We are pleased to introduce our Swooner of the Quarter for Q1, Kayla!

How does it work? Swooners have the opportunity to submit nominations, providing detailed descriptions of how a team member has positively influenced our organization. These nominations highlight the nominee’s meaningful contributions.

Congratulations to Kayla for being awarded Swooner of the Quarter. As a Major Account Manager, Kayla always shows exceptional skills and expertise within our sales team. Her tireless dedication and unwavering efforts are truly praiseworthy, serving as an exceptional example for her peers. Kayla’s ability to overcome complex challenges and achieve outstanding results has played an essential role in our organization’s success.

Peer Quotes

Talk about a gal who can do it all! Bringing in new business, making dozens of placements in a matter of days, and I could go on! No one builds momentum on the Sales side like Kayla!

She is humble and gracious about every single win, giving credit where credit is due. This girl is a rockstar and does not get the recognition she deserves. Above that, she is a true team player, never forgetting to collaborate with the team and not letting the wins get ahead of her. Kayla kept working hard, and the results continued to trickle in.

She is an excellent problem-solver, able to overcome challenges and find innovative solutions that meet clients’ objectives. She did this all while driving revenue growth for the company. Kayla is always willing to lend a helping hand to their colleagues and share their expertise.

We invite you to join us in giving applause to Kayla for her outstanding accomplishments and well-deserved recognition as Swooner of the Quarter!

As the global job market becomes increasingly competitive, many employees seek career development and advancement opportunities. For employers, this presents a unique challenge: how can they support their team members’ career goals while ensuring their organization’s success?

The answer lies in recognizing the importance of investing in the growth and development of employees. In fact, a recent survey found that over 70% of employees ranked opportunities for career growth and development as one of the top factors in job satisfaction.

Here are some strategies that employers can use to support their team’s career development and advancement:

1. Set clear expectations and goals:

Employees must understand what is expected of them and how their work contributes to the organization’s success. Employers should work with their team to set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals that align with both the employee’s career aspirations and the organization’s objectives.

2. Provide training and development opportunities:

Offer workshops, seminars, lunch and learns, and online courses to help employees gain new skills and knowledge. Providing training opportunities not only helps employees grow but can also improve their performance on the job.

3. Offer mentorship programs:

Pairing employees with experienced mentors can provide valuable guidance and support as they navigate their career paths. This can also help build a culture of knowledge-sharing and collaboration within the organization.

4. Encourage job rotations:

Allow employees to try out different roles and departments within the organization. This can help employees gain a broader understanding of the business and identify areas they may want to pursue further.

5. Provide clear career paths:

Clearly outline the opportunities available for advancement within the organization. This can help employees understand how they can grow within their roles and what they need to do to advance.

6. Offer feedback and support:

Employers should provide constructive feedback to their team members, acknowledge their achievements, and offer support when needed. Regular one-on-one meetings and performance reviews can help employers understand their employees’ career aspirations and provide guidance and support accordingly.

7. Regularly review employee goals:

Schedule regular meetings with employees to discuss their career goals and provide feedback on their progress. This can help employees stay on track and ensure their goals align with the organization’s objectives.

8. Provide opportunities for advancement:

This can include promotions, lateral moves, and leadership development programs. Companies should have a transparent career advancement process that outlines the criteria for promotion and provides equal opportunities to all employees.

Investing in employee career development not only benefits employees but also the organization as a whole. By supporting employee growth and advancement, employers can increase employee retention, boost productivity, enhance employer branding, and enhance the organization’s reputation as a desirable place to work.

In addition, by offering opportunities for career development and advancement, employers can attract top talent and position themselves as industry leaders. This can be particularly important in industries where skill shortages are a concern.

Employers who prioritize employee career development and advancement are likely to see numerous benefits. By investing in their employee’s growth, employers can create a culture of learning and development that not only improves employee satisfaction but also contributes to the over success of the organization.

The importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace has become increasingly recognized. Companies have realized that creating a more inclusive work environment is not only the right thing to do, but it can also positively impact their bottom line. An inclusive workplace fosters creativity, innovation, and productivity and helps attract and retain top talent. However, creating an inclusive work environment requires more than just saying the right words or hiring a diverse workforce. It requires a commitment to ongoing education and awareness and a willingness to listen to and learn from employees from all backgrounds. This article will explore strategies companies can follow to create a more inclusive work environment.

Build a diverse workforce

Building a diverse workforce is about more than just hiring employees from different backgrounds. It is about creating an environment where your employees feel welcomed and valued. Here are some strategies to build a diverse workforce:

  1. Expand your recruitment sources: Use sources beyond just the traditional channels to attract a diverse workforce. This can include partnering with community organizations, attending job fairs or conferences focused on diverse candidates, or posting job openings on job boards that cater to underrepresented groups.
  2. Use inclusive job descriptions: Your job descriptions should be free from biased language that may discourage diverse candidates from applying. Use gender-neutral language and focus on the skills and qualifications required for the job.
  3. Ensure a fair hiring process: To ensure a fair hiring process, implement blind hiring practices where candidate names and personal details are removed from resumes and applications. It is also important to ensure that interview questions are standardized and that all candidates are evaluated based on the same criteria.
  4. Offer training and education: Providing training and education to hiring managers and recruiters on diversity and inclusion can help them better understand and appreciate the value of a diverse workforce. It can also help them identify and overcome their own biases.
  5. Promote diversity at all levels: Companies should strive to promote diversity at all levels of the organization. This means not only hiring diverse candidates but also promoting them into leadership positions. By having a diverse group of leaders, companies can create a culture that values diversity and inclusion.

