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The Chamber Introduces Internal Diversity and Inclusion Committee

By Joaquin Arellano, GPC Internal Committee Chair

The Greater Phoenix Chamber has officially launched an internal diversity and inclusion initiative. The Chamber recently released a Diversity and Inclusion Toolkit  for companies to take into consideration while planning their own internal programs, and have prioritized implementing these practices within our own organization. Promoting diversity and inclusion within the workplace not only helps employees feel like they can be themselves, but also helps increase retention and productivity. With this in mind, the Chamber decided to create its own internal diversity and inclusion committee.

The Chamber’s internal D&I committee met for the first time in June. Staff spent time discussing why they wanted to be involved in the initiative and what they are hoping to get out of being in the committee. Responses ranged from being passionate about diversity and inclusion, to wanting to learn more and be more aware.

The team discussed ways to begin implementing the toolkit. The committee decided its initial priority was to analyze the company culture and the unconscious bias pillars within the toolkit. First, we wanted to make sure we evaluated our processes, internal culture, and how to adapt our culture to become more welcoming of others. Next, we decided that unconscious bias was a great starting point to address. Many times, people make decisions or say things that can be hurtful to others without realizing it. Because of this, it is important for the Chamber’s internal D&I committee to start evaluating our unconscious bias as a company and find resources we can share in order to identify unconscious bias.

In the upcoming weeks, we will meet again in smaller committees to discuss further action steps we can take to evaluate the Chamber’s company culture and unconscious bias. We are excited about beginning this process internally and invite other companies to start their own internal diversity and inclusion committee. We will share our experiences along the way, and we hope that it will help encourage your company to start taking steps with us to build a more inclusive workforce!

To access the toolkit and learn more about diversity and inclusion, please visit our website at https://phoenixchamber.com/membership/diversity-inclusion/.