Minnesota Businesses Find Profits in Inclusiveness

A debate rages in Congress over the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, a bill to outlaw discrimination in the workplace for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees. While politicians and interests groups hash out whether to outlaw discrimination, the private sector has moved far beyond anti-discrimination and focused on complete inclusiveness for LGBT employees. And it’s not an altruistic enterprise; Fortune 500 businesses have found profits in inclusiveness.

A panel of executives from some of Minnesota’s largest businesses met Wednesday evening at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management to share their ideas and relate the successes of creating an inclusive workplace for LGBT people. Sponsored by Ernst & Young, and moderated by John Wilgers from Ernst & Young’s Minneapolis office, the panel discussion and networking event included Minnesota corporations who scored high on Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index.

Kelly Baker, vice president of corporate diversity at General Mills, said that when people feel included in the workplace, they show up ready to work hard. “It’s important that everybody has fair and equal treatment in the workplace. You can’t have the full contribution of people if they don’t feel treated fairly.”

Cecilia Stanton, vice president of diversity at Allianz Life agreed. “How great would it be for employees to wake up and say ‘I’m working to my peak potential today,’ for employees to always bring their best to work. If I feel I have to hide a part of who I am, then I’m not going to be the best that I can every day,” said Stanton. “As long as we can create that environment [of inclusiveness], we are going to see it in the bottom line.”

Steve Euller, general counsel at Cargill, said that one of the techniques Cargill uses to build an inclusive workplace is a mentoring program. Mid-level employees of diverse backgrounds serve as mentors to senior level staff members. Euller says that building inclusiveness into the corporate culture needs to start at the top.

Euller says that often he hears from skeptics on the issue of diversity who say they treat everyone the same, and that differences don’t matter. Euller said that it is specifically those differences that matter. “[LGBT] lives are different. They experience differences. Those experiences give us richer perspectives, richer innovations. The differences between people are real, and it is a good thing.”

But he stressed that it’s not about forcing beliefs on anyone. “We are not asking employees to change their beliefs, just to respect and take an interest in their fellow employees differences.”

In targeting new markets, corporations need to reflect the community that they market to, the panelists said. Simply having diversity trainings and diversity programs is not enough. Finding strategic approaches and innovative marketing has to come from members of the target population.

And that innovative thinking leads to higher profits. Baker said, “We can only achieve innovation if we have innovation around the table. If we don’t find a way to leverage the diversity around our table, our competition will.” Euller agreed, pointing out that one of Cargill’s best lawyers joined the Cargill team because of that company’s domestic partner benefits, its LGBT employee network and its reputation for inclusiveness. “It’s a success story and has given us a competitive advantage.”

One audience member commented that corporations of today appear to be more proactive about inclusiveness, much different from the way many businesses operated during the height of civil rights era changes several decades ago, when indifference or even negative attitudes about diversity and social justice were not uncommon. Euller suggested that in the last century, American corporations had a comfortable edge over the rest of the world economy. Globalization has changed that. “Diversity is not a ‘nice to have’ program,” said Euller.