Foster a culture of inclusion

Creating a culture of inclusion means making everyone feel welcome and valued, regardless of their background or identity. This can be achieved through training, education, and policies promoting inclusion and respect. In addition, encouraging open communication and supporting employees who may feel marginalized or excluded can also help foster a more inclusive workplace. Take a look below for a few strategies:

  1. Create policies that promote inclusion: This can include a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination and harassment. Companies can also implement policies that support work-life balance, such as flexible working arrangements or remote work options, which can benefit employees from diverse backgrounds.
  2. Encourage open communication: Companies should encourage open communication among employees to ensure everyone feels comfortable expressing their opinions and ideas. Providing opportunities for feedback and listening to employee concerns can help create a culture of inclusion and respect.
  3. Provide diversity and inclusion training: Providing this kind of training for all employees can help them better understand different perspectives and cultures. This can also help employees recognize and overcome their own unconscious biases.
  4. Ensure equal access to opportunities: Companies should ensure that all employees have equal access to opportunities, such as training and development programs, promotions, and leadership positions. This can help promote a culture of inclusion and ensure that all employees have a chance to succeed.
  5. Embrace flexible work arrangements: This can include remote work and flexible schedules to accommodate the diverse needs of employees and promote a healthy work-life balance.

Providing opportunities for growth and development

Creating opportunities for growth and development is important for all employees. Still, it can be especially important for those who may have faced obstacles in their career due to discrimination or bias. Providing training and mentoring programs, as well as promoting from within, can help create a more inclusive workplace where everyone has a chance to succeed. See below for a few more strategies on how to provide opportunities for growth and development:

  1. Offer training and development programs: Companies can offer programs that help employees enhance their skills and knowledge. These programs can include mentorship, coaching, workshops, or online courses.
  2. Provide career paths and opportunities for advancement: This can help motivate employees to develop their skills and knowledge and include opportunities for promotions, cross-functional projects, or leadership roles.
  3. Encourage continuous learning: Provide resources and tools for employees to learn new skills and stay up to date with industry trends. This can include access to online resources, subscriptions to industry publications, or hosting lunch and learns.
  4. Recognize and reward performance: Companies should recognize and reward employees’ performance to motivate them to continue to grow and develop. This can include bonuses, promotions, or public recognition for exceptional work.
  5. Create a supportive work environment: A supportive work environment can help employees feel more comfortable in taking risks and developing new skills. Companies can create a supportive work environment by providing feedback, recognizing employees’ efforts, and encouraging collaboration.

Celebrate diversity

By celebrating diversity, companies can create an environment where employees feel valued, respected and where different perspectives and experiences are recognized and appreciated. It can also help companies attract and retain top talent from diverse backgrounds, which can lead to increased creativity, innovation, and productivity. Here are some strategies that companies can follow to celebrate diversity:

  1. Recognize cultural holidays and events: Some ways to recognize these days include hosting celebrations, sharing information around the holiday, or providing time off for employees to celebrate.
  2. Create affinity groups: Companies can create affinity groups for employees with shared identities or backgrounds. These groups can provide opportunities for employees to connect with one another, share experiences, and organize events or initiatives to celebrate diversity.
  3. Host diversity-themed workshops or events: These workshops and events can work to educate employees about different cultures and perspectives. This can include guest speakers, cultural food tastings, or interactive workshops.
  4. Embrace diversity in recruitment: Companies can embrace diversity in their recruitment process by actively seeking out candidates from different backgrounds and experiences. This can help create a more diverse workforce and bring new perspectives to the organization.
  5. Showcase diversity in marketing and branding: Feature diverse employees or customers in your advertising or other promotional materials.

Be transparent and accountable

Transparency and accountability are key to creating a more inclusive workplace. This means being open about your company’s goals and progress in promoting diversity and inclusion, as well as holding leaders and employees accountable for their actions. It also means listening to feedback from employees and making changes as needed.

  1. Set goals and track progress: Set specific, measurable goals for diversity and inclusion and regularly track progress. This can include tracking the representation of underrepresented groups in the workplace, measuring employee engagement and satisfaction, and assessing the effectiveness of diversity and inclusion initiatives.
  2. Publish diversity reports: Publish reports that provide transparency on the representation of different groups within the organization, including race, ethnicity, gender, age, and other demographics. These reports can also outline the progress the company has made toward its diversity and inclusion goals.
  3. Conduct employee surveys: Employee surveys can provide valuable feedback on the company’s diversity and inclusion efforts. Companies can use these surveys to measure employee satisfaction, assess the effectiveness of diversity and inclusion initiatives, and identify areas for improvement.
  4. Create an inclusion council or committee: Companies can create an inclusion council of employees from diverse backgrounds to provide feedback, suggestions, and ideas for promoting a more inclusive workplace culture. This group can also help hold the company accountable for its diversity and inclusion goals.
  5. Hold leadership accountable: Leadership should be held accountable for promoting a more inclusive work environment. This can include setting diversity and inclusion goals, leading by example, and providing resources and support to employees from diverse backgrounds.

