Blue Signal’s DEI Pride Forum: A Step Towards a More Inclusive Future

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In a pioneering initiative that speaks to our commitment to embracing diversity, Blue Signal recently hosted a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Pride Forum. This significant initiative coincided with Pride Month and was focused on enhancing our understanding and appreciation of the LGBTQ+ community. Not just an event, the forum was an innovative platform where our diverse team members came together to learn, share experiences, and discuss how to improve our collective ability to serve all job candidates, especially those identifying as LGBTQ+. The forum was a success, and it helped us to understand the needs of the LGBTQ+ community and how we can better serve them.

The Power of Collaboration

Facilitated by our team members, the DEI Pride Forum brought the powerful spirit of collaboration, that defines Blue Signal, to the forefront. In a candid and open environment, our recruiters, account managers, and representatives from various departments shared their experiences and perspectives on LGBTQ+ issues. The forum was not just about raising awareness, but also about sparking conversations about how we can create a more inclusive and understanding workplace. Through this collective learning journey, we aim to enhance our ability to empathize with and support candidates from diverse backgrounds while educating our hiring managers.

Real People, Real Stories

The highlight of our DEI Pride forum was brought to life through the personal stories of two exceptional guests from the LGBTQ+ community. Emerson, a trans man, courageously shared his experiences, including his early moments of gender confusion, the eventual recognition of his male identity, and his encounters with biases and discrimination during job interviews. His story was not just a poignant revelation of his personal journey, but also an eye-opener to the challenges faced by transgender individuals in the professional world.

Meanwhile, Amanda, a non-binary individual working in talent acquisition, gave us a unique glimpse into the potential of an inclusive recruitment process. Amanda highlighted the significance of seemingly small gestures, such as correctly pronouncing a candidate's name and respecting their preferred pronouns, that can profoundly impact a candidate's experience and contribute to creating an inclusive, respectful environment. Their emphasis on the value of effort, understanding, and validation resonated deeply with us and underscored the necessity of these qualities in our work.

Best Practices for Inclusivity

A diverse group of people sitting in a circle for a DEI Pride Forum discussing Inclusivity with rainbow text

The DEI Pride forum also served as an important platform for learning and development. Emerson and Amanda's insights and experiences empowered us with practical strategies and best practices for recruiting and hiring LGBTQ+ candidates. These ranged from using inclusive language in job postings to fostering relationships with LGBTQ+ organizations, to understanding the nuances of interactions within the LGBTQ+ community, and ultimately, creating a safe space for everyone to be their authentic selves.

Action we can take today:

  • Be mindful of pronouns and ask someone's pronouns if you're unsure. This is a simple way to show respect for someone's identity.
  • Create an inclusive recruitment process. This means using inclusive language in job postings, fostering relationships with LGBTQ+ organizations, and understanding the nuances of interactions within the LGBTQ+ community.
  • Be an ally. This means speaking up against discrimination and prejudice, and creating a safe and welcoming environment for everyone.

The Benefits of DEI in the Workplace

The event further underscored our belief that diversity, equity, and inclusion are not just buzzwords, but rather integral parts of Blue Signal’s mission and values. When we actively foster DEI in our workplace, we're investing in a culture that yields tangible benefits: improved morale, increased productivity, enhanced creativity and innovation, and strengthened collaboration among teams. This forum provided a valuable opportunity to delve deeper into the profound impact of these principles on our working environment.

Looking Forward: Our Continued Commitment to DEI

The DEI Pride Forum marked the beginning of a series of DEI training initiatives planned throughout the year. Using the momentum of this event, we are dedicated to extending our efforts beyond the LGBTQ+ community to include all underrepresented groups. Our ongoing commitment to fostering an inclusive environment has led us to develop resources that can help educate our team about LGBTQ+ issues, emphasizing our belief that awareness and education are the cornerstones of understanding and empathy.

We're immensely grateful to everyone who participated in and supported the Pride Forum. Each contribution, each story shared, and each insight gained has been instrumental in turning this initiative into a resounding success. As we look to the future, we're excited about continuing our journey toward fostering a more inclusive future. We're committed to doing so together, as a team, because we believe that when we stand united in our diversity, we can truly make a difference.

Stay connected with Blue Signal on our blog and DEI resources page for more updates, insights, and initiatives surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion. Together, we're just getting started!

