The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Advisory Council

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, and INCLUSION (DEI) ADVISORY COUNCIL will foster DEI best practices to achieve the highest level of economic health and prosperity for individual businesses and the collective community through a sense of belonging.

Responsibilities

• Create a safe and welcoming place for all members of our community to come together and share ideas
• Provide resources and opportunities for the education and enlightenment of all members of the community
• Expand community awareness regarding the economic benefits of culturally diverse services and best practices of inclusion.
• Recommend actions to the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors on key issues related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Four ways DEI strategies benefit Small Business

1. Expanding your customer base: People want to shop where they feel valued. People support businesses that also take the time to understand them as clients or consumers.
2. Connecting to your community: Connecting to the local community almost always pays positive dividends for a small business; it establishes a consistent client base with low acquisition costs.
3. Tapping into diverse networks to enhance recruiting and improve employee retention: A strong, diverse workforce enhances the reach of a small business in numerous ways. A diverse, empowered staff allows you to avoid bias and broadens your perspective on how customers engage with your small business’s products and services.
4. Less stress and increased workplace harmony: Having your voice heard contributes to a sense of engagement, and engaged employees perform at higher levels.

DEI Resources

The following information is provided to you by the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce DEI Advisory Council as a resource that can be used to support your DEI efforts, goals, and best practices.  The council plans to update this list monthly.   If your business has a resource that may be helpful to Chamber members, please send your suggestions and ideas to the Chamber.

Articles

The Importance of Mixing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion into Your Company’s DNA | U.S. Chamber of Commerce (uschamber.com)

A Business Guide to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | U.S. Chamber of Commerce (uschamber.com) 

4 Visa Programs That Can Help Employers Solve Their Workforce Needs | U.S. Chamber of Commerce (uschamber.com)

Equality of Opportunity Initiative | U.S. Chamber of Commerce (uschamber.com) 

4 Ways Leaders Can Achieve Equality of Opportunity | U.S. Chamber of Commerce (uschamber.com)

What is diversity in the workplace? | Greenhouse

How To Conduct An Equity Audit Of Your Organization | LinkedIn

Will The New MENA Category Help Or Hurt DEI Efforts? | LinkedIn

Setting Diversity Targets | Voice At The Table

 The Evolution of HR and DE&I (shrm.org)

Watch Out for These 3 Gender Biases in Performance Reviews (hbr.org)

Preventing Proximity Bias in a Hybrid Workplace (shrm.org)

From Day One | The Chief Diversity Officer Will Be a New Kind of Executive, If We Let Them

How diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) matter | McKinsey

ONEVirginiaPlan-StateGov-OnlineDocV7.6-021021.indd (ymaws.com)

Virginia Employment Commission labor market information for Culpeper 10/4/2023 – Profile (virginiaworks.com)

Fact Sheet: Disability Discrimination | U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (eeoc.gov)

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Calendar for 2023 (seniorexecutive.com)

Books

Blindspot – Hidden Biases in Good People – Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald

Overcoming Bias: Building Authentic Relationships Across Differences – Tiffany Jana and Matthew Freeman

Everyone Leads: Building Leadership from the Community Up – Paul Schmitz

Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work – Ruchika Tulshyan

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace – Kim Wilson

We Will Not Cancel Us – Adrienne Marie Brown

Books Like Us: Diverse Voices (arlingtonva.us)

Videos

Chip Conley: What baby boomers can learn from millennials at work — and vice versa | TED Talk

Rosalind G. Brewer: How to foster true diversity and inclusion at work (and in your community) | TED Talk

Rocío Lorenzo: How diversity makes teams more innovative | TED Talk

Mentorship & Workplace Equity Takes Work | Janice Omadeke | TEDxGraceStreetWomen – YouTube

Game

10 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Activities for the Workplace (teambuildingworld.com)

Harvard’s Implicit Association Test

Measures unconscious attitudes and beliefs (implicit biases). Implicit bias is an automatic reaction we have towards other people.  Personal identifying information is not collected.  This link is provided for individual use.  Feel free to share it.  The Culpeper Chambe of Commerce and the DEI Advisory Council will not have access to any information entered.

Take a Test (harvard.edu)