Conclusion

Creating a more inclusive workplace is not an easy task, but it is an important one. By following these strategies, companies can create a workplace where everyone feels valued and included and where everyone has a chance to succeed.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) have become critical elements of a thriving workplace. The importance of DE&I cannot be overstated, as it benefits not only individuals but also organizations as a whole. Therefore, companies that prioritize DE&I in their policies, practices, and workplace culture stand to reap significant rewards. In this article, we explore the critical importance of DE&I in the workplace and why organizations need to prioritize it.

Workplace Culture

First and foremost, DE&I is crucial in creating a workplace environment where everyone feels valued and respected, regardless of their background, gender, race, or religion. When an organization prioritizes DE&I, it sends a clear message to its employees that their backgrounds, identities, and perspectives are important and valued. This, in turn, leads to a workplace culture that celebrates diversity and fosters a sense of belonging among all employees. Furthermore, when employees feel valued and respected, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated, leading to higher levels of productivity, collaboration, and innovation, as diverse perspectives and experiences bring new insights and approaches to problem-solving.

Attracting and Retaining Top Talent

In addition to fostering a positive workplace culture, DE&I plays a vital role in attracting and retaining top talent. Job seekers today are looking for more than just a paycheck; they want to work for a company that shares their values and promotes an inclusive culture. As a result, organizations prioritizing DE&I are seen as more attractive to candidates, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds. Furthermore, a diverse and inclusive workplace can increase employee satisfaction and retention rates. Finally, a diverse workforce can help companies better understand and serve a diverse customer and client base, increasing business opportunities and growth. When employees feel like they belong and are valued for who they are, they are more likely to stay with the organization long-term.

The Effects of Not Prioritizing DE&I

On the other hand, the adverse effects of not prioritizing DE&I in the workplace can be far-reaching and detrimental to both individuals and the organization as a whole. For example, a lack of diversity and inclusion can lead to groupthink, where individuals are less likely to challenge the status quo or offer new ideas, resulting in a stagnant workplace culture. This, in turn, can lead to decreased productivity, employee disengagement, and difficulty attracting and retaining top talent. Moreover, a lack of DE&I can lead to discrimination, harassment, and bias, creating a toxic work environment that harms employee well-being and negatively impacts the organization’s reputation. Ultimately, organizations that do not prioritize DE&I risk missing out on the benefits of a diverse and inclusive workforce.

Ways to Prioritize DE&I

To prioritize DE&I in the workplace, organizations should actively seek out diverse candidates for open positions, provide training and education on unconscious bias and cultural competence, and create an inclusive workplace culture that values diversity and encourages open communication. This means providing employees with opportunities to share their perspectives and ideas, offering training and development programs to promote diversity and inclusion, and regularly assessing the organization’s policies and practices to ensure they promote fairness and equity. Some ways include:

  1. Leadership commitment: Setting the tone from the top down is essential. Leaders must demonstrate their commitment by investing time, resources, and budget into DE&I initiatives and setting clear goals for DE&I outcomes.
  2. Diversity in recruitment: Organizations should ensure that their recruitment process is inclusive and attracts a diverse pool of candidates. This can involve reviewing and updating job descriptions to avoid any biased language and expanding outreach to underrepresented groups.
  3. Employee training: Providing regular training sessions on DE&I can help employees understand the importance in the workplace and how to create a more inclusive environment.
  4. Equity-focused policies: Organizations should review their policies and procedures to ensure they are equitable and provide equal opportunities for all employees. This includes reviewing pay structures, performance evaluation criteria, and promotion processes.
  5. Listening and engagement: Organizations should actively listen to feedback from employees, especially from underrepresented groups, to identify areas for improvement and take action to address any issues. This can involve creating open channels for feedback, such as anonymous surveys or town hall meetings.
  6. Partnering with diversity-focused organizations: Organizations can also partner with external organizations focused on DE&I to learn best practices and develop strategies for creating a more inclusive workplace.

Conclusion

DE&I is vital for a thriving workplace and a successful organization. It fosters creativity, innovation, and productivity, attracts top talent, and better serves diverse customer and client bases. Organizations must prioritize DE&I in all operations to create a workplace environment that values and respects all individuals, regardless of their background or identity. By doing so, companies can create a culture that fosters diversity and inclusion, ultimately leading to greater success and growth.

When choosing an employer, candidates seek more than just a paycheck or a 9-5 job. They want a career that can offer them flexibility, purpose, opportunities for growth and development, and employers that share their values. With a rapidly changing job market and evolving societal values, job seekers have shifted their priorities. In today’s competitive job market, candidates have more power than ever to choose their employer. They are increasingly seeking companies that align with their values and offer a strong overall compensation package, benefits, growth opportunities, and work-life balance. In this context, it is essential for employers to understand what candidates want and to develop strategies to attract and retain top talent. Take a look below to see how to attract and retain top talent in 2023.

Flexibility and Work-Life Balance

Candidates today want to balance their work and personal lives and are looking for employers that offer flexible schedule options, telecommuting, or other work-life balance initiatives. This can include job sharing, compressed workweeks, or flexible scheduling, allowing employees to tailor their work schedules to better fit their obligations.

Employers that offer work-life balance initiatives can benefit from a more engaged and motivated workforce, as employees who can balance their work and personal lives tend to be happier and more productive. Additionally, work-life balance initiatives can be critical in attracting and retaining top talent, as candidates are looking for employers that prioritize employee well-being and work-life balance.

Career Growth and Development

Employees want to work for companies that offer career advancement opportunities and prioritize employee development through training and other initiatives.

