Diversity
Liberty Resources' commitment to diversity in the workforce is evident in our culture and in our partnership with other groups that share this commitment.
Liberty Resources constantly strives for better ways to understand what diversity means and what challenges it poses in a complex workforce such as ours. Our values and policies create the vision of the diversity we value as a company. However, we go beyond the vision to actions and initiatives that celebrate diversity and educate others about what it means. Activities and initiatives have turned words into action through our Cultural Diversity Workgroup, which oversees ongoing diversity initiatives, including training, recruiting and overall workforce strategies.
To us, diversity means all the ways individuals differ from one another, including race, gender, ethnicity, physical abilities, educational background, country of origin, age, sexual orientation, skills, income, marital status, parental status, religion, work experience, and military service. Learn more about diversity at Liberty Resources:
Liberty Employees Attend 2007 Recruitment and Retention Conference
Liberty employees recently attended a Recruitment and Retention: Tools for a Diverse Workforce conference, hosted by InterFaith Works, in collaboration with The Gifford Foundation and Syracuse University's Diversity Business Summit. This conference, geared towards midsize employers in the Central New York region, brought together CEOs, Human Resource Directors, and Organizational Recruiters from corporate, non-profit, and government to identify and share best practices. It also showcased the work of area employers, to help build a network of people who are interested in creating more diverse workforces.
Liberty employees participated in workshops on the importance of leadership in diversity initiatives, recruitment and retention strategies and participated in networking with community organizations.
Liberty Offers Online "Liberty's Link To Diversity" Web Tool to Employees
Liberty's Link to Diversity is a monthly publication designed for Liberty employees and developed by members of Liberty's Cultural Diversity Workgroup that focuses on a topic related to diversity. Liberty's Link to Diversity reflects our commitment to raise diversity awareness both inside and outside of the organization, resulting in increased cultural competence and a successful multi-cultural work environment. The publication provides a monthly spotlight on various topics of interest and has included topics such as Mental Retardation Awareness Month, Alcohol Awareness Month, Jewish American Heritage Month, Juneteenth - African American Emancipation Day, Filipino Americans, Women's Equality, National Hispanic Heritage Month and LGBT History Month to name a few.
Liberty Hosts Movie Night to Discuss Issues of Diversity in America
Liberty's Cultural Diversity Work Group offers an exciting staff development opportunity. Beginning in March 2007, Liberty began hosting viewings of the film Crash followed by a facilitated discussion afterwards. The intention of this event is to further the goals of the Cultural Diversity Work Group which include: raising awareness of and sensitivity to issues of diversity and; giving staff the tools they need to discuss diversity with clients and with each other.
Crash is a very dynamic and thought-provoking film. The discussion afterward is facilitated to ensure that it is a productive, positive learning experience for all involved. This opportunity is in response to requests from employees for advanced cultural diversity training.
Liberty Employees Participate in "Community Wide Dialogues To End Racism"
Liberty employees recently participated in InterFaith Works Community Wide Dialogues (CWD) to End Racism. Community Wide Dialogue (CWD) to End Racism is the longest-running dialogue program on ending racism in the United States. These circles help build relationships and create a forum for action among people who may not otherwise have the opportunity to meet, work, and learn from one another. The program utilizes a form of deliberative democracy, the study circle, to help adults and youth of diverse backgrounds breakdown misconception about race and ethnicity, and to work towards complementary action throughout our community to end racial inequity. Discussion topics include stereotyping and its origins, the meaning of white privilege, structural racism and its ramifications, and the power of being an ally. Adult group size is between eight and fifteen, and all groups are led by two trained volunteer facilitators during six two-hour sessions.
Liberty's involvement in the CWD furthers our efforts to raise awareness of and sensitivity to issues of diversity and to give staff the tools they need to discuss diversity with clients and with each other.
Liberty Offers Understanding Cultural Diversity Training to All New Employees
Liberty Resources has found success with their "Understanding Cultural Diversity" training, which began in 2004 and is provided to all employees upon joining the agency. This training was developed by the agency's Cultural Diversity Workgroup. This session is designed to give staff the basic understanding and common language of culture, diversity and employee behaviors and work styles, as well as to provide the beginning skills to talk with co-workers and clients about diversity. Employees report a high level of satisfaction with the training and express a desire to continue talking about diversity topics. Liberty's diversity trainings further our efforts to raise awareness of and sensitivity to issues of diversity and to give staff the tools they need to discuss diversity with clients and with each other.
