Congrats to inaugural Rochester Top Workplaces diversity, equity and inclusion honorees

We are proud to announce in 2021 an exciting addition to the Rochester Top Workplaces awards program.

Diversity, equity and inclusion will increasingly become a competitive differentiator for recruitment and retention of employees, says Bob Helbig, director of media partnerships for Energage, which manages the annual Top Workplaces awards.

We here at the Democrat and Chronicle agree.

Since late summer 2019, we've put significant energy into building new and sustained relationships with members of under-served communities in Greater Rochester. Monroe County is a far more diverse place than it was 50 years ago, and delivering good and relevant journalism means acknowledging that diversity and serving all local readers effectively moving forward.

So this year Energage and the D&C decided to take a closer look in 2021 at what Rochester companies are doing to encourage policies that support diversity, equity and inclusion (often referred to as DEI, in the workplace.

This effort goes beyond employees’ opinions of whether they believe their workplaces support diversity, Helbig says. We looked at what companies are actually doing in practice.

Energage sent a questionnaire to all 60 of the 2021 Rochester Top Workplaces winners, examining areas such as recruiting and hiring; compensation and benefits; professional development; employee involvement; and visible commitment.

Each company that responded was given a score by Energage based on the responses.

And here are the first-ever Diversity, Equity and Inclusion award winners for Rochester Top Workplaces. Each of these organizations have extensive policies on hiring, promotions, retention, training and pay, as well as other noteworthy initiatives:

• Brighton Securities: Brighton Securities offers apprenticeship opportunities to under-represented and marginalized individuals in local communities.
• Gates Chili Central School District: Gates Chili has a Coordinator of Recruitment, Inclusion and Retention who is leading the efforts to review recruitment and hiring procedures and practices, assist with culturally-responsive professional development and highlight best practices for retaining employees of color.
• IDI Billing Solutions: Targets diverse student groups when recruiting for co-op and full-time positions for candidates at RIT.
• Partners + Napier:  Business goals set to DEI; commitment to action with clients and partners. DE+I built in to its creative process.
• The Bonadio Group: Committed to employing a similar number of female & male employees year over year. The firm's recruitment strategy is focused on initiatives that will attract candidates, such as exceptional benefits. Reports are run annually to ensure diversity of gender, firm-wide.

in 2022 and beyond, Energage and the D&C fully expect the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion honors in Top Workplaces to thrive and grow, given the relevance of such initiatives to future business success.

Congratulations to this year's five inaugural winners, and thank you for setting the pace for what workplace inclusion can deliver here in the 2020s.

Michael Kilian is executive editor of the Democrat and Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter: @kilian_roc