Goal #1: To create a more diverse communications workforce
Strategy A: Recruitment and Retention
Tactics | Resources to be used for this tactic | Timeline | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
A1. Create resource manual based on best practices for hiring related to diversity. Add components that relate to our work as communicators. | Internal Staff. Staff time for training. Minimum for print copy. | Date January 2021 | Completion, distribution, and use |
A2. Train Leadership/ Supervisors/ Managers in using the manual when creating job descriptions, creating questions for interviews, reviewing applications and managing hiring committees. Offered biannually and refreshers when new positions are being created. | Internal staff as trainers and in trainings. Possibly outside trainer(s). | Complete by March 2021 Schedule training for extended leadership* | Each department head confirms all supervisors are in compliance |
A3. Create list of sample and standard questions that integrate diversity into job applications – supplemental questions and interviews for communications. Note: This will be part of manual and will include suggestions for reviewing and assessing answers. | Internal staff time | Complete by March 2021 | Completion, distribution, and use |
A4. Create a list of experts to be consulted for creating job descriptions, questions, and interviews for diversity, equity and inclusion issues. Experts can be at UO, area community, or at different educational institutions. Consider diversity advisory board for University Communications. | Internal staff time | Complete by December 1, 2020 Evaluating if search advocate program meets this need and names are provided for our search committee members | Completion, distribution, and use |
A5. Find implicit bias trainings for all hiring committee members and communicate to anyone serving on a hiring committee. | Internal staff time | Complete by November, 2020 Evaluating if search advocate program meets this need and names are provided for our search | Search chairs send a link to all committee members and verify all committee members have attended or viewed a training prior to serving on a committee within one year |
A6. Create supplemental onboarding resources for our diversity, equity and inclusion goals in our division. | Internal staff time | Complete by January 2021 | Each department head confirms all supervisors are in compliance with providing the materials to all (new) employees |
Strategy B: Raising level of cultural consciousness of communications staff
Tactics | Resources to be used for this tactic | Timeline | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
B1. Schedule brief small group discussions during all-staff meetings and lunch and learn diversity topics. | Internal and external resources | Ongoing First lunch and learn completed in June 2020 First all-group session completed in October 2019 All staff meeting summer 2020: Discussion of Me and White Supremacy groups – groups starting in fall 2020 | Note in the meeting minutes the discussion occurred |
B2. Develop specific trainings, activities, and toolkits to support supervisors and employees. Resource list of trainings, activities, and tools emailed 2 times a year | Will inquire with HR and DEI about other schools'/units' activities to see what currently available and where collaboration possible | Ongoing: First training completed March 2019 More being scheduled for 2020- 2021 | VP receives recommendations from UC diversity committee |
B3. Provide opportunities for relationship building – e.g., invite people from diverse communities, groups, etc. to staff meetings to discuss needs of different communities. | DEI staff; general staff connections for units | Completed October 2019, New group in the works for 2020 -2021 August 2020: Completed survey about UO comms work on heritage months to strategies groups and other relevant stakeholders | Note in the meeting minutes the discussion occurred |
B4. Create questions for creative brief and debrief forms. Assess diversity, equity, and inclusion issues on projects and stories focused on underserved populations and major projects. | Internal team leaders with input from diversity committee. Possible outside consultant. | In process: September 2020 | Assign person to collect debrief notes and evaluate themes and opportunities for improvement on a quarterly basis |
B5. Develop required/encouraged expectations for staff annual evaluations. | Communication leadership; DEI DAP committee; HR | Complete by January 2021 | Completion, distribution, and use |
B6. Discuss options for communications conference with focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion issues with call for workshop leaders and speakers from across region and country. | Communication leadership, DEI, partnering schools/units – (e.g., SOJC, development, COE, alumni groups) local groups/orgs, LCC, City of Eugene and professional organizations (PRSA) | Deferred due to pandemic. To be reconsidered. | Completion, distribution, and use |
B7. Highlight the successes of diversity efforts across campus and our division as a way to showcase what is working and going well at all staff meetings. | Communication leadership; DEI DAP committee; HR; partnering schools/units | Ongoing Fall 2020: Look. Listen. Act. Campaign Other projects forthcoming | Completion, distribution, and use |
Goal #2: Create more culturally conscious communications across platforms
Tactics | Resources to be used for this tactic | Timeline | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
C1. Conduct an environmental scan of main university webpages and publications. Identify, recommend, and implement opportunities to represent diversity, equity, inclusion further through assessment. | Analytics team | Complete by July 2021 for main webpages. | Report produced and shared with the VP every two years |
C2. Standardize and publicize best practices for accommodations/ accessibility in communications | Internal staff | Complete by January 2021 Working with UC leadership to identify large vision for the website and how this fits in that work. IS is hiring an accessibility program manager and we are hoping a community and best practice tools will be formed to advise us. | Webpage published and discussed at an all staff meeting. Content should be reviewed regularly replated to UO Policy |
C3. Evaluate how other universities tag images and b-roll to better assist staff in selecting images that best represent our diversity. | Internal staff, internship project | Complete by March 2021 This is underway and will be completed with a new tool on April | Create a summary report on what exists and establish benchmarks |
*Fall 2020 – Due to the pandemic and moving to remote, some of these timelines had to be altered and are now estimates given the unknowns of the future. Additionally, there have been some additions and items that have moved up in time and are now active. For example:
- UO communications will be working in small groups on the Me and White Supremacy workbooks.
- A new combatting racism ad hoc communications group has been formed to work on story telling that addresses racism and equity and inclusion issues.
- A new collection page will be linked to the UO main page that focuses for the year on the idea of Look. Listen. Act. and will highlight stories to that end. This is also in conjunction with the Common Read’s theme and so will help for it to be communicated across campus.