This post was written by Josie B. H. Pickens, Chief Diversity Equity and Inclusion Officer, and Cherelle Moore, Talent Recruitment and Retention Specialist, Mayor’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The City of Philadelphia is excited to release the first annual diversity, equity, and inclusion plans for 37 City departments and offices. The completion of these plans marks the first time in Philadelphia history that an administration has developed comprehensive, measurable strategies to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion.
As part of the mayor’s commitment to DEI, the plans will assist in continuing to build an inclusive culture within the City’s workforce and will be used as a tool to improve staffing and retaining diverse employees. Each departments’ DEI Plan will be updated annually and measures the City’s progress across seven core diversity, equity and inclusion goals:
- Sustainable Department Infrastructure
- Workforce Equity & Workplace Inclusion
- Impactful Learning & Professional Development
- Budget Equity
- Inclusive Contracting
- Equitable City Services & Community Engagement
- And Racial Equity Action Plan Progress
“Advocating for a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce has been a key pillar of this administration since I came to office,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “We thank all City departments and offices for their commitment to holding ourselves accountable for creating more inclusion within the City’s workforce.”
How the City Will Use Annual DEI Plans to Understand and Improve DEI Performance
The City is using department DEI plans to align and measure the progress of our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. An initial assessment of department DEI plans revealed that most Citywide DEI strategies have been widely adopted by City departments. Departments are required to update their DEI plans on an annual basis.
In 2023, the DEI Office will focus on increasing the adoption rate and performance of Citywide DEI strategies, including those aimed at increasing equitable interviewing practices, refining the use of employee assessment or engagement surveys, strengthening community engagement, and strategies to improve inclusion and accessibility for members of the LGBTQ+ community and people with disabilities.
New Tools to Measure DEI Progress
Since 2016, the City of Philadelphia Mayor’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has developed a series of innovative tools to understand the City’s workforce demographics and to begin to measure the performance of its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. The City tracks workforce diversity through an annual Workforce Profile Report and a recently launched Workforce Diversity Dashboard which provide ongoing data about the City’s workforce demographics and hiring trends.
To accompany the release of department DEI plans, the DEI Office is unveiling the City of Philadelphia DEI Plan Template and the City of Philadelphia DEI Plan Tool. Together, these new tools will allow the City to align its DEI strategy across departments and to begin to assess the performance of the City’s key DEI goals and objectives.
The City of Philadelphia’s DEI Plan Template
To ensure consistency across plans, the DEI Office created the City of Philadelphia DEI Plan Template. This template is designed in accordance with Executive Orders 1-16 and 1-20, which created the City of Philadelphia DEI Office and the City’s Workforce DEI Strategy. Executive Order 1-20 requires all City departments and offices under the authority of the mayor to prepare an annual Employment Diversity and Inclusion Plan, which includes a workforce planning document, a diversity recruitment strategy, and a workforce inclusion plan.
City of Philadelphia DEI Plan Tracking Tool
To assist City departments in the creation of their DEI plans, the DEI Office and the Chief Administrative Officer created the City of Philadelphia DEI Plan Tool, an editable and cutting-edge Microsoft Excel powered tool that allows department leaders to generate their individual DEI plans. Departments used the DEI Plan Tool to identify which of the recommended Citywide DEI strategies and performance measures they have adopted. They also used the DEI Plan Tool to document department-specific DEI strategies and performance measures they are using to advance DEI progress.
The City of Philadelphia invites employees and members of the public to explore these DEI plans to better understand the measurable steps that City departments are taking to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The City of Philadelphia DEI Plan was created by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with creative design support from the City’s Office of Innovation & Technology. The City of Philadelphia DEI Plan Tool was designed by DeWayne Gordon, First Deputy Chief Administrative Officer. For questions about the City of Philadelphia DEI Plan Template or to access a customizable version of the City of Philadelphia DEI Plan Tool, please contact diversityinclusion@phila.gov.
