1. Creating a Welcoming and Inclusive Work Environment CHARLEON A. JEFFRIES, M.ED. AFFIRMATIVE ACTION OFFICE 328 BOUCKE BLDG, UNIVERSITY PARK, PA 16802 (814) 863-0471CHARLEON@PSU.EDUCHARLEON@PSU.EDU

2. Objectives Examine your role and responsibility for creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace Draw from unit/organization goals and values to determine specific diversity objectives Define opportunities to operationalize and support unit goals and employee responsibilities to create sustainable diversity efforts

3. Agenda Introductions Overview Designing Your Workplace Workplace Climate vs. Workplace Culture Diversity Strategic Plans and You From Plan to Action Supporting and Sustaining Diversity Work

4. Welcome to the Widget Factory Each table will be tasked with creating a work unit. As a group you will determine the identity, mission, values, and desired goals of the unit. As we work through the objectives of this session, each group member will have the responsibility of contributing to the “created” group while also considering how this might translate to their “actual” work unit.

5. Designing Your Workplace Name your Unit What is your unit’s primary objective What is the guiding mission and goals of your unit? Select 6 VALUES that will embody the work of your unit

6. Workplace Climate vs. Workplace Culture CLIMATE The prevailing attitudes, behaviors, standards (values), or environmental conditions of a group, period, or place. Informed by ACTIONS CULTURE The total range of activities and ideas of a group of people with shared traditions, which are transmitted and reinforced by members of the group. Informed by VALUES

7. Creating a Welcome and Inclusive Climate Based on the Values of your unit, what would be necessary to create a welcome, inclusive, and/or positive workplace climate? Ex: Value: Respect AttitudesBehaviorsStandardsEnvironmental Conditions - Courteousness - Approachable - Be Polite - Don’t Discriminate - Honesty - Integrity - Cleanliness - Smells - Posting of Materials

8. Diversity Strategic Plans and You Welcoming and inclusive workplace climates operationalize the diversity strategic goals of that unit. “Doing Diversity” is more than: ◦Celebrations (holidays, potlucks, etc.) ◦Education (programs, speakers, professional development, etc.) ◦Mediation (navigating and negotiating differences) It includes some/all of these components, but it weaves diversity goals into daily behaviors.

9. Penn State’s Framework to Foster Diversity http://equity.psu.edu/diversity-strategic-planning http://equity.psu.edu/diversity-strategic-planning Campus Climate and Intergroup Relations ◦Challenge 1: Developing a Shared and Inclusive Understanding of Diversity ◦Challenge 2: Creating a Welcoming Campus Climate Representation (Access and Success) ◦Challenge 3: Recruiting and Retaining a Diverse Student Body ◦Challenge 4: Recruiting and Retaining a Diverse Workforce Education and Scholarship ◦Challenge 5: Developing a Curriculum That Fosters United States and International Cultural Competencies Institutional Viability and Vitality ◦Challenge 6: Diversifying University Leadership and Management ◦Challenge 7: Coordinating Organizational Change to Support Our Diversity Goals

10. From Plan to Action Compare the goals, values, and climate indicators of your group’s unit with the diversity strategic indicators (7 Challenges) Where and how do these indicators and your unit intersect? Choose three specific indicators that might be the most relevant for the work of your unit. How would these three identified areas be operationalized in your created unit? Draw from the strategic indicators, unit values, Penn State values, your individual unit plans, etc.

11. Supporting and Sustaining Diversity Work We will not be able to move diversity from the celebration/education/mediation model until it becomes incorporated into our daily function and operation. We need to be looking for it We need to tie accountability and rewards to these efforts For this final step: Discuss and decide: - how you will set expectations for your employees around these diversity goals, - how you will support their efforts toward realizing these goals, - and how will you account for their efforts

12. Discussion What was this process like for you? What do you need to continue these types of leadership efforts? What worked well? What was more difficult? Where do you anticipate challenges?