/ MOBILITY & TECH
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Step-By-Step By Richard Easley, CAPP
D
IVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION (DEI) in the parking industry
means different things to different folks. Oddly enough, not everyone can agree on what those three letters mean. For some, it means that we have qualified minority representation at all levels of the organization. This makes sense because for decades, there has been a dearth of representation beyond white males in the upper ranks. For others it means that the language and jokes that have been part of acceptable speech should come to an end. The folks who have been the brunt of such language and jokes have long put up with offensive and sometimes painful words because speaking out against certain terms and jokes could limit an otherwise promising career path. Perhaps very few people have the right definition or just maybe, they all are right in their understanding of what DEI means. What many don’t quite understand is that DEI touches many aspects of the parking industry. A larger picture of DEI includes: ■ Corporate structure (Does anyone look like me at/near the top?). ■ Staff/transportation professionals (Do the folks making decisions and serving stakeholders come from varied backgrounds that can relate unequivocally with the unique needs of women? People of color? Lower income folks? Non- English speakers? LGBTQ folks?). ■ Educational/hiring opportunities (Are our education and training professionals all white? Do they know the needs of those communities that are not middle income and white? Are we advertising for new hires in the same places or are we advertising in a variety of places where we get exposure to new and underrepresented communities?). ■ Stakeholder income ranges (Do we develop apps that rely on credit cards? Do we think that life would be so much easi-
er in operations if we could just get rid of handling cash?). ■ People of color/race/sex (Do we know about the dangers of taking a shuttle bus at night to/from a dimly lit parking facility as a woman or as a person of color or immigrant who receives threats ). ■ Religion (Do we understand the significance of religious practices and holidays in the lives of our co-workers? Do we understand that not everyone can drink alcohol but can still be a lot of fun? Do we understand that certain foods that we share can be religious taboo for those we work alongside?). ■ Disability (Have we ever walked in the shoes of folks that are sight impaired? Have we spent any time understanding the limitations that come from living life in a wheelchair and utilizing our parking services? How about those who also need EV charging parking?). ■ Sexual orientation (LGBTQIA) (Have we ever thought about the sometimes mean things said about our valued employees’
12 PARKING & MOBILITY / DECEMBER 2021 / PARKING-MOBILITY.ORG
lives that are hateful and hurtful? Have we thought about how those folks must feel and that they continue to come to work and continue to excel in their jobs despite dreading having to deal with mean and bullying co-workers making snide remarks with impunity?). I suspect that very few, if any, reading this story have seriously considered all of these very real DEI issues and have taken steps to address each one. I suspect the response is more one of being overwhelmed. I have always said that people don’t know what they don’t know and this is yet another example of where this is true.
Offering Support The question you should ask yourself about your customers, employees, and co-workers is: In an effort to provide outstanding and award-winning service or a peak, level work environment where they can shine brightly with all their talents and skills, what have I done that supports them when and how they need it? Since you probably haven’t
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