What’s happening with the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) Committee?

The DE&I team is comprised of 17 staff, including three members of the CHS executive leadership group.

At the current time, our committee is focusing on awareness and education. While HR heads up the DE&I team, committee responsibilities do not extend to DE&I as it relates to hiring, promotion, retention, etc.

What You Told Us

You may remember filling out a DE&I survey in June. This was created to discover what CHS staff is looking for in the area of DE&I.

• The topics that staff are most interested in learning about are culture, mental health and gender identity.
• The majority of respondents felt CHS is doing a good job with DE&I and are pleased that the committee exists.
• Some respondents believe efforts at CHS should be deeper; others do not see any need for DE&I activities.

The committee’s initial efforts have focused on building awareness of events and holidays from a diverse range of cultures, faith traditions, abilities and more.

Members of the committee have also discussed joining efforts with the Trauma-Informed Workplace Committee. One quality of a Trauma-Informed Workplace is making staff feel safe and included.

Ideas for ongoing education have included sharing traditions, a talking circle, a book club and other options.

DE&I Activator Series

Members of the DE&I Committee are also attending a free course offered by The Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce. Presented by Pathways to Inclusive & Equitable Workplaces, a Sioux Falls organization, the DE&I Activator Series is an 11-session webinar series offered once each month.

It’s “an introduction to key concepts, strategies, mindsets and skill sets to support participants’ knowledge….The series offers concrete application strategies to help a workplace envision its DE&I goals and identify steps for implementation.”

Information from the series gleaned by committee members includes:

• DE&I is a marathon, not a sprint. Cultural shifts take time.
• Gender-diverse companies are 25% more likely to outperform their competition.
• Ethnically-diverse companies are 36% more likely to outperform their peers.
• Diversity includes people of different ages as well as veterans.

The images shown here are slides presented during one of the first four DE&I Activator sessions and can help explain key concepts.

You’re invited

Any staff members who wish to share information on special days or holidays from their own traditions—or who wish to join the Committee—are welcome to contact DE&I committee chairs Tina Graber, Anne McGovern, Jamie Van Voorst or Clara Jacob.