It’s easy for “diversity” to be a buzzword at many organizations -- something executives talk about, without taking actions to increase and cultivate diversity among their employee base.
At pureIntegration, we’ve made diversity and inclusion a top priority since the company was founded. While our work related to diversity isn’t close to being done, we’re constantly searching for new opportunities to bring individuals with varied backgrounds into our organization and to grow and amplify those voices.
That’s why we want to share with you exactly how we think about diversity, and what it means to us at pureIntegration.
First, pureIntegration is a National Minority Supplier Development Council-certified minority-owned business. We pride ourselves in the diversity within our leadership and across our workforce. We’re particularly excited to report that we have grown almost 50 percent in the last 12 months, and over 80 percent of those that have joined pureIntegration fall into one or more diverse categories.
We know that to be successful, an organization needs different perspectives from a diverse team, and this means prioritizing a workforce that’s made up of different genders, ages, ethnicities, and life experiences.
We’re working hard every day to fulfill that promise here at pureIntegration.
We also look for more than what’s on an applicant’s resume and place an emphasis on evaluating specific character traits during the interview process. Our critical behavior interviewing approach helps us identify individuals who are committed to continuous learning, are team-oriented, and have “fire in their bellies.” These are the traits that are the greatest predictors of success at pureIntegration, yet they’re not something that can be evaluated simply by reviewing someone’s LinkedIn profile.
It starts from the CEO’s perspective that pureIntegration is a platform for every employee to fully realize their professional potential and ambitions. That leads to a culture of continuously encouraging everyone in the workforce to make suggestions about how pureIntegration can improve (better processes/policies), grow (new offerings), and support its workforce (different career paths). Innovation awards have been won across all levels and positions in the organization (from HR to consulting to operations) for ideas that make pureIntegration better. This approach has truly been a win-win. For example, consultants have identified and helped to create new offerings that result in new areas for growth for the company and opportunities for people to do the kind of work in which they are most interested.
Many have stated the value of bringing different perspectives to the table when determining a solution for difficult problems, but pureIntegration has lived it and has countless examples of how diverse voices result in the development of better solutions. From a go-to-market strategy to a project delivery challenge to supporting our workforce, we’ve had meaningful differences of opinions that resulted in a more complete discussion and a better outcome.
For example, one of our clients recently needed very tactical and manual assistance at a low price point. pureIntegration reached out to an organization dedicated to lifting people up from poverty to identify people who have the skills required and are often overlooked for jobs in the client’s field. pureIntegration included some team members from this organization in the project, which not only helped the project be successful but also enhanced the individuals’ resumes and increased their potential to be selected for more opportunities in the future.
Beyond our own organization, we’re committed to supporting diversity among the industries we serve.
For example, pureIntegration is a sponsor and active supporter of Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT); we’ve been involved with the organization for over 10 years. We’ve financially supported multiple regional WICT chapters, served in board positions, and regularly volunteer as mentors and speakers for the organization’s members.
We’re grateful for these opportunities, which have resulted in fantastic networking and leadership opportunities for our people along with a chance to gain new perspectives on the support and advocacy needed for the women in our industry.
Want to learn more about our diversity initiatives at pureIntegration? Take a look at our latest infographic.