Celebrating advances in the march for greater awareness, acceptance, and recognition of minority and LGBTQ+ communities in the workplace is much more common today than ever before, yet our work is far from over. Subtle, overt, and even unintentional racism, sexism, and homophobia still happen far too often in organizations around the world. And their effect is no less damaging today than it was 50 or 100 years ago, restricting opportunities, and stifling, stagnating, or ending careers outright.
As a result, we need to remain vigilant, to seek out opportunities within our organizations where we can fix wrongs and empower our people – all of our people, inclusively. Periodic points of reflection, like Pride Month, serve us well in this effort. As Hitachi Vantara’s new Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer (CDIO), I am clear about our mission: to create an environment in which employees feel welcomed, valued, and can thrive. When we do this, the unique and diverse perspectives and experiences of our workforce will drive innovation, productivity, positive culture, and pride in the company.
Our efforts are paying off. Most notably, I’m proud to spotlight our perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s (HRC) annual Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality in the United States, earning us the privilege of being named a “2022 Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality.”