Employers that offer career growth and development opportunities benefit from a more engaged and loyal workforce. Employees who feel they have opportunities for growth and advancement within the organization are more likely to stay with the company long-term. Additionally, companies that invest in employee development can benefit from a more skilled and knowledgeable workforce, leading to increased productivity and profitability.

Diversity and Inclusion

Candidates want to work for companies that value diversity and create an inclusive workplace culture where everyone feels welcome and respected regardless of their background or personal characteristics.

Employers prioritizing diversity and inclusion can benefit from a more innovative and creative workforce, as employees from diverse backgrounds can bring unique perspectives and ideas to the table. Companies prioritizing diversity and inclusion can also benefit from a more engaged and motivated workforce, as employees who feel valued and respected are more likely to be happy and productive in their work.

Competitive Compensation and Benefits

Finally, candidates are looking for companies that offer salaries, bonuses, and benefits that are competitive with those of other companies in the industry.

Employers that offer competitive compensation and benefits packages can benefit from a more engaged and motivated workforce, as employees who feel that they are being fairly compensated for their work tend to be more motivated and productive. Additionally, companies offering competitive compensation and benefits packages can benefit from a more loyal and committed workforce, as employees who feel fairly compensated are more likely to stay with the company long-term.

Conclusion

Candidates today are looking for candidates that align with their values. They want employers that offer a wide range of benefits, including work-life balance, career growth and development, diversity and inclusion, competitive compensation and benefits, and more. Employers prioritizing these factors can benefit from a more engaged, loyal, and productive workforce and a more competitive position in the job market.

In recent years, the conversation around women in leadership positions has gained significant traction, highlighting the importance of gender diversity in the workforce. However, while progress has been made, women’s challenges in achieving leadership roles remain substantial. One such challenge is balancing work and personal responsibilities, particularly in the face of traditional gender roles and societal expectations. Additionally, there is a growing emphasis on the importance of DE&I in the workforce, with organizations recognizing the value of creating a workplace that truly represents the communities they serve. In this context, exploring how women can thrive in leadership positions while maintaining a healthy work-life balance and how DE&I initiatives can be leveraged to create a more inclusive and equitable workplace for all employees.

Join Leslie Burkes, Carly Bell, and Kevonne Holloway as they discuss women in leadership, work-life balance, and DE&I in the workplace.

Leslie Burkes

Global Senior Director of Professional Services and Education at LexisNexis Legal and Professional, Legal Business Solutions

About Leslie

Leslie leads a team of global consulting and education resources delivering a variety of services to optimize customer value of LexisNexis products. Focusing on the customer to drive outcomes and process excellence, Leslie has developed a center of excellence for professional services and education spanning her 15 year career with LexisNexis. Prior to LexisNexis, Leslie led Professional Services and Training teams for Sage Software.

Gina: How can we go about strengthening women’s voices in the technology industry?

Leslie: For women in technology, in whatever role they are in, it is important to embrace that leadership mindset. So, be a leader, whether you are an individual contributor, a team lead, or whatever you are. Believe in yourself and bring your whole self every day to the job. It is also essential within that mindset to demonstrate your leadership and knowledge within your role and not be hesitant to speak up. But, speak up as a leader and a thought leader within your role and space. Initiative is key to not being afraid and hesitant. Jump in. If there is a project that you are passionate about, step in, lean in, and bring your whole self to it and deliver those results.

Another critical thing is when you have a solid track record of delivering results, it will be recognized, and the path will be there for you. It will get you to that leadership role you may be seeking or whatever position you are looking for. But, it is that voice and mindset of a leader for where you are at that moment.

Gina: How can companies have a little more equity regarding hiring practices?

Leslie: We must attract a vast pool of applicants. So, casting the net wide, being open, having conversations within the hiring practices, and creating an equitable hiring practice. One of the things that I am passionate about is creating flexibility within the workspace and for my team—making sure that we have the space, particularly since COVID, and just the demands of working from home, childcare, and work-life balance. All of that plays into getting a wider pool of applicants, allowing for that flexibility to work across different time zones and circumstances. It gives you the ability also to reach customers where they are. I think being open and flexible and casting that wide net will help companies have a little more equity in hiring.

Carly Bell

Senior Talent Manager at MSL Group

About Carly

Leslie leads a team of global consulting and education resources delivering a variety of services to optimize customer value of LexisNexis products. Focusing on the customer to drive outcomes and process excellence, Leslie has developed a center of excellence for professional services and education spanning her 15 year career with LexisNexis. Prior to LexisNexis, Leslie led Professional Services and Training teams for Sage Software.

Gina: How do you balance your work life and home life?

Carly: Working from home and juggling family and personal demands can be difficult. In reality, as working women and caregivers/moms, we are rarely perfectly balanced between workload and life load in a given moment, day, or time. As we all know, there are ebbs and flows in business; some days, you have to ramp up to adhere to that. So, on those days, I lean in heavily into work and my deliverables and tasks. On other days, mom mode kicks in, and I have to keep my daughter at home because she has a 102-degree fever. That comes with juggling meetings, but that is the act of being unbalanced. That is the reality of life we can all relate to because things are constantly thrown at us. We have fast turnarounds on something, or we must meet a deliverable we just learned about this morning. So, the idea of work-life balance is truly a reality of being unbalanced and finding that you must be agile and flexible. For a long time, I chased that perfect work-life balance. I had days where I felt mom guilt, but what I learned is that you can feel, as a woman, professionally fulfilled and come home from a productive day at work and still be a great mom, partner, and friend and not have to hone in on that perfect 50/50 split but rather hone in on being a good colleague, professional, mom, partner, friend, sister, aunt, etc. and find those ways to be flexible. Go with the flow and find time to rest and recharge when needed.

