Women in Trucking’s Accelerate! Conference & Expo, a virtual event that features more than 40 educational sessions across five educational tracks, will see the launch of a new program to collect and share best practices in diversity and inclusivity across the industry.
The WIT Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Index, produced in partnership with CarriersEdge, will take a deep dive into the transportation industry’s efforts to create a more inclusive workplace for both driving and non-driving staff. The D&I Index will document the programs that fleets currently use, share best practices that have proven successful across the industry, and recognize creative solutions in different areas.
“Fleets have been seeking new ways to attract people to the industry, and creating a more diverse workplace is a great way to do that,” said Jane Jazrawy, CEO of CarriersEdge. “Some fleets are already having success with their efforts, and this program will share those successes so others can learn from them and build on them.”
The D&I Index is the culmination of a months-long effort from a task force led by Debbie Sparks, WIT’s vice president, and comprising WIT members from both fleets and industry suppliers. The program will collect details from participating fleets about diversity and inclusivity efforts across the entire fleet, from hiring to onboarding, management, coaching, and leadership development. Interviews with company representatives and anonymous employee surveys will be used to capture both program ideas and feedback on the overall effectiveness.
“For 13 years, WIT has focused on improving the workplace experience for women, both on and off the road,” said Ellen Voie, president and CEO of WIT. “While we’ve made great strides on that front, getting from 3% of the driver population to more than 10% now, there’s still more to do. The D&I Index will help us to quantify where we are today with diversity and inclusivity efforts, provide a benchmark to measure our progress against, and a set of proven steps to help on that journey.”
The first edition of the D&I Index will open for applications in March 2021, with results unveiled in Fall 2021. In advance of that launch, the Accelerate! session “Taking Transportation Forward: The WIT Diversity & Inclusion Index,” scheduled for November 12, will outline details of the program, the data collection process, and plans for the sharing of best practices. As well, tips for improving diversity, and building on the inclusivity efforts already in place, will be shared.
“We’ve seen that many fleets are making efforts in this area already, and often don’t recognize just how much they’re already doing,” said Jazrawy. “This educational session will provide tips on coordinating those efforts, identifying and celebrating the successes, and developing a framework for building on them.”
WIT members and non-members can learn more about the conference and register at https://www.womenintrucking.org/accelerate-conference.
