Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | September 16, 2024 | Worcester Business Journal 13 Business culture moving away from DEI In the wake of the 2020 murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, businesses in Central Massachusetts and across the globe made pledges to better their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. In the years since, some organizations have fulfilled their promises, others deprioritized them, and some abandoned efforts altogether. DEI efforts have faced a political backlash as well, and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled colleges and universities aren't allowed to consider race in their admissions criteria, effectively ending affirmative action for race in higher education. When polled online, the plurality of WBJ readers said overall business culture is now moving away from diversity, equity, and inclusion. How effective have businesses' DEI programs been in the last four years? F L A S H P O L L They've made significant progress in creating a more equitable economy. They are moving in the right direction, although progress has been too slow. They made some progress, but now business culture is moving in the opposite direction. No significant progress has been made. 22% 29% 11% 37% www.wbjournal.com/40underforty SEPTEMBER 25, 2024 MECHANICS HALL, WORCESTER 5:00 - 7:30PM Awards Ceremony, cocktail reception, networking and more! Cost: $75 We'll be honoring the up and coming rising stars of Central Massachusetts' business community and highlighting alumni from throughout the years! Don't miss the celebration of the year! Pre-registration required. Limited VIP Corporate tables available. Contact Kris Prosser, kprosser@wbjournal.com Join us for Worcester Business Journal's 40 Under Forty Awards as we celebrate 25 YEARS of honoring young leaders in our community! 2 5 Y E A R S Supporting sponsor A 100% EMPLOYEE OWNED COMPANY Corporate sponsor D I V E R S I T Y & I N C LU S I O N F O C U S seph Petty and for- mer City Manager Edward Augustus to elevate the city's former CDO role to a cabinet-lev- el position and increase compen- sation. ough their efforts were initially rebuffed, they were in the end successful on both counts before Williams, the most-recent person to serve as CDO, entered the position. e chief equity officer job listing on MassHire's website includes a yearly salary range from $130,000-$140,000, a stark increase from 2020 when Williams earned $92,160 in gross pay, making her the lowest-paid City cabinet member by more than $15,000 that year. No quick-fix When Williams resigned as chief diversity officer in 2022, her resignation letter said diversity, equity, and inclu- sion efforts in the city government were considered an extracurricular activity and needed more support. With any organization, achieving lasting DEI change takes commitment throughout the entire culture, said Adriana Vaccaro, CEO and founder of Culture Redesigned, a Worcester-based workplace culture consulting firm. "Equity, inclu- sion, diversity, that is a part of every single department. We're looking at how do we change the fabric of every area of the City so that collectively, we create more equity. And I think that is not an easy job," Vaccaro said. Even with the City on the verge of a potential new hire, King said filling the position is not a simple panacea for the DEI issues facing the municipality. "It's not a position that's going to cure everything, but it is a position that can help us functionally, as a government, as an employer and as we provisionally en- gage with the public per our policies. So we want to make sure that those policies are where they need to be," he said. While the person who fills this role is working to fulfill their obligations, the nature of the role itself can shine a spot- light on the individual doing the work everyone may not always be in favor of, Pepple said. "When you only have one person leading equity, that person becomes a target, and it's easier to knock out one Continued on next page Khrystian King, Worcester city councilor Adriana Vaccaro, CEO of Culture Redesigned

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