Gina: What unrealistic work-life balance goals did you set for yourself earlier in your career?

Carly: A few came to mind, mainly those unwritten goals of being in the office before 8 am and not leaving until after 6 pm for that perception of physically being there. Another example is trying to turn around tasks and deliverables as quickly as I could to prove that it was a sense of urgency for me. In reality, it is about the quality of your work and the deeper understanding of the business and or client needs versus racing through a task just because you want to respond to your boss quickly, asking those clarifying questions, and making sure that your quality of work is delivered to your expectations. I advise everyone on this call to find your Einstein windows. Those are the points of the day when you are most productive. You have the best and most innovative ideas, and you just produce your best work. Find your Einstein windows and take ownership of your calendar, organize and manage your time so that you are producing the best work that you are proud of, and when you do all of this, you will find that you avoid burnout and will produce your best work.

Kevonne Holloway

Managing Director for Global Content Partners at Elsevier

About Kevonne

Kevonne is a respected leader in healthcare academic publishing and technology solutions. She brings more than 15 years of health industry experience to her role, managing and implementing pivotal strategic initiatives to provide rich content for Elsevier’s growing digital footprint, which directly improves the customer experience by enriching and advancing outcomes.

Gina: Where have you seen authentic leadership in your career?

Kevonne: I believe in servant leadership. It is a philosophy built on the belief that the most influential leaders strive to serve others and put others before themselves versus trying to accrue power or take control. With that philosophy, there are four primary principles, encouraging diversity of thought, creating a culture of trust and building a culture of psychological safety, being unselfish in your mindset and putting others before you, and fostering leadership and others. When you link that back to authentic leadership, commitment to bettering yourself as a leader, I have seen this in a lot of mentors and women that I look up to specifically and men who take it upon themselves to ensure that they are not necessarily the most intelligent person in the room. Still, they are harnessing the power and talent of the people in the room. Through that process, they are bettering themselves. They are learning from others and taking it upon themselves to do a lot of reading. For example, I like to read a lot about leadership. But they also look to other avenues to improve their knowledge and skillsets, cultivating self-awareness. I have seen many great leaders ask for timely feedback from the people that report to them, the people in the organization, their peers, and management layers above them to round out areas for strengths and areas for development, and discipline—having the discipline to adopt a philosophy and stick to it. So, one of my mantras is being comfortable with being uncomfortable. Every day, I try to do something that puts me into that learning mindset where I am uncomfortable—then inspiring faith. To inspire faith in people, you must have this psychologically safe space that you create through trust, allowing you to foster leadership through other people. That is how you create and inspire. It is easy to say, well, let’s motivate people. For example, Michelle Obama is a masterclass, inspiring, and very motivational. She does not come to be inspiring and motivating. She is just authentic. She is vulnerable and real, so I like to emulate leaders such as Michelle Obama and other mentors I have had over my career to shape and add to servant and authentic leadership.

Gina: Tell me a little about the importance of diversity and inclusion programs and how we can strengthen that message outward.

Kevonne: DE&I is critical. Business results aside. It comes from commitment, not only from the top but from all layers of the organization. You need to know that the organization, the management, and the organization’s senior-level management are all committed to DE&I. But then there has to be the space for grassroots efforts: the employee resource groups, the programs that can be driven and led by employees truly passionate about DE&I in the organization. I think where those two things meet – the commitment from senior management and the grassroots efforts – is where you have your sweet spot. To strengthen DE&I in an organization, you must have the commitment, passion, and willingness to pursue it. It is not a destination but a journey. We can always be better and do better, and so you have to be committed to that journey, to that ride. Understanding that it is going to evolve quickly. For example, with the murder of George Floyd, we have seen a considerable uptick and awareness around many different topics. One of the things that I am grateful for at Elsevier is we look at five dimensions of diversity: race, ethnicity, gender, generation/age, sexual orientation, and disability or ability. Looking at the intersectionality between all of those is important because when you progress in DE&I, you are progressing and advancing the entire institution.

The conversation around empowering women in leadership has gained significant traction recently. Yet, while progress has been made, women still have significant barriers to overcome, mainly when leveling the playing field for promotions.

Mental health in the workplace is also an important issue that must be addressed, as the pressure to succeed can take a significant toll on employees. By focusing on these areas, we can create a more inclusive and supportive work environment for women and other underrepresented groups, ultimately leading to greater success for individuals and the organizations they work for.

Join Lori Miller, Carmen Jackson, and Kelly Bengtson as they discuss empowering women in leadership, leveling the playing field when it comes to promotions, and mental health in the workplace.

Lori Miller

President at Swoon

About Lori

Throughout her time at Swoon, Lori worked her way through the ranks and initiated the first global expansion into Canada, developed Swoon’s most comprehensive sales strategy supporting Fortune 500 firms, and helped Swoon drive revenue growth by 65% in 2021 and 53% in 2022. In 2023, she was promoted from the Executive Vice President of Sales to the President of Swoon to take the company to even greater heights.

Gina: What does empowerment mean to you?

