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2021 Update on Elevate’s Equitability and Inclusion Program

March 04, 2021

Life at Elevate equitability and inclusion inclusion in the workplace inclusion strategies

When we launched Elevate’s Equitability and Inclusion program in 2017, we started a journey toward progress. As the world events of 2020 made clear, the goal of achieving true E&I is more important than ever. For Elevate, 2021 will be a year to build on our prior achievements and continue to move forward.

As we move forward, it is also instructive to look back. Our recently-released Equitability and Inclusion Report 2020 shows our progress thus far and outlines the work ahead.

Our E&I successes in 2020 included:

  • Continuing to create internship opportunities for diverse undergraduate and law school students.
  • Enhancing sexual harassment training for our India-based workforce.
  • Initiating a mentorship program in India for women.
  • Updating our internal training to combat unconscious bias and improve cross-cultural awareness, focusing on unconscious bias in recruitment, hiring, and promotions.
  • Establishing a framework to support a health and wellness initiative at Elevate.

For 2021, we have re-dedicated ourselves to a conscious, relentless, and daily pursuit of our E&I goals. Specific steps we are taking this year include:

  • Launching our RISE (Recognize, Include, Support, Educate) initiative on mental health issues, with quarterly wellness initiatives and expert presentations.
  • Implementing a pilot project on emotional intelligence with our colleagues in the Philippines, focusing on training to enhance interpersonal skills and self-awareness.
  • Increasing our efforts to recruit diverse candidates for our internship program and Elevate positions.
  • Empowering women in the Elevate workplace by expanding our mentorship program and increasing our efforts to attract and hire women.
  • Launching a leadership development program with diverse representation  (58% women, 47% Asian, 5% Black/African-American, 5% LGBTQ+).

We appreciate that E&I isn’t something that exists independent of the rest of Elevate’s strategy and culture. E&I strategy and execution is an integral component of our corporate culture, and the values of E&I are part of the fabric of Elevate.

We are committed to achieving enduring and meaningful progress here at Elevate by practicing the following principles:

  • Authentic buy-in at all levels from C-suite to frontline employees, with everyone recognizing that E&I makes powerful business sense.
  • A long-term, holistic strategy that plots a path to achieving explicit goals.
  • KPIs and metrics for what matters, not just what is easy to measure.
  • Meaningful analysis and interpretation of all E&I data to determine whether progress is happening.
  • A feedback loop to create and reinforce a virtuous cycle.

We remain focused on this journey and what it entails. We are up to the challenge and will remain steadfast in our efforts in 2021 and beyond.

Throughout Elevate, we remain focused on our Equitability and Inclusion journey and what it entails. We are up to the challenge and will remain steadfast in our efforts in 2021 and beyond.

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