Putting People First Begins with Inclusion

Typically, DE&I starts with diversity and ends with inclusion, but at Waste Management the belief that inclusion begets diversity has caused an intentional shift that is producing meaningful results.

Tiana Carter, senior director of culture and engagement, and Mike Coogan, senior director of cybersecurity at Waste Management are both advocates of fostering an inclusive, diverse and equitable environment and are working together in this endeavor in their cybersecurity program and throughout the organization.

“If you haven't created an inclusive environment, where diversity of thought and people thrive, where people's ideas are actually heard, received, and welcomed, people won’t want to stay. While you can try to decouple inclusion and diversity, they are not as successful without the other. We wanted to lead with inclusion to ensure our diversity efforts are sustainable, so we did that reordering intentionally,” said Carter.

Reflecting on how this applies to his department, Coogan said, “Cybersecurity absolutely demands diversity and inclusion. That is important because the only way you lose this war is by doing what everybody else did. If you look exactly like everybody else, you're going to have the same problems, weaknesses, and can be exploited the same way. When you build out a diverse team, your defenses get better, you remove the sameness of companies.”

Defining Diversity Begins with Inclusivity

46% of Waste Management’s workforce is racially diverse, and 18% is female. But the DE&I journey at Waste Management goes much further than just racial, ethnic and gender diversity: There are also initiatives in place to increase diversity in veterans, LGBTQ, and disabled candidates. 

The pandemic has actually created an opening for disabled employees. Although the majority of employees are front-line workers, the newly remote status of corporate employees has created new opportunities for candidates with disabilities that could have been obstacles to working in a traditional office environment. 

Diverse backgrounds are also key to creating an innovative environment that allows for free expression of ideas and space for people to disagree, making the team more innovative.

“Having a diverse team brings different perspectives to the table when you're trying to solve hard problems, such as those in cybersecurity. It's important that you get the input of everyone around, and that's an important point because it's not simply about building a diverse team. You also have to build an environment where people feel included, and they can speak, and they can disagree,” said Coogan.

Building an inclusive environment doesn’t require you to boil the ocean; it can start with one person. With 45,000 employees, if the entire workforce commits to doing one thing really well — making the organization a better and more inclusive place — the difference they can make will have a huge impact. 

“We recently launched a program within the organization called ‘The Power of One,’ where we illustrate how one person can truly change the world, by committing to being open to different perspectives, having a willingness to advocate for someone else, and be willing to share their experiences with others. Additionally, we’ve leveraged the power of storytelling through various programs highlighting the diversity within our organization. These have created the space for conversations around Inclusion and Diversity to be organic,” said Carter.

Attracting and Growing Talent 

Unlike cybersecurity, most fields do not have a negative unemployment rate, which creates specific challenges in finding talent. One solution to this predicament is to look for candidates that are not necessarily trained in cybersecurity but have the key competencies necessary to succeed — hard work and critical thinking.

Coogan has grown his team by finding talent within the organization, people who have institutional knowledge and are willing to learn a new skill set. This has been particularly successful in moving people from physical to cybersecurity, and the inclusivity his team demonstrates as a daily value has contributed to the success of these individuals.

Reflecting on one of these team members who found success on the team, Coogan said, “After several months, this person came to me and said, ‘Everyone here is willing to help me get up to speed, and because of that, I now have expanded my skill set, and I have career opportunities that I didn't have a one or two years ago — because everyone is willing to help. Everyone is willing to share their knowledge.”

Outside of upskilling employees internally, Waste Management is also on a journey to employ people who might traditionally be overlooked.

“We have an internal program called IEP, Innovative Employment Pathways, that was developed by our Chief People Officer shortly after she joined, with the focus to help the overlooked and underserved, which includes women, minorities, homeless, disabled and youth through partnerships with community based organizations. We are piloting the program with the intent to scale across the enterprise,” said Carter.

Partnering with community-based organizations to find candidates that might require additional supportive services is a way to ensure they are creating an environment that truly fosters the values they are working towards. 

A Movement, Not a Moment

The long-term goal for Waste Management is to have inclusion and diversity be a central pillar and continued focus for their culture. 

“Waste Management employees, from the frontline to executive leadership, will be representative of the diverse customers and communities that we serve, without question,” said Carter.

As the senior director of culture and inclusion, Carter is currently a department of two, but embedding inclusion efforts into the business, making them part of the business conversation and driven by business leaders has demonstrated that this goes beyond the HR function. It is about making it a stable and permanent movement to overcome diversity challenges — not just a momentary initiative. As a people-first organization, these values permeate throughout. 

“You can build a diverse team without inclusion and you get nowhere. You can build an inclusive team without diversity of thought and background and you’ll also get nowhere. You have to drive both pieces forward. Create a place where you're known for being welcoming, and you will get folks who can contribute and will contribute and will contribute in a very meaningful way,” said Coogan.

Looking at these endeavors as a journey, not a destination, is important, as is acknowledging when and where there is work to be done. Organizations have been working towards these values for years, but with 2020 as a catalyst, renewed and refocused effort has been placed in fostering an inclusive, diverse and equitable environment that will truly be a movement, not a moment.

“This is a business imperative that will enable us to continue to be the successful organization that we have been within the waste industry, and then hopefully a guiding light for other companies, even outside of our industry in how we operate in this space,” said Carter.

Special thanks to Tiana Carter, Mike Coogan, and Waste Management.

by C-Level, for C-Level

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