What is your philosophy on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace?
For Best Buy to be one of the best companies to work for in the U.S., we need all employees to feel accepted, valued and appreciated. Feeling accepted impacts many factors within an individual’s well-being – it’s the foundation of bringing our best selves to work and building an inclusive culture. I also believe that leaders are a critical part in in driving an inclusive culture throughout organizations.
What are some tangible ways your organization is making sure that your Black female talent feels included?
We want to make sure that we’re tailoring our programs to what our Black female talent is really looking for, and that includes listening sessions and various engagement opportunities like mentorships and happy hours.
We also organize programs that aim to increase the skills of our Black talent, such as the McKinsey Black Leaders Management Accelerator Program, Executive Leadership Council Mid-Level Managers Symposium and The Climb Summit.
How do you celebrate the diversity of ideas and people within your organization?
On a broad scale we empower our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and Focused Inclusion Networks (FINs) to elevate cultural celebrations that are important to them, and we support these ideas. We also highlight employees who are doing good work both within the company as well as in their communities.
Additionally, we educate our people leaders on the importance of giving their employees a voice. Leadership throughout the company have an open door policy and listens to the suggestions and ideas that our employees present to benefit both the company culture, as well as the bottom line.
Are there any best practices, as it pertains to creating a culture where your Black female talent feels included, that you can share?
Provide a safe space and community where Black women can share and grow with others, and provide advocacy and support. Even setting up women of color book clubs, like we have done at Best Buy, can provide a good space for women to make connections and share personal experiences that they might not be comfortable doing otherwise.
You should also be intentional with the activities and programming that is geared towards Black women, and, behind the scenes, encourage dialogue that ensures this talent is being measured on their performance and not perception.
In your opinion, what is the highest compliment that an employee could give to your organization?
A referral to their friends and family to come work here and expressing that they feel like they ‘belong’ at Best Buy.