Here are some additional resources to learn more about LGBTQ+ inclusion:

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Blue Signal Women of the Workplace 2021 Year in Review

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Blue Signal’s own female empowerment initiative, BSS Women of the Workplace, has just concluded its best year yet! Founded in 2019, BSS WOW has not only impacted those within the organization, but also the greater community as a whole. With the mission of “promoting the education, connection, and empowerment of women (and those who support women) and their contributions to the broader goals of Blue Signal and beyond,” we’ve supported our goals through several purposeful actions. Despite being geographically dispersed, BSS WOW was able to meet virtually to discuss important topics, bond as a team, and participate in philanthropy. 

 

BSS WOW Learning Opportunities  

This year, we did an activity on gendered language in the workforce where we examined the unintentional yet inherent biases that many work-related terms hold. By examining these terms and their biases, we as a team were able to better understand equity and how we can combat gendered bias in our communication with clients, candidates, internally with colleagues, and externally as a whole. As a group, BSS WOW completed a LinkedIn Learning Course and certified 100% of our members on Women Helping Women Succeed in the Workplace.  

Additionally, we reviewed several articles surrounding similar topics. In one meeting, the group read “She Wants to Kill the Girl Boss.” The article sparked thoughtful conversations surrounding confirmation bias, intersectionality, discrimination, and privilege and how that all plays into labels. In another meeting, we reviewed a summary of the popular Sheryl Sandberg book, Lean In. We discussed gender inequality, factors that can help or hinder women’s careers, and how we can all help women to achieve their goals. Another hot topic surrounded the child-care crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. This Washington Post article predicted that COVID-19 would dramatically set women back, given that many mothers had to choose between motherly duties and their careers.  

Finally, at our end-of-the-year holiday party, we discussed women who we admire. Many notable professionals were named, including Brittney Packnett Cunningham, Abby Wambach, Sara Blakely, and Rachel Hollis. Each of these articles and discussions facilitated actionable insights into bettering ourselves as people and as professionals.  

 

BSS WOW Team Building  

In creating a safe space to discuss such topics, it’s important to make it fun — it’s simply good strategy! We found so much joy in conducting alternate activities that they’ve become a staple in every meeting. We bonded over things like Secret Santa; the Rose, Bud, and Thorn activity; and more. Our members shared feedback on Blue Signal’s Women of the Workplace, stating that they “truly enjoy the bonding exercises. It can feel extremely isolated when working remote - so it's helpful to have the connection with others on a deeper level.” Others said they “always leave the conversations feeling refreshed with a new perspective and feeling closer to the team!” By becoming exactly what our company needed, either through connection or just as a good mental reset, this group has become its own community.  

BSS WOW Testimonial

Blue Signal Gives Back – BSS WOW Edition  

Giving back has been a cornerstone to Blue Signal’s company culture since our inception. It’s no wonder that BSS WOW would want to participate, but with their own unique spin. Since 2020, BSS WOW has been supporting Live and Learn AZ. Live and Learn is a local non-profit that seeks to empower women in the Phoenix area to break the cycle of generational poverty. This year we continued our resume writing support and interview coaching collaboration, effectively helping 18 women with their resumes. Of those 18, six were hired into new roles.  

One Live and Learn client was very discouraged about applying for jobs and wasn’t sure when she would be able to find employment to support her family. She was referred to the BSS WOW resume writing service, where she learned to tailor her resume to the job she would be applying for. After speaking with BSS WOW, she found renewed energy and confidence in the job search, and she was able to nail a job in healthcare. Stories like these are what inspire us to work to support those in our community. This year, with our newly developed career service, we were able to also refer these Live and Learn clients to Resume and Career Services, powered by Blue Signal. With this, we hope to get even more women educated, empowered, and employed.  

But we didn’t stop there. BSS Women of the Workplace also donated four laptops to the cause. We donated three full Thanksgiving meals for Live and Learn’s Give Thanks food drive. We went live with Live and Learn on Instagram to help them generate donations for Giving Tuesday. Their movement to #EmpowerWomen and #BreakTheCycle resulted in $5,160 in overall donations! For Christmas, BSS WOW also sponsored three families from Live and Learn. The entire Blue Signal organization stepped up to help create an incredible holiday for these women and their families.  