Lori: Empowerment means to authorize or to give power. But I look at it a little differently. It is more of a process of becoming stronger, more confident, and bold with what you are doing and feeling. It creates more of an owning of the decisions that shape you as a person. It is more than just professional. It is what gives you meaning. What are you passionate about, and what is driving you? Feeling confident, powerful, and capable are all essential pieces to growing and learning as a person. So again, it is more of a process than a one-time thing you achieve that you check off a box and carry with you. You are much more likely to be successful at something if you believe you can do it, and that is where a lot of the empowerment sticks with me. I will always remember my first time running the Chicago half marathon. I saw a sign that someone was holding during it that always stuck with me and said something like, “You can achieve what your mind believes.” That rings true for me with empowerment because doubt and insecurity tend to stunt your process of learning and growing. When you can believe in yourself, you can take control. You can make the decisions that you believe in.

Gina: Can you tell us a little about the mentors that have empowered you and maybe how you empower others?

Lori: I struggle with imposter syndrome and have for quite a while now. The best mentors are very supportive, but what they have done is that they focused on a larger goal of empowering me to feel confident in being myself and being independent. Usually, we tend to feel safer in a group setting, alongside peers, but being positive in your independence to decide, test things, cope, and having the space to do that with the people who allow you to go through those motions is really helpful.

I think someone who builds a real relationship with you as a mentor/mentee is the ideal situation because, in those situations, my mentors have been thoughtful about avoiding what they think I want to hear or what I want them to say to me in a situation. Instead, they work with me through what I need to hear, think about, and reflect on. That ties into how you pay it forward if you are a mentor. Well, the best thing you must remember is to constantly be open to learning as a mentor. You cannot just reach a glass ceiling and be done with it. You need to continue to ask a lot of questions when you are working with or mentoring someone. Most of the time, you may not even realize you are mentoring someone, right?

Another thing you can do is open up your network to them. Introducing others to people you find inspiring and helpful helps build a lot of character around people willing to accept advice, be open to new things, experience diversity of thought, and have a lot of gratitude because you need to enjoy the moment. To be the best mentor and to accept a mentor’s advice, you want to always focus on doing the right thing and doing the best with what is in front of you. Allowing people to take the driver’s seat has helped and empowered me to work through some of my confidence. It has helped me build control over topics that I want to talk through and challenges that I want to address and feel confident while being able to set the tone of all that as well.

Carmen Jackson

Manager of Quality Engineering at LexisNexis Risk Solutions

About Carmen:

Carmen has 29 years of IT experience, serving the last 16+ at Risk, moving into leadership in 2015. She is the co-President of Risk’s Women in Technology ERG, and her greatest superpower is empowering and encouraging others to realize the best within themselves.

Gina: How does your intersectional identity as a woman influenced your outlook on the world?

Carmen: My outlook on the world was impacted by my core values and not necessarily by my intersectional identity. I do not consciously think of viewing situations as a woman of color. But, as I reflect on this, to some, that might seem a little naïve not to walk in the skin that I am in. But there were experiences where my defense mechanism was to close off certain emotions, and numbness became my security blanket. So it was a lot easier for me to navigate life without adding that layer of intersectional identity to the mix. As I got older and started to understand where my passions were and what my purpose was, I had to let go of that security blanket. With that, along with the whole flood of emotions that have been buried for so long, came the revelation of who God designed me to be. I had to step in and own/accept that being a woman of color was part of my purpose. So, my experiences, the good and the bad, the joyful and sad, all contributed to who I am and how I view the world.

A perfect example is that I had become numb to the unconscious biases of other people and the hate that I saw in the world. I had this moment where I started to connect to the world on a deeper level because I was connecting with the hidden parts of myself. So, I must admit, for the first time in my life, I can recall. We all know about George Floyd. When I heard about that and saw the video, I sat on my couch, and my eyes burned. I realized that was the impact of my intersectional identity on the world. I started to care much more profound because I accepted everything I had gone through and learned as a woman of color. How can I use this to be of service when I look at the world and its situations and issues?

Gina: For every 100 men promoted to a manager position, 86 women are promoted (McKinsey). In your opinion, how can we change or provide some support to fix that and help to even the playing field?

Carmen: This is interesting because, as we look back, human culture began with women having fewer rights than men and having a designated play and purpose in society, which did not include us sitting at the table next to men. We live in a culture where it is a man’s right to sit at the head of the table versus us having to prove that we deserve that seat. Even in my career, I was on a fast track as I moved to higher levels as an individual contributor. Still, as I began to aspire for leadership roles, I was questioned about my readiness. Even though I had consistently received exceptional reviews in the past, it goes back to not associating that with my identity, but looking at my values, that response did not feel quite right versus maybe my identity as a woman of color may be impacting or having something to do with my career not advancing or stalling at a certain point. We need support that will eventually lead to a change of behavior, a shift in mindset, and things like sponsorship or a more inclusive recruitment process. I think it is important to have effective accountability for diversity.

Lori: Something that is sticking with me is the readiness to accept when opportunities come your way and the feeling that you are excited and empowered to say yes, to step into that role. I think that does tie back into what we are talking about, empower, encourage, and educate, and how you can work to build that into women early on as they start their careers so that when those opportunities come, they do not let fear and doubt take over to say, I am not ready, you should go to someone else. That was a great takeaway.

Kelly Bengtson

Vice President, Audit & Compliance Officer at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota

About Kelly

Kelly provides strategic direction and overall management for Blue Cross’ internal audit department, enterprise risk management program, compliance, and special investigations unit. In this role, she is responsible for all compliance and audit activity including the execution of the annual risk-based audit plan, compliance with Annual Financial Reporting Model Regulation (MAR), ensuring corporate-wide adherence to all applicable laws, regulations and government health care program requirements, promoting an ethical work culture and facilitating the enterprise risk management framework.

