December 15, 2021
A Look Back at 2021 DEI Initiatives at Johnson Lambert
As the DEI Committee at Johnson Lambert reflects on the progress of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at our firm this past year, the Committee is most proud of the steadfast commitment to change and increasingly nuanced conversations about both that which divides us and that which unites us. While many organizations, like ours, started or reinvested in their DEI commitments in the wake of the social unrest of 2020, we are seeing once-high-profile efforts fade out at some organizations.The opposite is happening at Johnson Lambert; like a groundswell, DEI support and energy continues to grow and deepen.
The firm has set aside significant time and resources to further the conversation on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Highlights of Johnson Lambert’s support for the firm in this continued evolution include:
Active Participation
Our DEI Committee restructured into four working groups that are aligned with our strategic priorities: communications, discussion series, education, and HR/recruiting. Our Committee volunteer base expanded near the beginning of the year to support these efforts, and then, with even more interest and passion for supporting projects and initiatives, we welcomed more team members into the working groups. As of December 2021, over 10% of our entire employee population are volunteers dedicating their time and energy to DEI programs at Johnson Lambert.
Courageous Conversations
Throughout the year, the Committee hosted ten open dialogue sessions, each focused on a topic pertaining to current events and causes. These included Black History Month, gender equality, mental health, Juneteenth, bringing your authentic self to work, Women’s Equality Day, Hispanic Heritage Month, bullying and cyberbullying, and Veteran’s Day.
Expanded Awareness
In addition to including DEI topics into our training plans, the firm has created multiple outlets for continued learning. To help foster better dialogues on traditions, celebrations, and commemorations, we shared a firmwide calendar of inclusive religious, cultural, and civic holidays with employees. The firm also launched a monthly DEI newsletter to serve as both an educational resource and an avenue to showcase employees’ stories or personal accounts in the spirit of building deeper relationships, encouraging empathy, and supporting an environment where individuals can show up authentically.
There are many more DEI initiatives our team championed this past year, and a good deal more ideas and projects in the works for 2022, all made possible by both the buy-in from our partners and the incredible passion and dedication of our DEI Committee and Working Group volunteers.
