Indotronix presented a panel discussion at Ceipal Connect on September 17th, 2021. This panel discussion explored Diversity in the Contingent Workforce from a Procurement & Supplier Diversity perspective. The panel featured David Johnson from Zoetis Inc. and Joy Wong from New York Life and was moderated by Anu Rao from Indotronix.
5 Key Takeaways
- Diversity is considered: A majority of suppliers and MSPs are taking DEI seriously, with nearly 60% of Connect attendees talking about DEI within their organizations. Staffing firms are looking at diversity as a qualification, and not just a box to tick.
- Highly functioning teams are diverse: You want teams to adapt to the environment, each other, the business, etc. In order to do that, they need to be diverse and/or a team with a diverse mindset to lead to diverse insights. Without this, it’s going to be hard to achieve big goals. So, you need to go to suppliers who take diversity needs into account when moving through the hiring process.
- There are no challenges, just proactive thinking: When it comes to analyzing a workforce to improve DEI, it’s not a focus on challenges to overcome. Rather, it’s about being proactive in finding ways to improve the makeup of a workforce to better highlight the unique mindsets diverse teams bring to the table. Companies WANT to improve their equity and inclusion because doing so offers long-term benefits for the health and growth of the company. This is not a challenge to overcome, but rather a beautiful goal to work towards by taking action to achieve it.
- Get loud about diversity: Corporations often focus on ownership. But, as a staffing company, you have to promote that you have diverse contingent workers. You may not be a diverse candidate, but if you can bring a diverse extended team to the table, you give others the opportunity to expand. Share your success stories in bringing in a diverse thought-set, and that’s a key differentiator as a supplier.
- Have the difficult conversations: When these conversations aren’t being had, folks aren’t given the opportunity to better themselves and leave a past mistake in the past. When looking into diversity, it’s important to hear these voices to be able to uncover the talents they bring moving forward.
Standout Quote
“If we act now to improve gender [equity], it could add 13 trillion dollars to the GDP.”
It’s amazing the strides forward the entire global economy could make if everyone who wanted to work was given the flexibility and the opportunity to do so.
Who found the chat useful?
Corporations (Procurement, HR and DE&I practitioners), Staffing Suppliers, MSP professionals
About our Panelists:
David Johnson
Head of Supplier Management at Zoetis Inc.
David Johnson currently serves as the Head of Supplier Management at Zoetis Inc. (the largest animal healthcare company in the world). Prior to that he has worked in technology sourcing, procurement, category management across industry verticals – Barclays, Mallinckrodt Pharma, Columbia University etc. He is also the current VP of Business Development at ISM-New Jersey. He has an bachelor’s degree in business and an MBA in Global Supply Chain and Logistics
Joy Wong
Corporate Vice President, Supplier Diversity / Procurement at New York Life Insurance Company
Joy Wong currently serves as the Corporate Vice President, Supplier Diversity / Procurement at New York Life Insurance Company where she has risen through the ranks in her 25+ year career there. (a US Fortune 200 company which is the 3rd largest life insurance company and the largest mutual life insurance company in the United States). She has also served as a Board Member Financial Services Roundtable for Supplier Diversity and NY&NJ Minority Supplier Development Council.
About Ceipal Connect:
Ceipal Connect brings together the staffing and recruitment industry’s leading innovators to meet, network, and trailblaze the future of staffing.