Gina: How do you consider and care for your own mental health and the impacts of that in the workforce?

Kelly: Being in health insurance, mental health is our top priority right now. Specifically, to your question, my mental and emotional health directly impacts how I show up as a leader, wife, mother, friend, etc. It is something that I have also personally prioritized, we all call the time that we take away from work PTO, but I genuinely believe in mental health days as well. That is something that I encourage my team to take as needed because it is for the betterment of the entire team. For the work aspect, it is hard to focus and do your best work if your mental or emotional health is not the best. I also encourage people to take physical breaks during the day. With the pandemic and everyone sitting in front of the screen, that can weigh on your mental and emotional health.

Gina: What experiences in your own life inform your understanding of the importance of mental health?

Kelly: It goes back to 2017. There has been a lot of negative coverage around behavioral health services or a lack of services provided by health insurance companies to our members. In addition, mental health parity has become a high-profile matter for our regulators, the Biden administration, and advocacy groups, and then adding the pandemic to mental health. The need for that has increased significantly. As a society, we have evolved positively not to have that stigma when talking about mental health, but progress is still being made. Mental health cannot take a back seat to physical health. They are both equally essential, and I am confident that mental health is more important. Many times, we see when our mental or emotional health is not in a good place, we experience related physical ailments. So, I have a great opportunity because I just took on a new team a year ago around mental health parity and compliance, and we have a lot of great work to do. We have a lot of challenges too. But we have an excellent opportunity to increase that access to mental health services and reduce the health equity gaps that we see again that was also highlighted during the pandemic. These are critical to address and take action on.

Yoon Ettinger

Associate General Counsel at Southern Company Gas

About Yoon

Yoon J. Ettinger serves as Associate General Counsel for Southern Company Gas. She leads a 22-member team responsible for labor and employee relations, claims and leave management, civil litigation, and regulatory affairs. In this role, Yoon collaborates closely with operational clients and internal stakeholders to achieve business objectives and mitigate legal risks across operations in Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee, and Virginia. She also serves on multiple non-profit boards and is an active advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Gina: What kind of workplace decisions can be affected by unconscious biases, and how can we reduce those?

Yoon: Every decision inside and outside of work is affected by unconscious bias. I want to start with a story a friend shared with me. She was living in Virginia and interviewing for a job in Atlanta. She flew to Atlanta, had a great interview with her potential supervisors, and they decided to take her out to lunch, which was a great idea, especially since she was coming from out of town and did not know where to eat. They took her to their favorite burger restaurant, and I have been there. It is delicious, but she is a vegetarian. She was a good sport, and they ultimately laughed about it and offered her the job she took. This is an excellent example of unconscious bias. You assume that everyone eats meat. We hear a lot about unconscious bias affecting hiring, promotions, and raises, but it affects everyone every day, inside and outside of work. So, what can we do to reduce these biases? I have heard some people ask why we should even bother with unconscious bias because we are unaware of it. What is the point of trying to talk about it or address it? That is the challenge. We are all walking around with these biases ingrained into who we are, our view of the world that we do not even realize. I think a David Foster Wallace quote sums this up well. These two young fish swim along, and they meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, morning boys, how is the water? And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually, one of them looks at the other and goes what the hell is water? That is unconscious bias. We are swimming in water that we are not even aware that it is there. What an organization and DE&I does is educate their employees about unconscious bias, which exists in all of us. We all have blind spots, but you have to educate yourself on common blind spots and figure out what your blind spots are.

An example could be a woman who speaks too loudly is aggressive. Another example could be a more introspective woman is not assertive enough to be a leader. So, raising and educating people about the fact that these exist, some of the common ones, and how they can affect your decision-making is a great way to teach about unconscious biases and reduce them. Another important thing an organization can do is give people tools on how to reach or not react when confronted with an unconscious bias. Understandably, we will be upset because we did not even realize we were holding these ideas. For example, I am an Asian woman. I do not know what it is like to be an African American, Hispanic, or White woman, but I do want to support all women or all people, but I know at some point, I might offend someone. That is just the inevitable. We are all going to offend someone at some point in our lives. So, the question is, how will I react when someone tells me that I hurt them somehow? I can be defensive and make accusations back, or I can respond with empathy and, wisdom, self-reflection. I think those are some ways that organizations can teach their employees to learn, to recognize their own unconscious biases, and know how to deal with them and give people space to have that self-reflection so that the next time, they can catch themselves earlier and we can make some progress together.

Gina: How do you think unconscious bias affects inclusion?

