Diversity, equity, and inclusion at GreenerU: we are still in

by Rob Durning, CEO

This year, the federal government has mandated a number of our client institutions to remove all programs, teaching, and language about diversity, equity, and inclusion from their activities and promotional materials. Overnight, DEI language vanished from websites. It’s like the concept never existed.

Much like the We Are Still In movement in 2017, when American businesses and institutions pledged continued support for the Paris Agreement, GreenerU is still in—especially when it comes to kindness, fairness, and psychological safety.

Because to us, DEI isn’t just about doing the right thing. It’s smart business. A company without inclusion risks stagnation. A company without equity risks missing genius. And a company without diversity risks irrelevance.

DEI principles just make sense.

As a small business, we don’t have the luxury (or burden) of running sprawling bureaucratic programs. Instead, we rely on authentic relationships, transparency, and shared values to guide our DEI efforts. Our approach is rooted in collaboration, continuous reflection, and a genuine commitment to creating an environment where every employee feels respected, valued, and heard.

DEI as part of GreenerU’s goals and strategies

In 2018, GreenerU developed our first employee-driven, ground-up company strategic plan. Out of that process came our initial diversity goal: “Be deliberate in GreenerU’s growth as a company that practices sustainability, inclusion and diversity, and community service.” We sought to achieve this by creating an intentional hiring process and onboarding protocol that includes diversity and inclusion goals and prioritizes GreenerU values.

GreenerU formed a working group in 2019 to develop a process for recruiting, hiring, and onboarding to review candidates through three lenses: expertise, culture, and diversity. We developed a hiring process that ensured each step maximized our opportunities to welcome diverse perspectives, and we baked those procedures into our standard hiring process. Because while we are a small company with infrequent hiring opportunities, we recognize the importance of ensuring that we deploy best practices at any point in time.

In 2024, GreenerU underwent a stakeholder-engaged process to develop and adopt language to include in our employee handbook, providing definitions and policies around diversity, equity, and inclusion:

Diversity. GreenerU intentionally and respectfully builds a workplace composed of people with many different backgrounds, cultures, identities, and perspectives who collaborate as a team. At GreenerU, the equitable and representative presence of people of different backgrounds across race, gender, gender identity or expression, socio-economic status, physical appearance, religious practice, sexuality, age, culture, ethnicity, political party affiliation, and other characteristics strengthens the company as a whole.

Equity. GreenerU ensures each employee has the opportunity to succeed, is treated impartially, and is recognized fairly for their work and effort.

Inclusion. GreenerU welcomes differences and creates an environment where all people feel supported, safe, empowered to speak freely, heard, and valued so that they may thrive and do their best work. GreenerU’s workplace is characterized by open-mindedness, mutual respect, open communication, willingness to learn, and curiosity.

Measuring success

GreenerU tracks its internal progress through an annual employee engagement survey to our staff. Based on 2024 results with full staff participation, we are proving to be the kind of workplace where the effort we put into expressing our culture and values—as defined above—is tangible, both through the quality of our work and through the satisfaction of our employees. In our latest survey, the following statements resulted in agreement (100% agree or strongly agree):

• I feel respected at work.
• This last year, I have had opportunities to work and grow.
• My coworkers are committed to doing quality work.
• We have a productive work environment.
• At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.
• GreenerU’s management team is accessible.

We have also made efforts to measure our DEI practices more specifically. In 2023, we issued a survey to all staff asking a series of questions about diversity, equity, and inclusion in the GreenerU workplace, with findings shared with all staff. Sample findings included:

• In the diversity category, 73% of respondents indicated that they felt comfortable discussing their social and cultural background with their teammates.
• In the equity category, 90% of respondents said they were treated fairly at GreenerU, and 100% of respondents indicated that GreenerU’s career advancement policies are fair for all, regardless of their background.
• In the inclusion category, 72% of respondents said they felt comfortable sharing their concerns with their managers or supervisors and 100% said GreenerU’s management team makes efforts to promote inclusivity. On the flip side, 91% of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed that they have faced discrimination at GreenerU.

Is this enough? Are we doing everything right? Absolutely not.

Interpersonal relationships are complicated. Team dynamics change and evolve. But we take feedback from these surveys, and from ongoing conversations and dialogue, very seriously. Creating a culture of psychological safety through transparency, clarity, and open dialogue is essential to establishing a more just workplace environment.

No federal mandate can eliminate the reality that diversity, equity, and inclusion are all essential ingredients of an outstanding business. Without diverse perspectives, we risk alienating potential customers. Without equity, we may fail to realize fantastic contributions from employees who invent new ways of working. Without inclusion, we jeopardize our chance at bringing out brilliant ideas.

Ongoing dialogue

As with all relationships, creating a great workplace culture is a process. 

We at GreenerU recognize that diversity, equity, and inclusion is not an end state, but rather an opportunity to reflect, grow, and connect as our company continues along its journey. As a relatively small team, we have worked hard to form and maintain a culture of collegiality and collaboration, and the quality and successes of our many diverse, talented employees is a reflection of this commitment. DEI is a process, one that is continually evolving, and for which regular and open dialogue amongst all staff is a part—not simply a public statement or a quota to fill.

As we include in our job descriptions, “GreenerU is a workplace environment committed to diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice. We are an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer and encourage candidates of diverse backgrounds to apply.” We mean that.

Again, it is our belief that creating a space of psychological safety, mutual respect, trust, and open dialogue is key to the ongoing process of creating an ever more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. We want our employees to feel comfortable and celebrated at GreenerU, and we want our clients to feel the benefits of that from all of us.

At the end of the day, we look around and see potential—in one another, in our work, and in the world we’re helping to build. That’s what DEI means to us. That’s why we’re still in.

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