunities into growth. It's not just banking to us. We're here to make a difference for your business and we believe that it starts with a great relationship. Continued on page 12 PHOTO/WBJ FILE D I V E R S I T Y & I N C L U S I O N F O C U S Jillian Harvey, DEI director for Town of Arlington

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