Inclusion and Diversity
June 3, 2020
Dear Woolpert Family,
We are in a time of historic significance as it pertains to the advancement of civil rights. We stand in solidarity with all communities that believe equal rights, opportunities and respect should be afforded to everyone. We demonstrate through our actions and values that Woolpert is a business committed to building a Great Place to Work FOR ALL. Our number one core value is Supportive, and that support extends TO ALL. Most recently, as part of our Inclusion and Diversity Approach, we focused on three key actions to help advance these rights—reducing hiring bias, expanding career opportunities for diverse candidates and enabling career advancement for diverse candidates. These are initiatives we have been dedicated to for some time, and current events have only strengthened our commitment.
- We have trained all our hiring managers on how hiring bias can potentially limit opportunity for diverse candidates.
- We have an Inclusion and Diversity Approach that ensures diverse candidates are presented for a minimum of 50% of our open positions.
- We are committed to promoting diversity classes to senior support, technical and management positions, leadership roles and ownership opportunities.
Furthermore, we support every Woolpert employee looking to advance inclusion and diversity and promote justice and equality outside of Woolpert. We do not tolerate racism of any kind, nor do we tolerate illegal activities or violence. We support our clients in uniform and all law enforcement agencies who serve and protect. We support everyone to be themselves, while recognizing that our common humanity and supportiveness unites us regardless of different backgrounds or beliefs. We will continue to back up our mission with actions to help our employees, clients, communities and the world progress—to move forward through forward thinking. Let's all continue to lead through example by supporting and respecting everyone.
Scott
June 5, 2020
Dear Woolpert Family,
I’m following up on my previous message to acknowledge the deep sadness and anger surrounding the wrongful killing of George Floyd. This, along with the enduring prevalence of systemic oppression that exists around the world has brought the need for change to the forefront of our mindsets and our communities.
Although Woolpert has made great strides in the last few years, we still have work to do to become the truly inclusive and diverse company we aspire to be. I would like to see us turn this senseless tragedy into something meaningful for our company and positive long-term change in our communities. To start, we will be further reviewing the systems, structures and potential entrenched biases that may still exist at Woolpert that could hinder our progress toward true equity, diversity and inclusion. We will then be looking to identify charities and non-profits that create higher education opportunities for children and teens with diverse backgrounds.
This brings everything full circle and ensures Woolpert is doing its part both internally and externally to help make positive change. We have already begun eliminating hiring bias to give more people with diverse backgrounds better access to Woolpert, next we have focused on ensuring these diverse groups have equal opportunity to advance in our company, and now we will go back to the beginning to help disadvantaged children and teens receive the necessary education to one day apply at companies like Woolpert and secure bright futures as AEG industry leaders. We’re inviting all Woolpert colleagues to a forum on inclusion and diversity, where you can speak about experiences and expectations of the company. This forum is part of our Inclusion and Diversity Network that has been growing in the last year and is led by Chief Human Resources Officer Shanda McKinney. While some of these conversations may be difficult, we’re committed to facilitating open and honest dialogue about how we can be better, and we are looking for your ideas and support. Anyone who wants to contribute is welcome. We are an amazing company filled with amazing people.
Scott