In time for Labor Day, we have compiled five resources for employers to create a more equitable workforce. Resources offer actionable tips on topics ranging from systemic racism and ageism to promoting mental health awareness. Both employers and community members are encouraged to read these blogs and take steps today to promote equity and inclusion in and out of the workplace.
1. San Diego’s Veterans Answered the Call to Serve; Our Systems Must Do the Same
Authors Melanie Hitchcock, Navy Veteran and manager of programs, and Sam Friedman, Army Veteran and salesforce manager, examine the state of employment for veterans in San Diego County and share their own experiences on how they translated their military skills to the civilian world to reenter the workforce. Their recommendations outline ways San Diego businesses can close the growing gap between veteran and civilian employment.
2. Supporting women and mothers in the workplace
Author Shaina Gross, vice president of client services at the San Diego Workforce Partnership, provides actionable information on promoting gender equity in the workplace, including addressing wage disparities between men and women and making childcare more accessible.
3. The quiet struggle: Leaving a job I love to care for my family and mental health
Author Brook Valle, former chief strategy and innovation officer, shares her own experiences with balancing work and mental health while offering employers the tools they need to support their employees’ mental health.
4. Discarding ageism to harness the experience of older workers
Daniel Enemark surveys the state of San Diego’s aging workforce and the challenges older workers often face when seeking work. His recommendations for businesses offer ways employers can implement more equitable hiring practices that support age diversity in the workplace.
5. The nexus of systemic racism, criminal justice and economic opportunity
Andrew Picard, former chief programs officer, demonstrates how systemic racism is intertwined in the very structure of the American criminal justice system. With Black Americans disproportionately stopped by police and prosecuted for minor drug offenses, versus white Americans, justice-involved Black Americans face systemic obstacles in finding quality employment. Picard offers actionable tips on how employers can support and serve their justice-involved workers.
Labor Day, celebrated annually on the first Monday in September, honors the contributions of workers throughout the country and of the labor movement’s history of advocating for fairer wages and working conditions.
The San Diego Workforce Partnership funds and delivers programs that enable all job seekers to develop the skills and knowledge necessary for in-demand, quality employment throughout the region. In light of Labor Day, the San Diego Workforce Partnership advocates for meaningful employment opportunities that pay sustainable wages and further efforts to increase rates of diversity and inclusion throughout our local workforce.
The San Diego Workforce Partnership’s ongoing equity blog series highlights issues surrounding racial justice, representation, inclusion and other social justice issues affecting workers throughout San Diego. Read more here.