Colorado Inclusive Economy One Year In
In keeping with our multi-layered focus on diversity and inclusion, we were pleased to interview Helen Young Hayes, BEN Colorado Board Member, Founder/CEO of Activate Workforce Solutions, and Author of Colorado Inclusive Economy (CIE), and CIE’s new CEO, Luella Chavez D’Angelo. Colorado Inclusive Economy continues to prove effective one year in and it is imperative for the continuation of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Helen Young Hayes: Can you talk about the impact that Colorado Inclusive Economy (CIE) has already started to have on its members and our broader business community?
We spark a relentless forward movement towards building multicultural workforces. The most profound impact of CIE is in the power of peer-to-peer dialogue and the exchange of best practices, which spur both innovation and passion for change.
Our members report measurable improvements in the diversity of their recruiting, hiring, and retention practices. One of our large financial services companies has seen a 60% increase in the diversity of their workforce from just one year ago.
Luella Chavez D’Angelo: Congratulations to Luella on taking over as CEO for CIE. Can you share with us new visions and goals under your leadership?
I am honored to have served as CIE’s CEO for the past 7 months. I continue to be inspired by the quality of our members and the number of members who want to join in our efforts to make Colorado truly the most inclusive economy and workforce in the nation. Our new goal is to see over 10,000 people of diverse talents and backgrounds in jobs that pay more than $45,000 by the year 2027. We want to identify collective impact projects that will benefit our larger communities such as a job bank that serves all our CIE members and partners.
Luella Chavez D’Angelo: CIE is a statewide movement of design intent and action that advises CEOs and leaders. As the movement has gained traction, what has been your biggest surprise/lesson learned regarding this work over the past year?
I am still surprised by how much learning can and does transpire between organizations of varied sizes, different industries, and different geographic locations across Colorado. We continue to hear from our big and small organizations that they can and do learn from one another and that it does not matter where they are on their DEI journey. Whether they are launching a new program or have been at it for several years, they continue to gain ideas, content, and strategic thinking from one another.
Helen Young Hayes: The rate of change across our business environment has been accelerated by the pandemic. Does the current environment of hybrid workplaces and employee flexibility also help accelerate the achievement of building a more inclusive Colorado Economy?
Actually, no. Trends in work from home and AI have exacerbated the inequity of the workforce for several reasons. Hybrid workplaces and flexible hours benefit workers who are mostly white, college-educated, highly paid, and employed in managerial or higher-wage white-collar roles. Front-line and essential workers in education, hospitality, food service, and sanitation are more likely to be people of color with work that requires them to be onsite. Furthermore, inequity in digital skills and high-speed internet precludes many low-wage earners from these work-from-home opportunities. And the burdens of virtual schooling, childcare, and housework fall disproportionately on women and can force low-income women, especially women of color, to drop out of the workforce.
Rapid shifts in automation and work-from-home highlight the urgent need for upskilling, new-skilling, and re-skilling of our most underserved to combat growing inequity, especially for people of color. More people of color work in essential roles.
Helen Young Hayes: What is the ultimate vision for CIE’s impact on our economy?
Our goal is to build the nation’s most inclusive economy, beginning with the BIPOC community--those most underrepresented in Colorado’s workforce. Colorado is the 8th most prosperous state in the nation, but we rank 37th for the racial inclusivity of our economy. We can and must do better!
Our five-year goal is 400 employer members and a total employee base of 200,000 workers. By 2027, our goal is to place 10,000 people of color into pathway careers earning between $45,000-68,000 annually. This represents $450-680 million in annual earnings power injected into our community and economy.
Luella Chavez D’Angelo: How can BEN CEOs get involved in this movement?
There are several ways that BEN members can get involved. First, we would welcome more of the BEN CEOs/leadership who could participate in a community of practice journey by joining one of our upcoming cohorts. Second, you can refer leaders/CEOs to us, and thirdly, BEN CEOs/leaders could participate on one of our panels in a session to continue the dialogue about how diversifying talent helps organizations win on the talent, innovation, and customer front, and of course, that helps organizations bottom lines while helping society.