Chief Diversity Officer
Lessons From 2020 and Looking Ahead to 2021
As protests took hold across the United States in the summer of 2020, countless companies who did not have a history of talking publicly about racism began to present statements condemning racism and police brutality. It was TMB’s position that our employees along with our customer base wanted to see a commitment to action within our company as opposed to vague platitudes and statements about Diversity. I worked with TMB’s CEO, Tom Dority, over the summer to create the role of Chief Diversity Officer, which I took on in July. The focus on this role is to cultivate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion within TMB. We are now six months into this journey and have made tangible progress. Below are some highlights of 2020 and a look ahead into our plans for 2021.
2020 Diversity and Recruitment Goals:
- Invigorate TMB’s Affirmative Action Plan (make it a living document): TMB’s Affirmative Action Plan (AAP) is an annual requirement of the US Department of Labor that benchmarks Diversity throughout the company. Every spring, we partner with a consulting firm, DCI Consulting, to complete our AAP and in 2020, we met all of our annual AAP goals for the previous year. Beginning in 2021, I will brief the entire company on highlights from our annual AAP.
- Develop a TMB Diversity Training Program: A TMB Diversity Training Program continues to be a work in progress. To date, we have added two training classes with a focus on recognizing and overcoming unconscious bias to our annual HR training program.
- Implement communication channels to gather employee feedback: Starting in September, we held our first of four First Friday Chat with the CDO events, averaging over 60 virtual attendees. In addition, we researched options for employee surveys with a plan on implementing in 2021.
- Execute the Buddy/Mentorship Program: TMB’s Employee Success Continuum (ESC) was created in early 2020 and includes the TMB Buddy, Mentor and Training Programs. In the second half of 2020, we fine-tuned the ESC Handbook and put in the hard work to get the Buddy and Mentor Programs up and running. All new employees are assigned a Buddy for their first two months of employment and TMB’s 2021 Mentor Class is full speed ahead!
- Fill existing vacancies and develop recruitment strategy: The recruiting office, headed up by TMB’s Director of Recruiting, Jim Hilson, worked hard in 2020 to fill existing vacancies. In July, we conducted a review of our hiring methods and made several changes that have resulted in a significant reduction in the time it takes to fill billets at TMB.
What You Can Expect to See in 2021:
With the newly created Human Capital Management function being added to the Chief Diversity Office role, I am very excited about the future. The four major categories that TMB’s Human Capital Management and Diversity Offices will focus on in 2021:
- Workforce: Hiring, retaining, developing and promoting diverse employees
- Workplace: Creating a company culture rooted in acceptance and belonging
- Marketplace: Attracting and successfully partnering with diverse customers and suppliers
- Community: Contributing meaningfully to all parts of the community our company serves
As TMB focuses on the four categories highlighted above, below
are some of the exciting plans we have in store for 2021:
- Rollout of the 2021 TMB Charitable Plan that will reflect our desire to engage with the community surrounding 100 M Street and with the broader Military community.
- Establishment of a revamped TMB Intern Program in conjunction with the Operations Department, working with TMB mentors and trainers to engage talented individuals while continuing to honor our commitment to diversity.
- Execution of the 2021 TMB Mentor Program, ensuring that all participants in TMB’s inaugural Mentor Class have a meaningful experience.
- Increasing Employee Engagement: The original intent of the ‘First Friday Chat with the CDO’ event was to promote dialogue about Diversity within and around TMB, the military and Corporate America. We plan to expand on that goal in 2021 by continuing occasional ‘chat’ events and incorporating others, such as speaking events by guests from outside TMB. We will also conduct internal TMB surveys several times a year to engage and solicit feedback from TMB employees.
~ Richard Parker
Chief Diversity Officer
