Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | May 13, 2024 | Worcester Business Journal 25 DEIB brings positive change BY KEN BATES AND STEPHEN OSEI-BONSU Special to WBJ A mid a growing national backlash at diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives in the workplace and at education- al institutions around the country, it is imperative to advocate for the profound importance of DEIB and its transformative effects on individ- uals and organizations. Our nonprofit human services agency's efforts to incorporate DEIB into daily work have grown substantially over the last four years, shiing the organization toward an anti-racist culture. DEIB serves as a cornerstone for nurturing inclusive environments, amplifying diverse voices, and fostering mutual understanding. By cultivating trust and facilitating dialogue, we not only foster collab- oration and community but inspire innovative thinking. A McKinsey report from December underscores the correlation between diverse leadership and enhanced performance. is is especially important in the Mass. human ser- vices sector, which is rooted in making a social impact and is desperate to attract and retain workers. According to a 2023 report from the Providers' Council, a statewide association, the human services sector employs more women, people of color, foreign-born people, and persons with disabilities than all other industries in the state. At the same time, a persistent workforce crisis in human ser- vices has the statewide job vacancy rate hovering at 20%. Our organization's refocused DEIB commitment to becoming an anti-racist organization was born out of lis- tening sessions aer the murder of George Floyd in 2020. ese sessions showed the depth to which our staff was experiencing their own trauma, stress, and grief as they were working to help others navigate their behavioral, intellectual and developmental challenges. Staff asked that the dialogue continue, resulting in the implementation of the Committee Advancing Race Equity (CARE Team), which facilitates monthly DEIB discussions. e outcomes we have seen affirm the positive impact of this work. Our agency has nearly tripled the number of BIPOC staff in leadership positions; seen a significant increase in applications from BIPOC candidates for mid- and executive-level positions; and addressed 100+ anonymously reported incidents, provided meaningful support to staff, and established a dashboard to allows in- cident data to be analyzed to direct discussions on policy and resources. Advancing DEIB takes time, patience, leadership and care. e benefits, however, are tangible and vital, both for the individuals involved and the broader organization. Ken Bates is the president & CEO, and Stephen Osei-Bonsu is the director of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging at Worcester nonprofit Open Sky Community Services. e T&G is still the one Ken Bates Looking back a decade – or two or three – the Worcester Telegram & Gazette has been the 800-pound gorilla in the regional media ring. Back in the day, to own the daily newspaper of record was a formula for printing money. When daily circulation topped 100,000, and the Sunday edition was more than 150,000, maintaining a large staff with news bureaus in Fitchburg, the Blackstone Valley, and other regions throughout Worcester County was all part of the winning formula. But fast forward, and the fat classified section chock full of help-wanted ads and multiple full-page ads from major retailers and car dealers have for the most part gone online, hollowing out the cash cow for daily papers throughout the country. While the New York Times, as a national newspaper, has been able to generate millions of paid subscribers, in large part replacing the steep decline in print advertising, that has not been the case for the vast majority of dailies throughout the country. The decline in reporters and editors impacting the T&G are mirrored throughout the country. It's a long-held tradition to complain about your local paper, but those organizations play a critical role in not only reporting the news, but holding public entities accountable. The increase in small, entrepreneurial efforts to fill those gaps in coverage have produced a variety of voices, singing from many different song sheets. However, none of them carry the weight or impact of the newspaper of record. Even a reduced T&G – our story reports it has about 20 journalists on staff these days – far outweighs the next closest media organization, which is Spectrum News 1 with seven its local news staffers. The Telegram & Gazette continues to do important work with a staff of highly productive journalists. While new voices can help fill in some of the gaps in coverage opened up over the years, there is no one even close to matching the sheer volume of the T&G's coverage. It's easy to complain about private equity ownership of a large swath of the media, but those reporters on the ground in our community deserve our respect and appreciation. Here is hoping they can stabilize operations and be profitable with today's business model, and not face further cuts to their editorial resources. W The above Editorial is the opinion of the WBJ Editorial Board. The Viewpoint column, the A Thousand Words cartoon, and the Word from the Web commentary represent the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of WBJ or its staff. WBJ welcomes letters to the editor and commentary submissions. Send them to bkane@wbjournal.com. W Stephen Osei-Bonsu T his edition's cover story package "e new Worcester media" dives deep into the changes in the Central Massachusetts media scene. As a local media company, it's a challenge to achieve an arms-length assessment of the state of the industry when Worcester Business Journal is a member of that very group we're reporting on. We've done our best to do so.

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