Although many companies have dedicated resources to supporting company diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, oftentimes these programs are only surface-level. As former VP for Zillow turned CEO of OwnTrail, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/rebekahbastian/2019/02/11/how-to-foster-workplace-belonging-through-successful-employee-resource-groups/?sh=190c042edc73">Rebekah Bastian explains</a> for Forbes, &ldquo;Efforts sometimes end up looking more like diversity hiring programs, without enough emphasis on equity and belonging once employees are in the door.&rdquo;&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are a company-endorsed opportunity for employees from marginalized groups to connect, bond, and find common ground at work. Companies with vibrant ERGs are more likely to retain employees and provide opportunities to incubate leadership development. ERGs are also a great sign that a company has an inclusive culture and cares about their employees.
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At Getting Hired, we&rsquo;re proud to partner with companies with robust and active ERGs, especially those who support the LGBTQ+ community. This Pride Month, we celebrate these four companies&rsquo; LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Groups:&nbsp; 
<ul>
<li>Merck. This biopharmaceutical company delivers innovative health solutions and emphasizes its responsibility to care for its people. Executive Director of Clinical Research Thomas Johansson mentions, &ldquo;you don&rsquo;t need to cover up to be successful at Merck.&rdquo; Through collaboration between the company&rsquo;s HR department and the LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group Rainbow Alliance, Merck also became <a href="https://www.merck.com/stories/4-lgbtq-employees-share-stories-of-finding-freedom-to-be-themselves-at-work/">one of the first companies in Japan</a> to provide full benefits to same-sex partners.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>Comcast. Telecommunications giant Comcast boasts 35,000 employees participating in 195+ Employee Resource Group chapters, including OUT@Comcast. OUT provides leadership, networking, development, and volunteer opportunities to its LGBTQ and straight-ally members. OUT contributes to an LGBTQ-awareness and inclusive culture and supports Comcast's goal of attracting, developing, retaining, and engaging diverse talent.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>CVSHealth. CVS, commonly understood as one of the largest employers in the United States, <a href="https://www.cvshealth.com/news-and-insights/articles/making-connections-through-colleague-resource-groups">acknowledges the importance of offering programs that help employees professionally grow</a>, while also providing the opportunity to connect through a particular affinity, culture, or perspective. Pride+ builds and facilitates a culture of inclusion for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender colleagues, and their allies.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>Allegis Global Solutions. Allegis <a href="https://www.allegisglobalsolutions.com/en/about-us/working-at-ags" rel="follow">proudly endorses Employee Resource Groups and their core values and is</a> and are committed to equal opportunities for their employees. Spectrum, An LGBTQ+ Alliance, takes a virtual road trip to pivotal locations in LGBTQ+ history across North America and shares the experience on the company&rsquo;s social media.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
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Explore CareerCircle's <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/jobs" rel="follow">full database of job opportunities with inclusive employers</a>, including Merck, Comcast, CVSHealth, and Allegis Global Solutions.&nbsp;
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Discover insightful articles on building inclusive work environments and fostering diverse talent communities.

4 Companies Dedicated to LGBTQ+ Employee Retention

It's the perfect time for employers to assess their company&rsquo;s commitment to disability inclusion &ndash; even beyond National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). Branding your company as a disability-inclusive employer is a primary way to improve your company culture, increase retention, and foster opportunities for leadership.&nbsp; 
Here are six ways to brand yourself as a disability-inclusive employer:
<ul>
<li>Perform a disability-inclusivity audit of your company marketing. Do you know if your website and social media platforms are accessible to disability communities? Do your marketing materials, including stock photos, include authentic disability representation? If you aren&rsquo;t considering how to make your marketing efforts disability inclusive, you&rsquo;re missing out on the potential for significant business growth. Use authentic images of people with disabilities in your print, video, and web materials.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>Assess the accessibility of your job applications. Inaccessible job applications significantly hinder your reputation as a disability-inclusive employer. If your job applications aren&rsquo;t accessible to job seekers with disabilities, you&rsquo;re likely missing out on qualified candidates before they even reach you. When developing an accessible application process, focus on the following:
<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>Include an accommodation statement on recruitment material that states accommodations can be provided upon request, along with contact info on how to obtain accommodations.</li>
<li>Avoid listing job requirements that aren&rsquo;t essential to the position. Desirable qualifications, such as requiring the &ldquo;ability to bend, lift, push at least 50 lbs,&rdquo; or &ldquo;type 50 wpm&rdquo; can discourage otherwise qualified candidates from applying.</li>
<li>Be wary of artificial intelligence-based job screener software, such as facial recognition apps, conversational agents, and applicant tracking systems. These can be discriminatory towards applicants with disabilities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>Invest in training and development. It&rsquo;s important to ensure all employees understand the importance of fostering an inclusive workplace. Even if HR and executive leadership are supportive of disability inclusion, your efforts will only be effective if you have buy-in at all levels. Consider mandatory training on various topics related to inclusion, including disability etiquette, reasonable accommodations, and unconscious bias. Furthermore, your current employees who have disclosed they have disabilities deserve investment in their professional development. Think through what opportunities these employees have for advancement into positions of leadership.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>Prioritize accommodations for existing employees &ndash; Just as it&rsquo;s important to make sure your company&rsquo;s external marketing efforts and job applications are accessible, employers who want to be deemed disability-inclusive should also have a seamless internal reasonable accommodation process. This means determining how and when accommodation requests will be reviewed and implemented and providing a method for resolving disputes.
<ul>
<li>Keep in mind that accommodations should always be determined in communication with the employee requesting them rather than making decisions without discussion. Employees will already know what will be most beneficial to help them perform their jobs well.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>Partner with disability-focused organizations &ndash; One of the commonly reported barriers to disability-inclusive hiring is finding qualified job candidates. Often engaging directly with people with disabilities can help provide understanding about potential job opportunities they&rsquo;d not previously considered. Making this effort to engage with disability-serving organizations is a great way to demonstrate your commitment to including people with disabilities in your workplace.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
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We&rsquo;d love to support you as you build your inclusive brand! For more information, please contact us at gettinghired@careercircle.com.&nbsp;

