Talent Rewire creates growth opportunities for entry-level frontline employees— employees within essential industries who must physically show up to their jobs—by increasing employer investment in equity, inclusion, opportunity and mobility. They improve the livelihoods of people facing systemic barriers to employment while generating a return on investment to their companies. Here they tell us about the unique principles that drive their service and their goal to ultimately create a better workforce.
Can you talk about some of the challenges our community faces and how you’re working to overcome them?
Talent Rewire is working to increase the economic mobility of frontline employees. Frontline employees, especially women and people of color, face significant systemic barriers to both job placement and advancement. These obstacles have been exacerbated by COVID-19, existing racial inequities, a growing income gap and a tightening labor market due to globalization.
Talent Rewire seeks to meet these challenges through innovative research, tools and programs aimed to help employers become active agents of systems change. We believe that working with companies to build capacity to pilot more equitable talent recruitment and employment practices is integral to bettering outcomes for frontline employees. Additionally, more than just exploring the “how,” our programs help employers shift their mindsets and understand the “why” behind adopting and scaling job quality practices within their companies.
Can you tell me more about the programs, services and/or events you offer?
We offer multiple programs with different areas of focus for companies interested in increasing their equitable employment practices and connections to their frontline workforce.
Each program incorporates a foundational curriculum centered on racial and intersectional equity, teaching employers how to identify, understand and address the inequities within their talent systems while collaborating with a cohort of other businesses striving to do the same.
Companies are given the opportunity to address issues unique to them. Some focus more on breaking down cultural practices while some choose to find new models of talent practices to fit their business needs.
Employers looking for ongoing support as they implement pilot programs can also seek continued partnership by participating in recurring facilitated conversations with us as well as tapping into our network of program alumni.
Some of our 2022-2023 program offerings include:
Rewire Retreat: A two-day, in-person event for our community to connect, celebrate with and learn from other employers about advancing mobility for frontline employees.
Equity Based Systems Change: An experience with curriculum focused on learning systemic barriers facing frontline employees in the workplace.
Reconnect: A monthly conversation that serves as a touchpoint for employers to get feedback from peers on implementation of job quality practices.
Any employer who wants to learn more about our programs or inquire to learn what may be best suited for their specific needs can reach out to us at info@talentrewire.org or check out our website.
Any partnership highlights you’d like to share?
Talent Rewire is excited to partner with the San Diego Workforce Partnership to host Activate Employee Voice to Become an Employer of Choice, a free two-day, in-person workshop October 25-26, 2022 in San Diego. This is a great opportunity for businesses with a significant base in Southern California to learn how they can engage with and elevate employee voices.
Why is workforce development important to your organization’s mission?
Nearly 50 million Americans are frontline employees, making workforce development a crucial piece of the conversation about profound inequities that exist in our nation. Despite increased focus on upskilling and reskilling in response to automation and AI, frontline jobs are often a starting and ending point for employees, with only 4% promoted from the frontline to entry-level corporate jobs. They tend to cycle through a series of lateral moves without getting the skills needed to advance. While COVID-19 redefined those on the frontline as “essential workers,” it also highlighted critical gaps around benefits, wages, career pathways, employee voice/power and dignity.
Talent Rewire, as an initiative of FSG, a global nonprofit consulting firm, envisions a future where every individual in the U.S. can realize their full potential through a humanity- and economy-boosting job that provides equitable economic opportunity, stability and mobility. Simply put, we have a vision of the world where frontline employees not only have the wages and benefits they deserve, but also the power to make their voices heard.