Juneteenth is right around the corner – the upcoming holiday serves as a reminder and a time for us to take a step back and reflect on the importance of the day and all that we can do to be advocates for DE&I.
This is Paycor’s second year recognizing Juneteenth as a company holiday, commemorating the day in 1865 when Texas officially abolished slavery more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. We want to emphasize that inclusion and equity are a priority for Paycor every day and it doesn’t just stop at recognizing Juneteenth. Over the last few years, Paycor has engaged in a meaningful journey to enhance our DE&I practices, and we encourage you to be a part of it.
Our Associates are the heartbeat of our organization and we have taken steps to create a community of belonging and inclusion. It goes further than Juneteenth: this is a mission we have been working on around the clock, 365 days a year. Our DE&I mission exemplifies our Guiding Principles, especially Do the Right Thing and Take Care of Each Other. At Paycor, however, we have more than just words on paper; we have strategic initiatives to drive this mission.
Strategy, Transparency, Equity and Purpose. These are the foundational pillars of our strategy in DE&I. We are on a long journey when it comes to DE&I, and we are taking the right STEPs to achieve a company and community that eliminates barriers for equitable opportunity and values and respects the differences in every person with which we interact. Paycor has several objectives in its strategic plan built into the daily work of the business and led by our DE&I team. One way we bring awareness and drive business outcomes is through our extensive ERG (Employee Resource Groups) network.
One ERG in particular, Colorful Connections, was started with the mission to create an all-inclusive platform that promotes networking and heightened awareness for Paycor’s ethnically diverse population. Colorful Connections provides opportunities for personal and professional advancement, alongside community outreach and mentorship. In partnership with McKinsey, Paycor has also offered leadership development opportunities to its Associates through the Black Leadership Academy. They can be credited with engaging directly with our Executive leadership to communicate the needs of our Associates of color and emphasizing the need to make it a business priority. Through the partnership with our DE&I team, Colorful Connections also held an impactful Fireside chat in the fall of our fiscal year with the mothers of Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner, continuing to bring awareness and meaning to the work we do in the corporate environment.
As part of our DE&I plan for FY22, two of Paycor’s OKRs (objectives and key results) were to increase women and people of color in leadership. As a result, we have made significant strides with increases in our overall ethnic minority hiring at Paycor. We have also increased our population of women in leadership at Paycor which is a shared success with our WIN (Women’s Inspiration Network) ERG. WIN aspires to be a source of inspiration and support for women to join, stay and thrive at Paycor. WIN’s resources and events not only target women, but also encourage our male employees to be advocates for women’s rights and advancements. We offer several events throughout Women’s History Month in which employees were encouraged to attend events, such as GoRed, McKinsey Women in the Workplace talk, Paycor Women’s Power Panel and more!
Our PRISM ERG (Pride, Raising Awareness, Involvement, Support and Mentoring Alliance) strives to create a welcoming work environment by providing education, resources and support for Associates across the spectrums of identification in the LGBTQ+ community. PRISM hosts various Pride events throughout the year and encourages our employees to be allies and advocates for the LBGTQ+ Community and are advocating for change in language, and identification inside of our business outcomes, processes and benefits.
We have also strived to bring the DE&I mission that Paycor embraces to our partners and clients, through Perspectives+, which has a special focus on promoting women, communities of color and people from historically marginalized groups. Paycor has taken these steps, and more, to enhance our DE&I commitment, including hiring Amy Hull who led our strategic DE&I plan, creating a public-facing Diversity Pledge and signing the CEO Action Pledge for Diversity & Inclusion, which was recognized when we were awarded a Top Workplace for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Practices in 2021.
While Juneteenth is a great day to celebrate all we have accomplished, we will not stop there. We highlight other marginalized populations on this day because intersectionality weaves people of color into these communities as well. Diversity is multidimensional and so is Paycor’s approach to DE&I every day. We challenge each and every one of you to hold yourself accountable to expand opportunities and promote equity so that Paycor is a place where voices are heard and uplifted. Thank you for all that you do!
Respectfully,
Raul Villar, Jr.
Chief Executive Officer, Paycor