Episode 388: Finding the Purpose in Your Organization’s DEI Efforts With Benjamin McCall

I feel like the economy, like all the focus on reductions and layoffs and different shifts that are happening has put DEI on the back burner. And I want to make sure that we continue having conversations because your employees are thinking about it. They are noticing if you’ve done a restructure, what people are no longer there. Twitter has had a class action lawsuit related to their layoffs because the majority of those who were laid off were women. Meta, there’s a woman that I follow on TikTok that was laid off, and she is, I think, in process of a lawsuit with the group saying that minorities were impacted in larger percentages. So employees are watching. Episode 388: Finding the Purpose in Your Organization’s DEI Efforts With Benjamin McCall (@BenjaminMcCall)   Welcome to the Workology Podcast, a podcast for the disruptive workplace leader. Join host Jessica Miller-Merrell, founder of Workology.com as she sits down and gets to the bottom of trends, tools, and case studies for the business leader, HR, and recruiting professional who is tired of the status quo. Now here’s Jessica with this episode of Workology. Jessica Miller-Merrell: [00:01:13.32] Diversity, equity and inclusion are not new ideas in HR in corporate arenas, but in recent months and, well, years, the importance and significance of DEI in the workplace has gotten leaders throughout corporate America to think about what the right thing, doing the right thing in our community looks like. And frankly, we’re still falling short. It’s important to amplify inclusivity and hold corporate leaders accountable for that or their lack of inclusivity. There are so many ways to do this. And today’s podcast guest has set the bar pretty high. This podcast is powered by Ace The HR Exam and Upskill HR. These are two of the courses that we, Workology, offer for certification prep and recertification for HR leaders. Now, before I introduce today’s guests, I want to hear from you. Please text the word “PODCAST” to 512-548-3005. Ask questions, leave comments, and make suggestions for future guests. This is my community text number and I want to hear from you. So today I’m so excited to be joined by Benjamin McCall. He is an Organizational Development and HR Strategy Consultant with his company, Focus Consulting. Ben has over 15 years of practical experience as a Human Resources Business Partner, Organizational Development Partner within HR, learning, business strategy, and project management. As a consultant, Ben partners with all levels of leadership, from the C-suite to the ground floor, to define and implement initiatives and programs that increase business productivity. He focuses on four primary areas: People Development, Strategic Planning and Execution, DEI, that’s number three, and Team Collaboration. Ben, welcome to the Workology Podcast. Benjamin McCall: [00:03:03.81] Hey Jessica, thanks for having me. Appreciate being here. Jessica Miller-Merrell: [00:03:07.41] Ben and I have known each other for, I think like 14 or 15 years. Benjamin McCall: [00:03:12.00] At least. Jessica Miller-Merrell: [00:03:13.05] A long stinking time. So I’m so excited to have you on the podcast. Let’s talk a bit about your career path and what led you to working in HR. Benjamin McCall: [00:03:24.09] Yeah, so when I started in the work world, I started out in sales, mainly manufacturing business to business, commercial. So everything I did was of the eyes aspect of that sales mentality, even though I have never necessarily been a salesperson,...