It’s important to understand that equity, the quality of being fair and impartial, means we don’t all start from the same place. Equity in the workplace starts with commitment and alignment. Rhonda Cox, vice president of people and culture for St. Paul & Minnesota Foundation, shares why equity is important to her and what inspired her to want to shape, create and influence workplace culture to be more inclusive and equitable for colleagues. Listen to the episode or read the transcript.

Finding ways to “create, shape and influence” workplace equity

Cox was born in Detroit, MI, and attended Howard University. In the years following graduation, she lived in Washington, D.C. She moved to the Twin Cities and worked for large for-profit organizations. While she excelled at the work, she found herself “responsible for executing” other people’s strategies. Cox found she wanted to have the opportunity to “create, shape and influence” strategies of her own, especially when it came to DEI initiatives and equity in the workplace.

Cox says past experiences as a woman of color in the workforce helped shape the kind of standards she wanted to set for those who came after her. The disrespect she received was, she says, “pivotal points in my work experience. It really shaped how I wanted to lead in the future.”

“I wanted women to have leadership experience and tools and resources to influence different behavior as it related to their own experience,” Cox says. Achieving these goals requires a commitment to DEI and a lot of buy-in from peers and others. Cox got to work.

“Equity has to be ingrained in who we are,” says Cox. She says she thinks about her own workplace, the St. Paul & Minnesota Foundation, where equity is built into the strategy.

“It’s not an exercise in voicing to leadership that we need to do x, y or z. It starts with commitment,” says Cox.

Another important component of her job is making sure people understand what equity means in the first place. “It’s that we don’t all start out from the same place,” she says. Organizations must ask themselves how they can make sure equity is embedded in the culture.

Workplace equity and retention

Equity has long been connected with employee retention. Employees who don’t feel valued or feel discriminated against aren’t likely to stay. Cox says equity is at the forefront, but her organization has a different outlook on retention since, as a philanthropic organization, they want to see their people leave and go out into the world to make a difference.

“We want to bring people in, work on building their abilities, and take that and bring it to others,” she says.

Cox acknowledges that she’s in “a really privileged place” because equity work is built into her organization. But even so, challenges can arise when it comes to the status quo. When that happens, Cox says they put together focus groups of staff and the people most impacted by possible outcomes.

“We involve people, and that's where we've had the most success but also the most uncomfortable conversations,” Cox says, recalling how just six years ago, there was a question of whether or not to use pronouns on business cards.

Making the case for DEI in all sectors

Cox is in philanthropy, but equity should be a part of all sectors. And that starts with trust.

When starting or implementing DEI work anywhere, “you have to build trust,” Cox says. “People have to believe that you’re there for good and not for ill. And you have to listen.”

DEI in the philanthropic space looks different depending on what the organization is and what they’re trying to accomplish. She says, “It depends on who they are at their core and how they want to show up in the community. It depends on what their leadership believes and who they are at their core. People who go into philanthropy are there because they want to do good. But what that means is different for everyone.”

Philanthropy is for everyone

Philanthropy is evolving, and more people are choosing work with a purpose. Cox cites the George Floyd murder and COVID-19 as two big events that forced people to reflect on their choices and think, “Where do I want to spend my time?”

Cox suggests that even if you’re not connected to a foundation or an organization, there’s plenty a person can do on a philanthropic level. She says to ask yourself what causes are near and dear to your heart. There are low- and no-cost boards to be a part of, advisory councils and volunteer opportunities. Volunteering, Cox says, is a great way to figure out if an organization is the right one for you: “You get to control your level of engagement.”

Cox says she’d like people to consider are that equity means we don’t all start from the same place, so how do we level the playing field? She’d also like people to know it’s important to take into consideration what others have and have not experienced as it relates to philanthropy. Growing up in church, she says, she’s been philanthropic without even knowing it. “People are more philanthropic than they might ever realize,” she says.