How to Brand Yourself as A Disability-Inclusive Employer During NDEAM and Beyond | Getting Hired

How to Brand Yourself as A Disability-Inclusive Employer During NDEAM and Beyond

From early career talent up to the CEO, and all 11,000 employees in between, Lincoln Financial fosters a workplace environment and culture where women can succeed. Today, women comprise 64% of Lincoln&rsquo;s workforce, hold 52% of all management positions and represent 42% of the company&rsquo;s officer-level population (which includes Assistant Vice Presidents and above).
To help build this inclusive workplace, Lincoln prioritizes pay equity, executive development opportunities for women, and women-specific resource groups for employees and the financial professionals in its network. 
<h3>Leadership with a Laser-Focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion </h3>
&nbsp;In 2022, Ellen Cooper became Lincoln&rsquo;s first woman president and CEO after 10 years as a Lincoln executive. Ellen and her leadership team set the tone for the organization&rsquo;s inclusive culture &ndash; in fact, diversity, equity, and inclusion is one of the company&rsquo;s leadership expectations &ndash; core traits Lincoln uses to hire and develop talent. Recently, Ellen was named one of <a href="http://womeninc.com/reach-back-move-forward1/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">WomenInc.&rsquo;s</a> &lsquo;Most Influential&rsquo; Executives of 2022 &ndash; in an article, Ellen wrote for the publication, she discusses the meaningful impact of mentorship and sponsorship, particularly for women and people of color.
<h4><a href="https://www.gettinghired.com/company/118247/lincoln-financial-group" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/PVXmjXJ6RTu4V6vgfynD" width="299" height="418"></a> </h4>
<h3> Women-Specific Resource Groups</h3>
 To support its diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy, Lincoln enlists the help of its seven different employee-led Business Resource Groups (BRGs). BRGs identify opportunities to enhance workplace engagement and community outreach along diverse demographics. Lincoln&rsquo;s Women&rsquo;s BRG is one of its largest, with around 900 members. The Women&rsquo;s BRG impacts Lincoln and its surrounding communities through initiatives including financial literacy series, professional networking and leadership development events, and partnership with local philanthropic organizations.
 To better support the unique needs of the company&rsquo;s women financial advisors and clients, The WISE Group (Women Inspiring, Supporting, and Educating) was established 10 years ago at Lincoln. Based on the successes and learnings from the WISE group, in recent years Lincoln launched its Women in Sales Network (WISN) to create a community for women in the company&rsquo;s Distribution organization. Additionally, Lincoln&rsquo;s Women in Investing Network (WIN), provides a forum for networking and professional development for women involved in all aspects of financial services. 
One of Lincoln&rsquo;s primary areas of focus is growing the number of officer-level women through deliberate and focused career development programs such as the Women&rsquo;s Leadership Summit. These programs showcase the accomplishments and contributions of Lincoln&rsquo;s women leadership, both internally and within the industry, and provide opportunities to learn more about new business opportunities within the company. Officers are empowered to seek their highest level of personal and professional potential to make an even larger impact within the organization, marketplaces, and communities Lincoln serves. 
<h3>Awards Celebrating the Commitment to Gender Equality</h3>
 Lincoln has been recognized for the outstanding contributions of every Lincoln employee in building an inclusive culture. In 2022, Lincoln was named to the <a href="https://newsroom.lfg.com/lincoln-financial-group-named-to-forbes-list-best-employers-for-women.htm#%3A%7E%3Atext%3DRADNOR%2C%20Pa.%2C%20July%2027%2Cportal%20and%20industry%20ranking%20provider" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Forbes List of Best Employers for Women,</a> in addition to other awards like the <a href="https://newsroom.lfg.com/lincoln-financial-group-included-in-2023-bloomberg-gender-equality-index.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index,</a> the <a href="https://newsroom.lfg.com/lincoln-financial-group-earns-top-score-in-human-rights-campaign-foundations-2022-corporate-equality-index.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Corporate Equality Index,</a> and a perfect score on the <a href="https://newsroom.lfg.com/lincoln-financial-group-earns-seventh-consecutive-100-score-on-disability-equality-index.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Disability Equality Index.</a>
 Lincoln looks forward to continuing the advancement of women in the financial services industry. 
 Click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.careercircle.com/companies/lincoln-national-corp-29edbce8-184b-4aa4-a743-71f5578340a0" rel="follow">here </a>to learn more about Lincoln Financial Group and apply for available roles today!&nbsp; <a href="https://www.gettinghired.com/advancing-women" rel="noopener" target="_blank"></a>

Advancing Women at Every Career Level with Lincoln Financial Group | Getting Hired

Advancing Women at Every Career Level with Lincoln Financial Group

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Keep up to date with CareerCircle's latest blog posts on keeping an inclusive workforce.

4 Companies Dedicated to LGBTQ+ Employee Retention

How to Brand Yourself as A Disability-Inclusive Employer During NDEAM and Beyond

Advancing Women at Every Career Level with Lincoln Financial Group

4 Companies Dedicated to LGBTQ+ Employee Retention

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