CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Receive an update on the City’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives
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DEPARTMENT: City Manager’s Office
SUBMITTED BY: Geneace Williams, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
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BACKGROUND:
The City’s mission statement, “To provide services that ensure a high quality of life, sound fiscal management, and a dynamic business environment, while creating an inclusive community that values diversity,” combined with the City’s core values of People, Trust, Respect, and Pride, guide how we approach our work. Recognizing that DEI is about people and trust, our initial efforts focused on establishing relationships and understanding the community and the organization. The 2023 workplan is driven by community and organizational engagement and focuses on the following areas:
• Developing and increasing DEI awareness
• Investment in expanding DEI education
• Growing internal workforce recruitment, retention and engagement, including efforts to better reflect our community
• Engaging externally by partnering with individuals and community organizations for greater involvement in inclusion and belonging, and
• Beginning the process of evaluating City services
DISCUSSION:
City Council requested information on DEI efforts at a budget workshop. The attached document highlights DEI efforts completed in 2022, as well as the work planned for 2023. Staff will present at the City Council meeting to provide a progress report twice yearly (June and December).
Internal Organization Efforts:
As an organization, we support an environment where all employees feel that they belong and are respected and valued, no matter their age, gender, gender identity, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, religion, disability, income or background. Engaged employees perform better, remain in organizations longer, and experience less burnout. Moreover, inclusive organizational climates enable well-being, learning, and greater organizational performance. Every person within the organization has a role in advancing an environment of equity and inclusion for the workforce.
Administering and analyzing the Employee Inclusion Survey (which had a 51% staff response rate) proved to be an important input into our DEI efforts. The survey results indicate that supervisors encourage an environment of respect, employees of different backgrounds interact well within the organization, and reporting processes and procedures are known and understood. The survey also indicated there is opportunity in the area of building greater trust within the organization, an important fact for high-performing organizations.
Additionally, local governments across the country continue to work toward the goal of having a workforce that is broadly reflective of the communities they serve. Staff has begun analyzing the City’s employment data and processes to identify opportunities to increase recruitment and retention efforts. Other internal efforts include the Emerging Leaders project focused on employee engagement, Chief Arres and my work on an employee retention initiative with the assistance of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus/UIC, and the evaluation and enhancements to education through training and development.
External Efforts:
We strive to support our mission by becoming a more inclusive and welcoming community where youth are elevated, and all are welcome and enjoy equitable opportunities to thrive. As we work with community groups and organizations, our goal is to learn from, leverage, and amplify each other’s work, not replicate it.
In 2022, we launched Embrace Naperville: Empowering Our Mission Through a Year of Learning. The goal: to enhance community engagement, increase DEI awareness and understanding, and celebrate the value of inclusion in Naperville. The year-long series of events began in November with a session focused on inclusion and a breakout facilitated by the Executive Director of Educational Equity at School District 204. New people and groups continue to join the efforts, and three additional events are planned in 2023. We value your continued help in connecting people and organizations with City staff as opportunities arise.
Finally, further emphasis is being placed on partnering with organizations to create more opportunities for youth leadership in DEI efforts. In year one, the Youth INclusion Ambassadors was created to bring innovative ideas and offer valuable insight into the issues that young people face. Again, through partnership with the school districts and non-profits, there is an ability to amplify and connect each other’s work, which should be born out through the partnership with the Collaborative Youth Team, as well as the Youth Forum being planned for 2023.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The 2023 operating budget includes $40,000 for DEI training and programming.