Cindy Luoma, Director of Human Resources
At RJM we want to offer our employees the opportunity to become actively involved in achieving our business goals outside of their designated positions. One of the ways we do this is through voluntary participation in various committees, all of which support defined strategic initiatives. This year I am excited to step into the role of Chair for the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Committee, and I would like to share some of the good things we have planned this year at RJM.
Why is there a need to focus on DEI? When team members have a safe place to share their perspectives, and understand others’ unique perspectives, an environment is created where individuals can grow and reach their full potential without barriers. When free to show up as themselves, employees display improved morale and creativity and generally become more engaged, which can have a direct effect on retention. From a business perspective, study after study proves that companies who are diverse and where differences are openly accepted are more likely to have financial returns above industry norms. Despite these proven, positive outcomes, many companies still lack purposeful DEI strategies, let alone the space in which to discuss the topic. The basic adage – take care of your people and they will take care of your customers – certainly holds true regarding the value of implementing DEI best practices.
At RJM, we want our DEI efforts to go beyond ‘checking a box’ and by simply offering diversity training. We work to weave DEI principles into the fabric of who we are as a company. How we treat one another matters. Words matter. We are all connected.
In 2022 the DEI Committee will lead the charge to help build the momentum RJM has seen in recent years, with an emphasis on:
- Focus on “inclusion”
- Maintain and enhance existing DEI framework
- Intentional office and field outreach and engagement
- Strengthen our approach to metrics and analysis to guide improvements
- Community outreach and volunteering
- Best practices and policies review
- Ongoing educational opportunities, training sessions and guest speakers
- Increase awareness of all the existing initiatives in which our team members are already involved, and share and expand ideas
More information:
This year’s team of eight committee members include (left to right down) Stacy Arnold, Director of Safety; Ted Beckman, Senior Vice President; Tony Howard, General Superintendent; Jodi Kilian, HR Generalist; Jim Lockhart, VP of Risk & General Counsel; 2022 Chair Cindy Luoma, Human Resources Director; Maria Manske, Marketing Manager; and Ai Yang, Project Coordinator.
