Inclusive ICR Releases DEI Regional Report

Posted July 20, 2022
inclusive icr launches DEI report

Jennifer Banta, our Vice President of Advocacy & Community Development, has been working as part of Inclusive ICR to release the 2022 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion regional report. Inclusive ICR is a local coalition with a mission to grow diversity and inclusion in workforce throughout the region. We are excited to announce the release of this report! The results can be viewed here.

 

 

diversity equity and inclusion in the iowa city area

 

Summary data within the report was curated from the individual submissions during the open DEI assessment available to all employers within the ICR region earlier this spring. Representatives from participating organizations submitted their own awareness of and involvement in diversity, equity and inclusion efforts through the examination of five key pillars. More than 178 responses were collected during the open assessment, with 93 unique reports generated for individual organizations.

“The regional report confirms our cumulative efforts in building awareness that diversity and inclusion is critical to our regional success. It’s critical as a region to review the identified opportunities to be better. I’m excited to see what impact the results of this report have on our collective ability to create a community of belonging at work.”
– Angelica Vannatta, co-chair for Inclusive ICR.

This assessment is made possible with leadership of Inclusive ICR along with project investors ICR Iowa, the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, Iowa City Area Business Partnership, and the Iowa City Area Development Group.

Featured Findings

Takeaways from each DEI pillar include opportunities for both employers and regional efforts on strategy moving forward. Trends from the summary include:

  • The role of DEI within a value statement or publicly identified as a priority area is high, with the primary objective of DEI efforts connected to recruitment of diverse candidates along with attraction and retention of talent.
  • A large percentage of respondents were unable to identify a specific accountability plan to track their organization’s DEI progress, including progress towards meeting D&I goals to influence performance evaluation or provide targeted development opportunities for diverse employees.
  • A number of respondents offer opportunities for employees to observe events of personal or religious significance but would like to build awareness and celebrate the diversity among employees as an organization through external support from employer resource or affinity groups.

 

Tools for Next Steps: Calendar and Resource Library

The Inclusive ICR Coalition developed two tools for area employers, in response to this report. The Inclusive ICR Resource Library is a free online resource featuring local, regional and national tools that specialize in one or more of the five pillars. The directory will continue to grow as new tools are brought to the attention of the resource committee. Secondly, the launch of the Inclusive ICR DEI Community Calendar will build awareness of new and existing DEI programs and events throughout the year. Event organizers are encouraged to submit their events for the rest of 2022 and 2023 on the Community Calendar tab.

 

Inclusive ICR advisory council along with DEI Index investors ICR Iowa, ICAD, IC Area Business Partnership, and the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance will be working through results of the regional assessment to identify topics for future coalition meetings. Individuals and employer representatives are encouraged to sign up for the monthly newsletter and request information on the Join Us tab.