Yoon: It has a huge impact on inclusion. The way I like to think about inclusion is that you cannot just invite someone to the dance. That is not necessarily inclusive. You have to include them in the planning of the dance. Speaking from a personal experience as a lawyer for 16 years, I have been in many conference rooms where I have been the only woman. As Carmen said in her portion about intersectionality, I was the only Asian American and person under 50 in the room. There have been times when I have been asked to be the note-taker. Maybe because I was a woman, the youngest, or the new person at the company, or perhaps they thought I just had the least amount to contribute. I do not know. But, there have also been times when I have walked into the conference room with those three and have been asked to participate actively, and my opinions have been actively solicited. Those are the rooms that I want to create and be in. Returning to the message of empowerment, we all can empower others, ourselves, to make the type of inclusion we want. We may not be in charge of the entire company, but in that room, and especially in that meeting, you can create those inclusive spaces if you can lead it. So, even if your organization struggles with DE&I or bias, you can always lead by example and be inclusive in your meetings. There have been times when I have felt unsafe speaking up. That speaks to the idea that I am like, ” Oh, I should have just said that. Do not censor yourself, be smart about it because spaces are unsafe, and you do not necessarily want to put yourself out there, but please speak up. If you feel there is space to speak up and propose processes to make the room a little more inclusive, you could suggest that you rotate the note-taking responsibility. That way, we take turns. So we all have the power to bring inclusivity into our daily lives. We all can do some self-reflection and introspection to figure out what our own unconscious biases are, and we can change the room and the tone of the room one conversation at a time.

Swooner of the Quarter recognizes one of our team members for going above and beyond for the quarter. Swooners submit nominations describing how that individual made the most impact and why they deserve this award.

Congratulations to Madeline for being awarded the Swooner of the Quarter! As a Technical Recruiter, she has demonstrated exceptional skills in placing amazing candidates with our clients. Her dedication and hard work are truly commendable.

Title: Technical Recruiter

Peer Quotes

  • Although she is still new, Madeline has been CRUSHING it. She is so amazing to work with and will do great things at Swoon!

  • Madeline has embraced her fighting spirit throughout 2022 and has become a pillar of the TREX Delivery Team.  There is no challenge she is not up for, and we are incredibly grateful to have her on our team.

  • Madeline has been dedicated to the growth of TRex since she joined. Her ability to identify top-tier W2 candidates is unparalleled. I couldn’t think of someone more deserving of Swooner of the quarter!

We’re honored to announce that Sara Riggs has been promoted from Vice President of Recruiting to Senior Vice President and Head of Swoon Staffing.

Sara has had quite the journey at Swoon, and we are so proud to see her rise through the ranks and accomplish everything she has set out to accomplish.

See what Sara had to say about the future of Swoon!

What excites you about the future of Swoon as a whole?

“The opportunity – there is so much opportunity at Swoon, and it’s yours for the taking. Our growth over the past 13 years has been tremendous, and this is just the tip of the iceberg.”

What do you think makes Swoon so unique?

“The people – our Swooners are what make Swoon so special. There is so much inspirational collaboration, pride, intensity, motivation, strong leadership, and a strong desire to succeed.”

What are you most excited about with taking on this new role?

“I’m excited to create even more collaboration between Sales and Recruiting. We need each other to be successful. It’s a true partnership – a relationship and synergy that works best together and in lockstep. I’m excited and honored to take this partnership to the next level!”

The next few years will be the most exciting as we all work towards our goal of beating $1B in revenues, and Sara’s leadership for Swoon Staffing will promote that growth and help us achieve our goal.

“Sara leads with sincere humility, a style of leadership that focuses on identifying with others to understand their point of view. She is approachable and genuinely inspires the team with clear direction and goals. She is an incredible mentor for all of us at Swoon as she can execute, implement, and make big things happen, all while keeping everything tremendously fun,” Lori, President.

With the new year comes exciting changes and a new chapter for Swoon!

We are excited to announce that Lori Miller (Kalbfleisch), former Executive Vice President of Sales, is making history by becoming Swoon’s first female President.

Lori’s journey within Swoon has been nothing short of amazing. She began as a Technical Recruiter in Swoon’s sister company at the time, NextGen Global Resources. Then, she transitioned to Swoon and quickly rose through the ranks as the Director of Relationship Management and Professional Recruiting, Vice President of Major Accounts and then the Executive Vice President of Sales.

Swoon has a strong foundation and culture at all levels, and we will continue to grow within our industry because of the people that make up Swoon. Having Lori as our President will push us to our next stage, and we are excited for the journey ahead.

See what Lori had to say about the future of Swoon!

What excites you the most about being President and the future of Swoon?

“This team can make magic happen. Swoon doesn’t seem to set boundaries for what we are capable of, which means the next 10 years will be incredibly exciting and filled with unexpected opportunities! The Swoon team aspires to be an extraordinary organization rather than an ordinary one. This ambition means that not every day is easy, but every day is worth it. Swoon Staffing and Consulting service endeavors to be a benchmark in the industry and among the best in the world.”

What do you think makes Swoon so special?

“It is rare to find a staffing company where contractors, clients, and internal employees that you speak with all say, “I love Swoon.” We have worked hard to put ourselves on the map… and we have caught the audiences’ attention! That is a testament to our talent and what we do here together as Swooners.”

There is no doubt that Swoon will continue its growth trajectory under Lori’s leadership with more success, collaboration, and wins.

“The Women’s Initiative Network (W.I.N.) at Swoon focuses on enabling women’s voices, breaking biases, celebrating women, and championing success with strong allyships. The appointment of Lori Miller (Kalbfleisch) as Swoon’s first female President is monumental and historic for our organization. Most who have worked under Lori’s leadership recognize her passion and determination to represent the Swoon brand with the utmost responsibility and respect. Aside from always driving the business forward with innovation and collaboration, she has always been involved in our community, charity, and DE&I initiatives. We are proud to have many women in leadership positions throughout Swoon and strongly empower each one to keep growing in their careers. Lori sets the bar high as an example of the organic growth we foster here, and we cannot wait to see where Swoon goes under her leadership,” Mark DeDeckere, Chair of Women’s Initiative Network.