Are you an advocate for diversity and inclusion in your workplace?  Join the Diversity Council for one of two small, informal lunches, July 14 or August 11, to exchange ideas about best practices and connect with others who share your commitment to a more inclusive workplace, while learning from two area diversity and inclusivity leaders.

Nizam Arain, Director of Affirmative Action at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and Ricardo Acevedo, District Manager of the Social Security Administration, will informally share their expertise at both events.

Arain Nizam Ricardo Acevedo

Both events will be held at Three Rivers Lodge (inside the Radisson Hotel La Crosse) between 11:30 and 1:00.  Registration is required in order to keep the number of participants small. Participants pay for their own lunches. Follow the registration links for the above dates to reserve your spot.

Questions:  Contact Jodi Vandenberg-Daves at jodi@glaxdiversitycouncil.com.

We hope that our March Lunch & Learn presentation by Chris Finn, “Creating a Culture of Achievement and Empowerment,” helped launch new conversations in your workplace about building on the strengths of people with disabilities in our workplaces. To continue these conversations more broadly, here are some take-aways from Chris’s presentation, and some best practice guidelines from the Chamber of Commerce.

Hiring processes can contain hidden biases: Employers want to hire people who are passionate and committed to helping their organizations succeed, and who are well qualified to do the work. It’s important to ensure that people in hiring positions are not inadvertently disqualifying applicants because they mention their disability in their application. Sometimes this happens because employers think that accommodations are more difficult or expensive to arrange than is actually the case.  You might also be unsure about how the applicant can perform a task, and that uncertainty could become a barrier to exploring the possibilities.  Assumptions can end up perpetuating stigmas about mental or physical health, and can lead to disqualifying applicants who could add wonderful talents to the workplace and its mission.

Lots of Employees Need Accommodations.   In all likelihood, you are currently working alongside/employing an individual who lives with a disability in some shape or form. For example, people working through illnesses may have changing needs for workplace accommodations. Not seeing a person’s disability does not mean that it is not part of an employee’s life, or that the employee has the reasonable accommodations needed to perform the job well.

Employers Can Create Reasonable Accommodations and an Inclusive Environment: It is a good practice to periodically survey all employees on what they may require for reasonable accommodations. This makes your organization’s culture more supportive and inclusive, which is proven to increase productivity and retention. Reasonable accommodations are often neither incredibly expensive nor time-consuming. You and your potential employees should be able to negotiate what would make the most productive environment for both of you. Accommodating good employees reducing turnover and increases employee loyalty.

It’s Okay to Not Have All the Answers: We are fortunate to have helpful organizations in our area that can help employers integrate differently-abled employees into workplaces, maximize their potential, and assist with problem solving. Evaluating your office’s space to make sure that it is accessible is a great way to begin, and you can get help from local agencies. Learn how to get more assistance and information from Independent Living Resources and the Wisconsin Department of Vocational Rehabilitation.

Dr. Jodi Vandenberg-Daves
The La Crosse Area employers are facing some interesting circumstances.  We are competing for talent with larger cities at a moment when unemployment is low, and many baby boomers will be retiring in the next several years.  The need–and opportunity–to recruit and retain a diverse and dynamic workforce are as important as ever.
Last month, I had the opportunity to speak to La Crosse’s oldest Rotary Club.  I shared some basics on recruiting and retaining diverse employees and creating an inclusive workforce.  Here are some highlights, presented in the form of  questions we encourage employers to ask themselves as they strive to improve talent pools and creating more productive, inclusive workplaces.  If you’d like to hear more, please contact me and let’s talk about how the Diversity Council can help your organization strategize .
Hiring
  • Who are you hiring and how do you find the people you’re hiring?
  • Are you aware of the some of these best practices?
    • Recruit and persuade, rather than just search and screen, from a diverse pool.
    • Develop advertising texts that show you value diversity and inclusivity. Research shows you are likely get a broader pool of applicants.
    • Develop and rely on measurable search criteria in evaluating applicants. This helps minimize unconscious bias.

Retention: Evaluating Your Workplace Structures

  • What do your opportunity ladder and leadership structure look like?
  • How do people in under-represented groups get the support they need to advance their careers and make their best contributions?
  • Do people in your organization, especially from under-represented groups, feel that there is transparency about what it takes to advance in their careers?
  • What are your weak points in providing these resources?
  • What organizational strengths can you build upon?
  • How can you invest in the talents of your current workplace, through mentoring, professional development, and other opportunities?
  • What resources is your organization willing to devote to improving advancement opportunities for under-represented groups from various cultural backgrounds?
  • Are there opportunities, such as part-time professional work and appropriate leave policies, for balance, flexibility, and long-term retention of employees who may have caregiving and community responsibilities?
  • If you don’t know the answers to these questions, how can you find out?

