Diversity Executive - November 2008 - (Page 37)

ferences — background, socioeconomic status, education, all of those other characteristics that people bring to the table.” – Meagan Polakowski Emilio Egea Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Diversity Officer Prudential Emilio Egea still remembers signs that hung in Union City, N.J., stores in the mid 1970s that read, “English spoken here.” Those words mark a time when organizations were less inclusive, but things have changed, and nowadays organizations have found a commitment to diversity and inclusion is just smart business. “Everybody has biases,” Egea said. “It doesn’t make us bad people, but bias does two things in the workplace: It doesn’t let us see people accurately, [and] it prevents [us] from being as successful as [we] can be.” From roles at New Jersey Bell to AT&T and now Prudential, Egea, who is the vice president of human resources and chief diversity ofﬁcer at the ﬁnancial services organization, has actively promoted this discussion around diversity. “We all have different ideas about what diversity is and why it’s important to companies, but I also think it’s important to understand what it’s not,” he said. “It’s not about asking people to change their personal beliefs and values. In the workplace, it’s about making sure that actions and behaviors are consistent with the company we want to be here at Prudential, [and] that we have to be in order to be competitive in the marketplace.” At Prudential, diversity and inclusion is important in three pillars: the marketplace, in terms of customer satisfaction and loyalty; talent, in terms of attracting, developing and retaining employees; and organizational effectiveness, in terms of creating an organization where it’s safe to say what’s on your mind and be yourself. “To be a citizen of Prudential, there are certain things that are very important to us. Diversity is one of those things,” Egea said. “People need to understand that, as a company and as an employee of this company, there are certain behaviors that we’re looking for. We’re talking about behaviors respectful of all difference.” To create this environment from the top down, Egea has had some tough conversations with the organization’s leaders. “I believe one of my greatest successes is facilitating mindset shifts, and that means reframing perspectives [and] expanding frames of reference for people — especially senior leaders,” Egea said. “Most corporate executives are white men who have worked very successfully with people who are very much like them- We all have different ideas about what diversity is and why it’s important to companies, but I also think it’s important to understand what it’s not. It’s not about asking people to change their personal beliefs and values. In the workplace, it’s about making sure that actions and behaviors are consistent with the company that we want to be here at Prudential. – Emilio Egea Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Diversity Officer Prudential November/December 2008 | www.diversity-executive.com | Diversity Executive 37 http://www.diversity-executive.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Diversity Executive - November 2008

Diversity Executive - November 2008 Editor’s Letter Contents Leadership Connections Guest Editorial Diversity Executive Online Middle Management Roadblock ‘Hidden Winds’ Hinder Progress The Domino Effect Supplier Partnerships Unlock Economic Opportunities Measuring Diversity Special Section: Who’s Who in Diversity and Inclusion Dimensions of Difference Overcoming Language Diff erences Business Intelligence: Combating Subtle Discrimination Case Study: Shifting Diversity Into Overdrive Advertisers’ Index Editorial Resources Strategies

Diversity Executive - November 2008

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