In the past, one Milwaukee-area business group’s strategy to attract and retain employees was to focus on minority and marginalized workers through diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
But, Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce is changing its approach as the political climate shifts on DEI programs.
The association created the “Region of Choice” program in 2018 to help area businesses hire and advance more minority workers.
At the membership meeting on Oct. 9, the organization stated 3,500 minority employees were hired and promoted among participating businesses during the last five years.
President Dale Kooyenga said the Region of Choice initiative is “being revitalized to make Milwaukee a destination for professionals across industries.”
“Milwaukee has strengths to build on and gaps to close,” Kooyenga said.
The area has a high concentration of advanced manufacturing and productive workers, he said, but the population growth has lagged other Midwestern cities.
It’s businesses to navigate public policy and uncertainty in the economy, Kooyenga said.
“The dial of populism has certainly turned up the keys in our political and social discourse,” Kooyenga said. “Tariffs, immigration and supply chain issues, and demographic declines are all what we’re used to.”
Kooyenga said the association is advocating for increased pupil funding in schools, as well as collaboration with businesses and other community organizations, including All-In Milwaukee and Milwaukee Tech Hub, to retain workers.
Corry Joe Biddle, the association’s vice president of talent and community affairs, said the group is shifting to a new Region of Choice 2.0 to fit the current social atmosphere.
“Today, the climate has shifted. The environment that we operate in never stands still,” Biddle said. “Today there are new legal interpretations and different ways of thinking about this work.”
Biddle used the history of wheelchair ramps as an example of a change that came about through advocacy for people with disabilities. Those ramps are also used by people with strollers and luggage.
“Any disparity we work to correct is intended to benefit the entire organization,” Biddle said.
Chief Operations Officer Lynn Olberding said the organization will use “designed thinking sessions and focus groups” with employees and managers to “help us ensure this framework is authentic and durable.”
“The work may start with addressing a specific need but when we do it well, it strengthens the entire culture,” Olberding said. “It’s about building workplaces where belonging isn’t a program for some but a culture for all.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: MMAC shifting efforts on attracting minority workers as political climate changes
Reporting by Ricardo Torres, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
