Ted Beckman, Senior Vice President
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
At RJM we want to offer our employees the opportunity to help our reach business goals outside of their usual role or department. One of the ways we do this is through voluntary participation in established committees. Currently, we have seven active committees, including the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) group. Here I would like to highlight the goals of this team and how they align with our overall strategic plan.
Revise RJM’s hiring process to recruit, retain, and attract diverse applicants. This year we revised our hiring process to reduce the risk of unconscious bias when choosing candidates. Removing this bias increases the likelihood of choosing the best candidates solely through the evaluation of their qualifications and experience. Studies continue to show that the most innovative and productive teams are diverse teams, and we want to ensure that RJM recognizes this right from the start when hiring new team members.
Additionally, at RJM we are working toward improving the representation of a diverse workforce through our engagement with our subcontractor partners. We conduct supplier audits to determine diverse vendor/supplier mix with the goal of reaching our and our clients’ targeted business percentages.
Implement ongoing DEI training for office and field staff. In 2021 RJM focused on providing all employees DEI training through several channels including Paycom, industry platforms, and live training sessions conducted by a qualified DEI trainer. Last month the DEI Committee also held a lunch and learn event focusing on different topics around inclusion. We will continue to provide more ways to engage the team to learn about the value of respecting differences at work, and how this can benefit our workplace culture.
Create a DEI Community Engagement Plan. RJM is working on providing opportunities for all our team members to volunteer with, learn from, and serve community organizations strongly driven by their DEI mission, vision, and values. Currently, we are building our targeted list of organizations based on employee nominations. Visit our webpage to learn more about RJM’s past sponsorship and volunteer involvement.
Team Building
In September and October, the Employee Engagement & Wellness Committee created the Take it Outside Challenge for team members. The four-week challenge encourages the physical and emotional rewards of spending more time outside. Many studies have proven that simply being outside in nature can improve mood, increase self-esteem, and make us feel more connected and energized.
Each week had a different theme to promote various types of outdoor activity:
Week 1: Take it Outside Together: Walking meetings and breaks!
Week 2: Wheelin’ Around Town: Get on your bike!
Week 3: Hiking, Exploring New Parks, Favorite Outdoor Activity: So many nice green spaces in and around Golden Valley!
Week 4: Scavenger Hunt: Explore the neighborhood!
Each week participants formed different teams to encourage accountability and fun. In total, we had 30 people from the office with each department represented, logging a total of 60,000 minutes spent outside together to refresh and rejuvenate!
