Culture
DEI is rooted in the CalPERS culture, mission, vision, and core values of: balance, openness, accountability, respect, integrity, and quality. We strive to continually bring best practices into our culture through compliance with DEI-related laws, policies, and procedures while asking ourselves how we can further increase awareness, build mutually rewarding relationships, and encourage collaboration and innovation. Our goal is to create a workplace where every team member feels valued, respected, and has a sense of belonging.
We continue our focus on creating safe spaces for inclusion through two of our employee resource groups (ERGs) and the CalPERS Diversity Outreach Program (CDOP). One of our two DEI-related ERGs, the CalPERS Disability Advisory Committee, was recognized for the second year in a row as the Disability Advisory Committee of the Year by the Association of California State Employees with Disabilities and the Statewide Disability Advisory Council.
As the pandemic continued to impact our team members mentally, physically, and emotionally, we continued supporting them through training and development, and by providing wellness and recognition resources. Finally, we continued to collect data and bolster resources to understand and continuously strengthen team member experiences regarding respect, equality, trust, and inclusiveness.
Key Highlights
- Launched an Employee Onboarding Survey using a third-party survey provider (Perceptyx) who also administers CalPERS Exit and annual Employee Engagement surveys. New, rehired, and newly promoted team members are invited to share how they feel about the onboarding process including recruiting, hiring, and starting their role at CalPERS. The survey is administered at various stages within the first 90 days of employment and serves as a foundation to measure how engaged and invested a new team member is, how well they have integrated into the organization, how quickly they are fulfilling their roles and responsibilities, and how likely they are to stay with the organization. The Onboarding Survey plays a critical role as it interfaces with the annual Employee Engagement and Exit surveys. Data from these surveys helps us assess how engaged team members are, their commitment to the success of the organization, and if they are feeling part of the team.
- Implemented The CalPERS Comeback, a 5-week campaign to help reestablish our culture upon returning to the office after two years of working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign was designed to assist new and existing team members with increasing engagement, creating connections and building community, and acclimating them with the CalPERS culture. Utilizing Yammer (CalPERS internal social media tool) team members received information, resources, and interactive activities such as polls, photo sharing, scavenger hunts, and local businesses to visit. In total, the campaign generated 5,517 unique views, 170 comments, and 1,117 unique engagements among team members between February 24 and April 1.
- Provided continuing education to CDOP team members. These team members earned the Diversity and Inclusion Certificate through eCornell and are using the knowledge gained in the trainings they host at CalPERS.
- Developed a CalPERS DEI Certificate Program to increase proficiency and to equip team members to become DEI Ambassadors. This self-paced program will be implemented in the next fiscal year.
- Published a 2022 DEI Calendar and launched an annual campaign to raise awareness of DEI holidays and observances on Inside CalPERS, the intranet for team members. Campaign topics included: Disability Pride Month, Women’s Equality Day, Suicide Awareness Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, New Year Celebrations Around the World, and National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, Black History Month, Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, National Volunteer Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, and LGBTQ+ Pride Month. We also recognized national and statewide heritage awareness months.
- Curated SharePoint webpages to educate ERG members about Returning to the Office, Black History Month, Autism Acceptance, and LGBTQ+ Pride.
- Hosted a lunch-and-learn film discussion on the award-winning Netflix documentary Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution to increase awareness of the pride and positivity felt by people with disabilities during Disability Pride Month. Participants stated they strongly felt the event helped foster a work environment that values individual differences and contributions.
- Provided multiple channels to recognize team members’ achievements, length of service, and retirements, resulting in 3,416 team member recognitions.
- Maintained a language fluency list of bilingual CalPERS team members across the enterprise who volunteer their interpreting and translating services in 26 languages.
- CalPERS 2022 Employee Engagement Survey enhancements included:
- Addition of two self-reporting demographic questions based on feedback from CalPERS’ ERGs and CDOP to ensure we are inclusive of and capture engagement for all individuals that work at CalPERS.
