Chair Beatty Pushes Power of Workforce Inclusion
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion, chaired by U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03), held a hearing entitled, "Promoting Inclusion: Examining the Need for Diversity Practices for America's Changing Workforce."
"This hearing is focused on the need to improve the retention and promotion of diverse talent," Beatty said to open the hearing. "We cannot just focus on recruitment—which we already know is subpar—because putting a heavy emphasis on pipeline development ignores the importance of addressing the challenges and unconscious bias diverse employees often face in moving up the ladder in the workforce."
According to a 2019 Boston Consulting Group report, when companies were asked about diversity obstacles in the workplace, nearly half of the companies responded that they lack appropriate mechanisms to track promotions and guarantee major project assignments are bias-free.
"It is clear that more needs to be done," Beatty exclaimed. "It is crucial that private industry and government embrace our nation's changing demographics so that our economy continues to lead in the 21st century and beyond. Not only is there strength in diversity, but there is research that shows it improves the bottom line and is a business imperative, highlighted by the fact that diverse organizations perform better than those that are not."
During the hearing, Subcommittee members heard from an expert panel of witnesses who discussed their work and insights on fostering, retaining, and growing a more diverse workforce. Panelists included: Bernard Guinyard, Diversity and Inclusion Director, Goodwin Associates; Ruchika Tulshyan, strategist and founder, Candour; Patricia Mota, President and CEO, Hispanic Alliance for Career Advancement; Rod Graves, Executive Director, Fritz Pollard Alliance Foundation; and Laura Sherbin, Managing Director, Culture at Work.
To view an archived recording of the Subcommittee's October 17th hearing, please visit Beatty YouTube page.
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