 

When: Thursday, May 26, 2016

Where: La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce

Lyle & Norma Anderson Education Center Room

601 7th St N

La Crosse, WI 54601

Time: 11:30am – 1pm

Many people in the Greater La Crosse Area practice religious faiths other than Christianity.  Come learn about how to make your workplace welcoming and accommodating to the needs of diverse religious groups.

 Dr. Ahmed El-Afandi and Rabbi Simcha Prombaum will speak from Muslim and Jewish perspectives about how stereotypes can negatively impact religious minority employees, employee concerns about whether to disclose their faith in the workplace, and how assumptions about holidays and other workplace norms can be reconsidered to be more welcoming to a variety of religions.

SAUL PROMBAUM PHOTO Ahmed Portrait

Registration for the March Lunch and Learn is $15 for members and students and $25 for non-members. Lunch is included in registration fee. Register here.

**If you have need for any accommodations, including dietary restrictions, please contact Morgan Kolinski at kolinski.morg@uwlax.edu!

On March 9, UW-La Crosse graduate Chris Finn will deliver the Council’s first Lunch and Learn presentation of 2016.  Driven to achieve his childhood dreams while living with quadriplegia, Chris Finn is a three-time World Champion as the former head coach of the US National Power Soccer Team.  He speaks around the country on success and empowerment.  Chris has worked with Fortune 500 companies, educational institutions, nonprofits, and associations.  He has been featured in the Oakland Tribune, Indianapolis Star, Exceptional Parenting magazine, Sports ‘N Spokes and NBC.

chris-finn-home

In addition to sharing his journey from UW-L and through the challenges of living with a disability, and his own path to empowerment, Chris will provide perspectives on how to create genuinely empowering workplaces for people with disabilities.  Join us for an enlightening and informative lunch hour this March.  Program runs from 11:30-1:00, with fees of $15 for members and students, $25 for non-members. Co-sponsored by Workforce Connections, with support from the La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce.

Register now!

**If you have need for any accommodations, including dietary restrictions, please contact Morgan Kolinski at kolinski.morg@uwlax.edu

 

Black History Month promises to start more conversations than usual this year. The Black Lives Matter movement is making national headlines, overt racism is on the rise throughout the country in the form of hate incidents against people of color and divisive political rhetoric. So it’s especially important that we have these conversations in Wisconsin, which has been found to be the worst state in the country for African-American children.Ferguson-protest(1)

What can we do, as a city, a county, a region, and as businesses, organizations, and individuals to improve the situation, and to honor the contributions of African-Americans to our history and society today? How will staff in your organization celebrate Black History Month?  What new leadership can you provide in recognizing the contributions of African-Americans in your field? Let’s have those discussions right here in our communities in the Greater La Crosse Area.  How can you get involved?

Ida-b-wells-barnett1

Here are some events in the area to educate, enlighten, challenge, and inspire us:

Awareness Through Performance:  Privilege Unplugged X:  Monday Feb. 22; 7pm; UWL Valhalla – Cartwright Center (free)

Queer Cinema:  “Still Black:  A Portrait of Black Transmen”: Wednesday Feb. 24; 7pm; UW-L 337 Cartwright Center (free)

“It Takes Respect” Keynote Presentation delivered by Aeneas Williams, Pastor & Retired NFL Pro-Bowl Player:  Wednesday Feb. 24; 6:30 – 8:30pm; Viterbo University Fine Arts Center Main Theatre (free; registration required)

Movie Screening and Discussion:  Cru, facilitated by Actor & Singer Keith Robinson:  Friday Feb. 26; 6:30 – 8:30pm; UW-L Hall of Nations; purchase tickets in Cartwright Center, 1/25-2/22.

Reflections of Ebony Program & Dinner – Keynote Speaker Dr. Shonta Smith: Saturday Feb. 27th; 5:30pm Doors Open, 6:15pm Program Starts, 6:30pm Dinner Served. Purchase tickets in Cartwright 1/25 – 2/22.