- What is your Disability Status? (Derived from CalHR’s Change in Disability Status Survey)
- Have you ever served in the United States Military? (Derived from CalHR’s Statewide Employee Veterans Survey)
- Revision of two self-reporting demographic questions:
- Ethnicity response options were updated to be consistent with the March 2022 version of the State Employee Race/Ethnicity Questionnaire.
- Gender terms were updated to be inclusive of how individuals perceive and express themselves.
- With 124 members and an average meeting attendance of 64, we steadily grew membership in two ERGs, the CalPERS Diversity & Inclusion Group (CDIG) and the CalPERS Disability Advisory Committee (CDAC). Members expressed their passion and interest in DEI during the one-hour monthly meetings and actively spread awareness of DEI topics in our workplace.
- Hosted D&I Advisory Council bi-monthly meetings where stakeholders from across the enterprise work together to support the CalPERS’ strategic goals and tactical initiatives, as identified in CalPERS’ Strategic Plan and Business Plan.
- Crafted and delivered 70+ Valentine’s Day cards for residents at the Pioneer House, a senior living community across the street from CalPERS Headquarters.
- Participated in the Best Buddies Friendship Walk to raise awareness and funds to support individuals with all levels of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). With 38 team members who raised $2,693, the CalPERS team was the third-highest fundraising team and the largest group team at the Sacramento walk in 2022. Best Buddies International is the world's largest organization dedicated to empowering 200 million people with IDD by helping them form meaningful friendships with their peers, secure successful jobs, live independently, improve public speaking, self-advocacy, and communication skills, and feel valued by society.
- CDOP, CDIG, and CDAC officers consulted with the following four state agencies to assist in the development of their employee resource groups: California Public Utilities Commission, CalTrans, CalFire, and the Department of Water Resources.
- CDAC vice-chair and treasurer served as panelists in the California Civil Rights Officers Council Steering Committee meeting. They shared best practices on how to successfully run a disability advocacy committee employee resource group.
- Initiated improvements for the employee demographic data collection and the Employee Engagement Survey to better understand the needs of our diverse workforce. CDOP and the Human Resources Division (HRSD) collaborated on this effort so CalPERS can better create effective and inclusive collaboration zones where team members can build strong, lasting relationships.
- Hosted meetings among CDOP, HRSD, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Office (EEO) to identify areas where CalPERS can innovate effective solutions to foster a truly inclusive and equitable environment where all team members feel they belong.
- Facilitated innovation and developed strong relationships through the CalPERS Informal Mentoring Program, which supports learning about other areas of the organization, capitalizing on the breadth of experience in our diverse workforce, and enhancing professional and personal development opportunities. Achievements this year included launching a self-service Mentoring Event Tool Kit to conduct virtual and in-person networking events and promoting Illuminet, an internal self-service social networking tool that helps team members promote their skills, pair with a mentor, and engage in knowledge sharing.
- Increased leadership involvement with ERGs through working groups, service on the CalPERS Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Council, and more frequent communication with the CalPERS Senior Leadership Council.
- ERG officers gave presentations at all-division meetings to provide education and awareness about DEI topics and to invite additional team members to join ERGs.
- Equipped team leaders with a communication skill-building workshop to enhance communication and build team cohesiveness. After the workshop, team leaders received a toolkit to help guide further discussions.
- Optimized CalPERS-approved virtual meeting platforms and developed best practice resources to help team members conduct inclusive virtual meetings.
- Implemented campaigns to encourage veterans to complete the CalHR Statewide Employee Veterans Survey and team members to complete the Change in Disability Status Survey. Survey results help us evaluate our workforce demographics and possible future needs of our talented and diverse team members.
- Offered New Employee Orientation to 167 team members and managers. In this orientation, CDOP covers CalPERS’ DEI philosophy, fundamental concepts in DEI, and information regarding EEO and ERGs to encourage new team members to engage with DEI efforts at CalPERS.
- Introduced gender-neutral bathrooms at the CalPERS headquarters to align with CalPERS’ commitment to DEI. Gender-neutral bathrooms provide a safe, private facility for transgender, genderqueer, and gender non-conforming people, families with children, and people with disabilities.