Ultimate Software and Kronos Incorporated today announced the Equity at Work Council (EWC), an interdisciplinary group of innovators and practitioners working together to understand and develop the science underpinning diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEI&B). Formed in November 2019, bringing together renowned thought leaders, the goal of the EWC is to educate employers on evidence-based strategies to achieve and maintain more open, inclusive cultures. The council comprises a blend of academic, not-for-profit, and business leaders who share a passion and commitment to eradicating all workplace inequities.
“We are encouraged to see so many organizations taking steps toward implementing diversity programs over the last decade, and we believe that incorporating the best available science will help organizations realize their goal of truly inclusive workplaces,” said Dr. Jarik Conrad, executive director, Equity at Work Council. “The Ultimate and Kronos Equity at Work Council is unique because it uses a multifaceted approach to get a more complete understanding of who we are and why we behave the way we do.”
The EWC, funded and operated by Ultimate and Kronos, will focus on three primary initiatives:
- An annual research study to explore the multidimensional aspects of DEI&B at work
- An Equity at Work Index (E@W Index) to establish and benchmark the quantitative and qualitative drivers of workplace equity
- A series of open-source tools and resources that help organizations identify and overcome barriers to DEI&B
Work has already begun to develop the E@W Index through a partnership with the non-profit Science of Diversity & Inclusion (SODI) Initiative. A comprehensive literature review is being conducted to identify existing diversity measures, indices, and methods used to measure equity at work. The E@W Index is expected to be available by the end of 2020.
“Transformative insights from research rarely translate to action in organizations,” said Neela Rajendra, executive director at SODI. “Our partnership with the Equity at Work Council will help us create tighter collaborations between researchers and companies, which will, in turn, lead to faster discovery, adoption, and traction of evidenced-based methods for success across all sectors.”
The EWC’s 15 founding members bring together organizations across industries and academia, including Jordana Kammerud of Claire’s, Stanford T. Williams, Jr., of Messer Construction, Colleen Wood of Level Access, Natalie J. Egan of Translator Inc., and Marco Iacoboni of the UCLA Brain Research Institute.
To get involved, individuals can join the Equity at Work Social Room LinkedIn Group, an online destination for global conversations about how #justnessforall can be actively advanced, and a future of work can be created that works for all people.
The EWC complements The Workforce Institute, a think tank established by Kronos in 2007 that provides research and education on critical workplace issues facing organizations around the globe, with a unique focus on providing a voice for frontline employees.