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Deborah Dagit
Executive Director of Diversity
and Work Environment,
Merck & Co.
Anise Wiley-Little
Chief Diversity Officer,
Allstate
improvement as well as share best practices across multiple lines of business.”
DAGIT: “Our people and culture metrics are tracked and reported internally each quarter at Merck and they allow us to monitor the movement
of our work force by all relevant demographics. Our corporate policies
reinforce Merck’s commitment to attaining work-force demographics consistent with availability and developing plans to address any areas of
underrepresentation.”
Q. Can you tell us about a personal, significant
experience you had with intolerance in the work-
place and how it helped shape your career?
DUARTE-MCCARTHY: “When I was first embarking on my career
(at another company), someone complimented my communication skills
but expressed surprise at my skills given that I was a Latina. I’ve always
remembered the anger I felt and how it planted the seed that there was
work to be done to create respect for people who were ‘different’ in their
workplace. That was 20 years ago, and while our society/our culture/many
workplaces have made progress, there is still much we can do.”
ANAND: “I have been fortunate enough not to have had a significant
experience with intolerance in the workplace. However, I came to North
America to go to graduate school at the age of 20. It was my experiences
with being different, with being perceived as a minority and as an Asian
American that impacted me and shaped my career.”
JENKINS: “Several years ago, I was presenting the diversity business
case to a group of senior executives. When I asked the group ‘What is
diversity?’ a white male in the group said, ‘Quotas, ratios and affirmative
action’ … I determined after this session that it was my job to communicate this work in such a manner that everyone would clearly understand
the business rationale, work-force implications and successful outcomes of
this work. Our strategy, vision and mission are now tied to the corporate
direction of the company and our diversity goals reflect the same direction
and progress of the corporate strategic plan.”
REED: “Everyone has a responsibility to give back or pay forward.
Whatever success I have earned was not achieved without the help of others. Early in my career I had no role models, no mentors, so I made my
share of mistakes. It is now my passion to mentor young professionals.”
SAMPSON: “Throughout my professional career, I’ve learned that
becoming a well-rounded, culturally aware individual is a personal choice.
Individually, we must decide to educate ourselves about others as the marketplace, workplace and communities become increasingly diverse. It’s a
part of professional growth that cannot be ignored. As an African-American male, I’ve faced challenges, as many minorities have, that I’ve
had to overcome. These experiences serve as my foundation to accept,
manage and promote differences within our work environment.”