BSS WOW Adopt a Family

Reflecting on 2021 and The Year Ahead 

2021 brought with it so many new opportunities for growth. Blue Signal’s Women of the Workplace has been humbled by this experience, and we are all excited for what’s next. We plan on continuing our virtual meetings, planning more exciting activities, and finding new ways to give back to our communities. For 2022, we want to focus on topics such as mental health, financial literacy, and equity. We will continue to learn more about women in leadership, and hope to make our own mark on that space.  

If this purpose and these projects speak to you, contact us to see how you can get involved. Whether that means joining in on the fun yourself by applying to work with us, or by educating us on your own current organization and how we can partner, don’t hesitate to reach out. 

 

Resources 

Here are several resources BSS WOW discussed and collected throughout the year. Please leverage these to explore on your own the topics we covered.  

Blue Signal Women of the Workplace, 2021 Update

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Since the beginning, Blue Signal has worked to advocate for women - both internally within our company, and externally within our greater community. In 2019, this took a more official form with the founding of Blue Signal Women of the Workplace (BSS WOW). 

This female empowerment initiative brings together everyone in the company, with the working purpose “to promote education, connection, and empowerment for women (and those who support women) and their contributions to the broader goals of Blue Signal… and beyond!” Just like Blue Signal’s other DEI initiatives, BSS WOW has an impact that extends beyond just the internal organization. Below is an update on the projects we’ve worked on over the last year.

Blue Signal Women of the Workplace Purpose Graphic

BSS WOW Partnering with Live and Learn AZ 

Live and Learn is a local non-profit organization that was created to empower women in the Phoenix-metro area to break the cycle of generational poverty. They support the financial independence and career growth of women in our community by offering classes, workshops, and training geared toward accomplishing each individual woman’s goals. Their incredible education programs have resulted in life-changing successes, like earning degrees, landing jobs, and so much more. 

Blue Signal’s Women of the Workplace has been supporting Live and Learn in this mission since 2020, by providing resume writing tips and interview coaching. Through collaboration and a little bit of recruiter magic, Blue Signal has been able to walk these women through the resume writing process and renew their confidence to dive into the job market. In 2021, we are excited to continue this partnership and plan to provide as much value as possible to the clients of Live and Learn AZ. 

Blue Signal Women of the Workplace, Live and Learn Testimonial Graphic

BSS WOW Education and Certifications 

Despite COVID-19 changing the way we meet, Blue Signal’s Women of the Workplace has continued to come together since our company moved to a fully remote work model. We meet virtually once every other month to discuss updates on our Live and Learn philanthropic work, learn about issues surrounding women, and empower one another through discussion and shared experiences.

In our meetings, BSS WOW has discussed gendered language and its impact on how we understand and represent the workforce overall. We have examined articles, like this one from the New York Times that has stirred quite a bit of commentary surrounding gendered titles like “Female CEO” in corporate leadership. We’ve also covered difficult topics like biases, intersectionality, discrimination, and privilege. Through prioritizing these meetings, we’ve discussed everything from #GirlBoss to “fireperson,” learning along the way about inclusivity and empowerment. These topics have also led to conversations about ways we can implement better industry practices for emailing candidates, addressing clients over the phone, and writing job descriptions to advertise online. 

During a recent meeting, the entire BSS WOW group became LinkedIn certified in helping Women Succeed in the Workplace by taking this course as a team. The course was aimed toward helping women (and their male or non-binary allies) advocate for success within their careers. By learning about better practices surrounding self-confidence, executive presence, and pay equity, Blue Signal is continuing our education on how best to support our candidates on their career paths, and our clients in fostering success throughout their teams. 

Blue Signal Women of the Workplace LinkedIn Learning Course Certification Graphic

Summary

Blue Signal Women of the Workplace seeks to create an assembly that unites our workplace to further the goals of each other as individuals, and propel Blue Signal to be the best recruiting firm on the planet. We believe that connected, empowered women, and those who support them, are unstoppable. BSS WOW has served as a platform to give Blue Signal colleagues the tools and resources needed to support their growth and to build long-term relationships while reaching new heights within professional development. BSS WOW has helped us improve the way in which we support our clients, candidates, colleagues, and community. We are excited to continue in our mission to be a resource for supporting and advocating for women in any workplace.