When: Wednesday, March 7

Time: 11:30am-1:00pm

Where: La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce

Lyle & Norma Anderson Education Center Room

601 7th St N

La Crosse, WI 54601

UW-La Crosse graduate Chris Finn will deliver the Counciol’s first lunch and learn presentation of 2016. In addition to sharing his journey from UW-L and through the challenges of living with a disability, and his own path to empowerment, Chris will provide perspectives on how to create genuinely empowering workplaces for people with disabilities. Join us for an enlightening and informative lunch hour this March.

Registration for the March Lunch and Learn is $15 for members and students, and $25 for non-members. Lunch is included in registration fee. Registration is now closed.

We are delighted to enrich the work of the Diversity Council with the work and ideas of two young people who have a passion for diversity and inclusion, our first intern, Morgan Kolinski, and Kassie Dorman, who reached out, after attending our annual conference, to ask if she could volunteer her time for the Council.

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Morgan Kolinski is from Eagle River, Wisconsin, and will be graduating from UW-L in May with a major in Organizational and Professional Communication Studies, and a minor in Women’s Studies. Throughout college, Morgan has taken advantage of opportunities to develop her awareness of diversity, attending the White Privilege Conference, getting trained as an LGBTQ ally, as well as serving as a student ambassador to Essential Health Clinic. Over the last year, she researched employee experiences with diversity initiatives in organizations for her Communication Studies capstone. Morgan says she hopes “to contribute to creating holistic and sustainably inclusive cultures within organizations by providing education and evaluating structures during my career. This internship is an amazing opportunity and I am humbled to be working alongside such amazing members of our community!”  Morgan’s internship this semester will focus on Communication and Outreach.

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Kassie Dorman will work with Morgan on Communication and Outreach as a volunteer.  She recently graduated from UW-L with a Communications  Major and a minor in Ethnic and Racial Studies.  Her first experience with the Council was during the Annual Conference this past November. She was thrilled to see so many of La Crosse’s organizations and companies concerned about equality in the workplace. “One of the resounding takeaways for me was to be continuously conscious of different perspectives as well the power of social norms and the difficulty in altering these norms. There is a lot of important work to be done in terms of workplace equality.  Volunteering with the Diversity Council is not just what I can do to help the organization but also how the members of the organization can help me in my journey to continue learning about social structures, different identities and understanding how the world works.  I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of this organization and its mission! “

The Greater La Crosse Area Diversity Council has adopted a theme for 2016: “Building Capacity and Developing Relationships.” As I develop my role as Executive Director, I am excited to enhance the Council’s connections in the area by working with our existing members and founders, developing new active members, and strategizing and collaborating with forward-thinking employers and non-profit and grassroots initiative leaders, people who work every day to make the La Crosse area a more diverse, inclusive and welcoming place to live, work, contribute and belong.

The strength and vitality of our workplaces and businesses depend upon the vibrancy of and well-being of our communities.  This year, we want to make those connections more visible and strengthen the relationships among nonprofits, community groups, and employers. In the past month, I have been connecting with leaders of organizations and initiatives such as the Hmoob Cultural and Community Agency, the African American Mutual Assistance Network, the YWCA La Crosse, the Human Rights working group, Independent Living Resources, The Center:  7 Rivers LGBTQ Connection, the Health Science Consortium Cultural Competency Committee, and UW-L’s Institute for Social Justice, with additional meetings planned.

These and other groups work every day to improve our communities by empowering people who often face discrimination. They develop important community initiatives and conversations and provide vital services. They move our communities forward, enhancing the work of the Diversity Council and the employers who work with us to make our workplaces and organizations more inclusive and empowering. We are so fortunate to have organizations like these in the Greater La Crosse Area.  Their work enhances opportunities for employers who want to connect with a diverse workforce, develop insights about diversity and inclusion, improve services to diverse clientele, and build more diverse workplaces and leadership teams.

The Council is eager to enhance the connections we already have through our active board and director, and to develop new collaborations. We plan to showcase the work of area non-profits and initiatives focused on diversity and inclusivity at this year’s annual conference, so please, let me and our Council board members hear from you about new and continuing work in the Greater La Crosse Area.  And let us know if you’d like to be involved in our work.  We need your ideas and energy, as well as your membership support.

Thank you for all you do to support diversity, inclusion, and equity.

Jodi Vandenberg-Daves, Executive Director

jodi@glaxdiversitycouncil.com

 

There are many great reasons to become a member.

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Multi­cultural Resource Guide

This guide lists established and emerging resources that reflect and celebrate cultural diversity in our area.

View Guide