Ultimate Software : A Culture of Real Inclusion

[Attachment]Diversity and inclusion (D&I) has hit the mainstream and moved beyond the realm of HR of late, in part due to many highly publicized cases highlighting the persistence of inequities in the workplace. In fact, D&I is increasingly becoming a component of companies' employee-recruitment and customer-branding strategies. Businesses promote their D&I statistics to candidates in online recruiting solutions, noting the percentages of employed women, African-Americans, Hispanics, LGBTQ individuals, people with disabilities, and other underrepresented employee groups, while those organizations that do not must answer to candidates who want to know how diverse their potential workplaces are. Progress has been made.

The problem is that these statistics focus on diversity, which is fairly easy to tally up. Inclusion, on the other hand, is harder to measure and prove, yet is just as important a component of D&I. One without the other is only half-baked.

A workforce of diverse individuals can show that a company is committed to creating a well-balanced team or has an openness to people's differences. Inclusion-the feeling of belonging that comes about when employees are treated equitably and are free to bring their authentic selves to work-indicates the company welcomes their ideas, perspectives, and opinions.

Tremendous business opportunities are available to companies that value the contributions of all employees, whether they're gay or straight, black or white, American or foreign by birth. The more extensive the diversity of people in an organization, the greater the possibility of generating unique ideas and innovating.

While diversity is valuable to the business, due to government regulations and the social conscience of business leaders, many workforces have become diversified. Energy now must be put into creating cultures of inclusion.

These thoughts were top of mind during a recent lunch discussion I enjoyed with a colleague I deeply admire, Viv Maza, Ultimate's chief people officer. Viv has been the heart of the company since its inception in 1990, when the workforce consisted of four people in two cubicles and not the 4,300+ employees we have today. While inclusion is a buzzword today, Viv has always been using the word-long before she was part of Ultimate's founding team.

Viv agreed with me that diversity and inclusion are two different things, yet many companies tend to lump them together, believing a diverse workforce is an inclusive one.

'Inclusivity is one of our core principles at Ultimate,' said Viv. 'Since day one, my job has been to take care of all our people, regardless of their race, religion, or sexual orientation. This is deeply embedded in my DNA and defines who I am.'

As the mother of two gay children, Viv has a personal connection to the need for all individuals, LGBTQ employees in particular, to be fully themselves at work as they are in life. 'When someone comes out as gay, telling their parents or their employer, they're so nervous,' she said. 'I recall this one employee who came out to me. I told him that being openly gay didn't change the dynamic of the special person he was. I wanted him to be as comfortable with himself as I was with him.'

Viv pointed out that the company has many other talented and gifted employees who are gay, but not all of them are out. 'The decision to come out, of course, is up to them, but I can promise them that this is a safe place of belonging for all our amazing people,' she said. 'We value each and every person's contributions, regardless of their differences. In fact, we cherish their differences.'

Viv's feelings about inclusion extend to other aspects of personal self-identification. She recalled a job interview with a young woman last year that mentioned her previous employer had fired her because she had purple-colored hair. 'I told her purple hair looks amazing and if that is how she defines herself, bring it on,' said Viv. 'Twenty years ago, we might have questioned her choice. But this is a new age in which things that weren't acceptable at work are now seen as liberating. Work cultures used to be so conformist. Today, they're dynamic, and that's a good thing.'

Viv's point resonated with me. I've come to see corporate culture not as a fixed set of standards, but as a living, breathing, and evolving entity. When a new person joins a team, the culture of the group changes and expands, enriched by the new person's experiences and perspectives. If the individual feels he or she has to conform to the dynamics of the team, the group suffers the loss of the person's unique viewpoint. The new employee might feel uncomfortable expressing a novel thought or a different opinion without fear of embarrassment or, worse, humiliation and eventual exclusion. Yet, all it takes is one extraordinary idea to upend the status quo and move the business forward.

We've always prioritized and valued our remarkable culture at Ultimate. We all know that an optimal culture reflects an organization's strengths and reinforces its brand, reputation, and ability to attract the best people and deliver industry-leading solutions and support. But what exactly is an 'optimal' culture?

One way to find out is by assessing the reality of an organization's culture today, as well as where the organization's culture might go in the future depending on key decisions and strategies. I refer to this as 'Culture Casting,' and it has three components, the first of which is to take an honest appraisal of the current culture-casting a bright spotlight on it.

The second component is to identify the culture's 'cast of characters'-the different people within the organization-to understand what drives them and what impact they have on the culture. Are they detractors or promoters? And the third component is to project and communicate a vision of the ideal culture the organization wants to have in future. It is particularly important to include employees in the vision of the future to ensure the discussion is authentic and realistic, and addresses perception gaps between leaders and employees.

What does this have to do with inclusion? Certainly, by knowing each person, their perspectives, and their perceptions in a scalable fashion, the organization can ensure their contributions are accorded equitable weight and value, with respect to what is most important to the organization itself. Without this understanding, inequities and biases come into play and can erode inclusivity in a culture.

As we finished our lunch, Viv commented about a future in which every employee feels their unique selves are making a difference in their shared journey to designing innovative solutions and providing meaningful service. 'Labels are meaningless,' said Viv. 'What's crucial is to create an environment where people feel safe and supported to be who they are.'

We are beyond fortunate to have her as our Chief People Officer!