Diversity Executive - September 2008 - (Page 35)

At the helm is Bright Horizons CEO David Lissy, who takes the company’s responsibility of fostering diversity and inclusion very seriously. “When we move beyond mere tolerance and focus on celebrating the differences among us and those we serve, we are better poised to respond to the challenges and needs of our more than 700 clients and their employees, who make up the 70,000 diverse families we care for each day,” Lissy said. “At the same time, we are teaching the next generation the importance of respecting others and valuing differences, paving the way for future professionals to work and thrive together in an environment of inclusion.” Inclusion is an essential aspect of Bright Horizons’ overall business strategy to provide high-quality child care and early education. It recognizes its responsibility for teaching young, impressionable children about the world — whether it’s introducing infants to the music of Africa; teaching toddlers to speak Spanish; exposing preschoolers to Asian cultures through music, books, food and other experiences; or teaching kindergartners about the life and lessons of Martin Luther King Jr. Many of Bright Horizons’ clients are organizations with diverse beliefs that also serve diverse clients. Clients include Dollar General, a Christian-based organization, as well as Spanish-speaking children whose parents exercise the horses on the backstretch of the Belmont race track. As an employer of choice, Bright Horizons focuses on employee retention by building an inclusive environment in which all employees are respected for who they are. The company has outlined some key steps to leverage diversity and be inclusive of all children, families and employees who represent different cultures, backgrounds and experiences: • Act deliberately to embrace diversity at all levels of the organization, and encourage inclusion and respect by providing continuing diversity education and ongoing support to employees. • Celebrate and value all people by expanding the understanding of diversity to include all races, cultures, religions, abilities, sexual orientations, ages, family structures, genders, ethnicities, economic statuses and appearances. • Help global clients that have increasingly diverse workforces achieve their business objectives, while the company itself represents and honors the diversity of the children and families it serves. Bright Horizons has taken steps to implement diversity and inclusion strategies, including the creation of afﬁnity groups — including those for African-Americans, Asians, Hispanics, LGBT and Men in Child Care for employees of the company’s child care centers — a diversity council, an Inclusion Action Team and a diversity program for supply management. The company also requires mandatory diversity awareness training within the ﬁrst six months of employ- ment. There is a strong commitment starting with top-level executives that permeates throughout the organization. Diversity and inclusion efforts have produced several results, including being recognized by DiversityInc, the Human Rights Campaign and Fortune. Further, afﬁnity-group attendance rose signiﬁcantly in the past 12 months, and there has been a 77 percent increase in nominations for internal Diversity Champion Awards. – Deanna Hartley Frank Clark ComEd, An Exelon Company ComEd supplies power to 70 percent of the Illinois population. As part of this heavy responsibility, the company recognizes the importance of diversity in its business strategy. By utilizing a diverse set of workers, the company can best complete its mission to light the lives of Illinois residents. As the starting point for diversity responsibility in the organization, CEO Frank Clark emphasizes the relevance of the company’s approximately 6,000 employees’ distinct viewpoints to help make critical business decisions. “We deﬁne diversity as the connection of brilliant minds and various cultural sensibilities interacting in an atmosphere of acceptance,” said Clark, who was recognized early this year as a “top black in technology” by U.S. Black Engineer & Information Technology magazine. ComEd had the third-highest number of executives on the list out of 82 companies. “When employees not only have the ability to bring their ideas and suggestions to the workplace but are encouraged to do so, their productivity increases — and so does the long-term viability of our company,” he explained. Clark said ComEd’s success can be attributed to its dynamic culture, in which all diverse perspectives are respected and encouraged. He also emphasized his personal role in helping to shape this culture. “As a corporate leader, it is my responsibility to have the courage of my convictions. Employees have to know what my stance on diversity is, and they have to see me ‘live’ it in my day-to-day actions and decision-making.” All of ComEd’s diversity programs are directly tied to business goals. Clark leverages engagements in supplier diversity, social and civic activities, and diversity education and support to meet those goals while simultaneously promoting workforce diversity, which includes nontraditional worker candidates. Last year, ComEd partnered with City Colleges of Chicago to establish an overhead line education facility on the south September/October 2008 | www.diversity-executive.com | Diversity Executive 35 http://www.diversity-executive.com

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Diversity Executive - September 2008 Editor's Letter Contents Leadership Connections Guest Editorial Diversity Executive Online 2042: A New Business Era Begins The Rules of Attraction Where to Look for Diverse Talent Like Minds Think Great Culture Teams Target Business Opportunities at Luxottica Retail Special Section Rebalancing Gender At ING Americas, the Color of Diversity Is Orange Profile Business Intelligence Case Study Strategies Advertisers' Index Editorial Resources

Diversity Executive - September 2008

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