As businesses face an increasingly competitive global landscape, prioritizing Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) in hiring has become not only an ethical imperative but a driver of long-term success. According to the World Economic Forum, diverse and inclusive companies are more likely to outperform their peers, with those in the top quartile for diversity being 36% more likely to have above-average profitability. Companies with inclusive cultures are 1.7 times more likely to be innovation leaders.
Throughout the years, Boldr has operationalized these principles by offering career development opportunities to underserved communities in the Philippines, Mexico, and South Africa, while eliminating bias in hiring decisions and promoting ethical outsourcing practices. As a B Corp, we have been actively supported by B Lab U.S. and Canada in our journey toward more equitable and inclusive hiring.
Having this in mind, we decided to partner with B Local Los Angeles, a place-based community of people using business as a force for good and an active supporter of JEDI hiring practices to create a space for leaders from various industries to share their insights and experiences into their hiring practices and business operations.
After an introduction by McKenzie Satterthwaite, B Local Los Angeles co-chair, the discussion was then moderated by our President and COO, Mari Parker.
Lauren Serota, Chief People and Culture Officer at Brand Velocity Group shared her experience transitioning from the B Corp world of Patagonia to the private equity industry. Before entering the private equity space, Lauren was a head of talent at Patagonia and oversaw big parts of the employee experience. Lauren explained that at Brand Velocity Group hiring for a diverse workforce is really critical to the growth and the value creation of their portfolio companies, by bringing in top talent and the capabilities of senior leaders to take companies to go from good to great to great.
“So having a diverse workforce is really critical to shaping how these companies evolve. And for us at BVG, JEDI is not just something that we invest in for only our portfolio companies. We take that as a core value in our own internal hiring practices because we believe it's a big part of how we build out an organizational culture that's focused on growth and innovation.” Lauren highlighted.
Deborah Hamill, our VP of People, with 15 years of experience in global HR, discussed Boldr’s mission to be a leader in ethical outsourcing, emphasizing our commitment to JEDI principles.
“At Boldr JEDI isn't just a checkbox. It's our way of doing business. And so when you have that baseline, and everyone's on board with that, then the question becomes, how do you keep it at the front and keep it as a constant? And I believe that that comes down to being intentional and doing a ton of proactive action and behaviors”, Deborah mentioned.
At Boldr we prioritize a culture of inclusion and diversity. We hire based on skills and competencies, ensuring a fair and equitable hiring process. Our commitment to neutral assessments, inclusive development programs, and data-driven analytics allows us to build diverse and high-performing teams.
She explained how at Boldr, we have seen firsthand how diversity drives innovation and improves client satisfaction. By embracing different perspectives and backgrounds, we have found that this not only benefits our team members but also our clients as they witness the positive impact of our cultural richness.
With a decade of experience in the CX space, our client, Nancy Gurd, Associate Director of Customer Experience at Caraway Home, spoke about her experience leading a diverse team in customer experience. "When you have a diverse team, you're able to better reflect the diversity of your customers and provide more personalized support," she shared.
Nancy mentioned how throughout her career she has found CX to be a fun field of diversity and inclusion. “It is a very wide net for a lot of people, and what was originally just seen as a stepping stone is now a career on our end. What I've enjoyed the most about having a diverse team is that our clients aren't one-size-fits-all.”
She highlighted the significance of having a diverse team that mirrors the wide range of their clientele. This ensures that their customers feel understood and well-represented. This has also helped Caraway’s leadership team understand the needs of their clients as well as influence different policies and processes within their organization.
Nancy talked about how our partnership allowed her to be part of our hiring process and how she’s enjoyed witnessing the development of our team members and their career growth.
“We are very close partners with Boldr, and we've time and time again have gone in and in the hiring process, it's all about testing skills and making sure that there is no bias when we're screening our agents that we are onboarding and the continuous learning that Boldr provides to all of the employees,” Nancy mentioned.
Helen Vits, VP and Senior Consultant at Burnham Benefits, with over two decades of experience in the benefits consulting world, emphasized the importance of inclusive benefits strategies.
In Helen’s experience, JEDI practices are great for attracting and retaining top talent. By offering a range of options, such as family planning benefits, companies can create a more inclusive and supportive work environment. This not only boosts employee morale but also leads to higher retention rates and improved business performance.
“When people are feeling a sense of belonging and inclusion, that's just smart business," she said. "Offering a comprehensive benefits package that meets the needs of every family is key for retention and engagement.”
During the webinar, our panelists also addressed the challenges of balancing our own JEDI principles with those of our clients. Deborah Hamill explained our approach, to work with clients to introduce JEDI initiatives while aligning with their values.
The webinar concluded with a call to action from Mackenzie, encouraging participants to keep the conversation going, work with aligned organizations, and stay engaged with the B Corp community. "This is how we start identifying the problem," she said. "It starts with conversations like this."
We thank our attendees and our panelists for an exciting conversation, we hope that the insights shared in this space, provide industry leaders with a roadmap to implement JEDI principles into their hiring practices. By prioritizing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion companies can not only drive positive societal impact but also create new avenues for growth, innovation, and long-term success.
Aitana Rangel Garibay is Boldr’s Marketing Specialist and she is passionate about writing purpose-driven stories.