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First Steps pAGE HEADER

Initiative 1: Expand our review/audit of hiring and career advancement
policies
By engaging external support, we will conduct an organization-wide assessment of
MIL’s internal hiring and human resource practices and policies, including a review of
documents, data, policies, and internal and external communications. Do they reflect
and support our goal to operate under equitable hiring and employment practices to
promote and develop a diverse workforce? Does the examination of our corporate
and internal communications confirm that they reflect our values and are respectful,
considerate, and free of institutional and racial bias? Do our communications use
language that improves tolerance, inclusion, acceptance, and racial equity? Let’s find
out where we stand, identify improvements, and implement them.
Initiative 2: Expand our recruiting pipeline
To locate, identify, and hire diverse and underrepresented candidates, we will broaden
and establish new effective partnerships with minority serving institutions (MSIs)
and minority professional associations to create a steady flow of qualified and diverse
job seekers and summer hires. Through active engagement with these groups, we
seek to increase MIL participation in mentorship activities, attend career fairs, and
contribute to other relationship building activities. Working with these institutions and
associations, we’ll also explore innovative approaches to cultivate positive relationships
such as participating in resume review and interview practice workshops, job
shadowing, mentor/protégé programs, etc.
Initiative 3: Training
Strengthening and shaping a culture of inclusion promotes MIL’s core values of
integrity, commitment, and subject matter expertise. One way we express these values
is by investing in training to make sure our team has the tools they need to make the
right choices. Beginning in September and continuing over the next few months, all
MIL team members will receive opportunities to elevate their awareness on issues
such as diversity, inclusion, and unconscious bias to make us all better coworkers and
leaders. Our goal is 100% participation, so be on the lookout for training emails and
let’s learn to be active allies together!

Accountability Counts
One of the main goals for our new D&I program is to increase our level of accountability through a process
of continuous improvement; to answer the question “are we who we say we are by following our founding
principles?” One way we answer this question is by participating in the “Great Place to Work” program. The
surveys completed anonymously by employees offer us an invaluable view into MIL’s current culture around
diversity and inclusion—from the inside. Please take the time to complete the survey this fall and add your
voice to the discussion; the feedback and ideas generated through this ‘self-evaluation’ process will serve as
building blocks for future initiatives.
MIL is proud of the diverse workforce and tolerant and supportive environment we have built and continue to
nurture every day. We know that our workforce offers us a competitive advantage because of the new ideas and
unique perspectives our team brings to their work and workplaces. Studies show that more ethnically diverse
companies are higher performing and experience higher growth than companies that lack diversity. And, as an
industry leader, MIL strives to remain out front on issues of fairness and equity. We know it’s good for business,
but more significantly, it’s good for people, and that is what makes it the right thing to do.

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