Question: What are the most significant strengths of your company’s diversity and inclusion plan?
Monica Bailey
Chief People Officer
GoDaddy
Sector: Technology
GoDaddy’s diversity and inclusion strategy is guided by a mix of research, collaboration with thought leaders, and feedback from our employees and our leaders. We partnered with Stanford’s Clayman Institute to craft consistent performance criteria that extends to how we evaluate employees for promotion. The work has paid off — we’ve seen growth in promotion rates for women and minorities, with equal likelihood of achieving top performance marks.
Employee feedback led to the launch of a new career development program. Our internal career portal features resources that offer transparency into the expectations for roles across the company and tools to help guide career conversations.
Ninety percent of our employees say, “My manager creates an environment that allows me to be myself at work.” We believe that a sense of authenticity and belonging are crucial in an inclusive culture and help our recruiting team to bring more diverse talent to GoDaddy. Our annual diversity and pay report shows increased representation of women and minorities year over year, and we’ve achieved pay parity (equal pay for employees in the same job and location, regardless of gender or ethnicity) for the last several years. We’re proud of our commitment and progress in developing a team as diverse as our customers, and continue to strive to learn and improve because we know this work is never done.
As head of GoDaddy’s people and culture, Monica Bailey is responsible for talent and performance management, total rewards, learning and development, hiring, inclusion and partnership with our people and leaders worldwide. Since joining GoDaddy in 2013, she’s been instrumental in leveling and career structure, pay parity and an employee feedback engine to improve GoDaddy’s culture and company.
Prior to GoDaddy, Bailey worked at Microsoft for 17 years She also ran her own coaching and consulting firm. Bailey holds a Bachelor of Science in psychology and communications, with a focus on women’s studies from Washington State University.
Michael H. Bill
Chief Executive Officer
MJ Insurance
Sector: Insurance
Many organizations understand the value of a diverse, equitable and inclusive (DE&I) workplace, yet struggle to establish and foster a program with impact. Creating a formal DE&I program is no easy task, which is why we partnered with outside professionals and invited employee participation.
MJ’s DE&I initiative is central to our purpose — “to inspire the success, fulfillment and well-being of each person we serve.” Our formal program will be built by an employee-led DE&I Council along with the consultants and MJ executives from our Value Creation Team. We believe this collaborative approach will best leverage our individual talents, and it was incredibly encouraging to review the tremendous number of thoughtful responses submitted as part of the council application process.
At MJ, our DE&I program isn’t simply a “check the box” initiative. Our council members are passionate about representing the diverse voices of all employees, and because we are starting with a bona fide, deliberate plan built by a committed team, we believe we will cultivate meaningful change that can continue to evolve in perpetuity.
Michael H. Bill joined the MJ Insurance team in 1992, became president in 2001, and was named chief executive officer in 2006. As a purpose-driven leader, Bill offers his unique visions, broad experience and wealth of knowledge to all he comes into contact with while focusing on the positive impact he may have upon key constituents — MJ associates and their families, clients, partners and the community.
Rebeca Lopez
Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer
Milestone Pediatrics
Sector: Healthcare
Diversity in the workplace in this ever-changing environment can help attract top talent and achieve results. At Milestone Pediatrics, we strive to create a sense of belonging for employees. Our diversity and inclusion plan is derived upon a pillar of having a sense of connection to the company. This breeds creativity and a feeling of being yourself within the organization. In our field of providing therapy services to children with developmental disabilities, we cannot have a one-size-fits-all approach. We must think outside the box to fit each individual’s needs. This really works for our organization as our therapists can freely express themselves through their therapeutic approaches.
The results we have achieved so far have been great. Our employees are empowered to reach out to leadership via engagement surveys to voice their opinions on how we can improve. Our diversity and inclusion plan of having a sense of belonging creates conditions that allow every employee to contribute in their own unique way. By working together, we can see employees thrive and grow within our organization.
Rebeca Lopez is the chief operating officer and a co-founder of Milestone Pediatrics. She brings more than 20 years of experience that ranges from nonprofit work, entrepreneurship and leadership boards to philanthropy abroad. She is a social entrepreneur who has spent her career advocating for individuals with disabilities. Lopez holds a master’s degree in business administration and is currently working on a graduate certificate in healthcare law and policy.
