Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Toolkit for Salem-Area Businesses

Diversity and inclusion in the workplace have become increasingly important to both small and large employers, locally here in the Salem area and across the country. Having a diverse workforce brings new perspectives and ideas to your business, and prioritizing DEI can help attract top talent to your company.

So how do you get started? The Salem Area Chamber of Commerce understands that embarking on this journey isn’t easy. Implementing DEI strategies takes time and effort. The good news is you don’t have to be a large company with a Chief Diversity Officer on staff to get started! You will need buy-in from your leadership, and at least one team member willing to learn best practices and begin implementing them within your organization.

The Salem Chamber has developed this toolkit as a valuable and helpful resource for your company. To learn more about our commitment to this important work, read our Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, which is one step this toolkit recommends all businesses take.

Here are a few things to know before jumping in:

This DEI Toolkit is …

• Designed to be a starting point for your company.
• Meant to be an ongoing process and engage your entire team.
• Intended to promote awareness through relevant examples.
• Likely to help improve your workforce, and your bottom line.

This DEI Toolkit is not …

• Completely turnkey. The concepts in the toolkit will enable you to begin the process, but your company will have to put in the work to implement new practices to achieve your desired results.
• Meant to be tackled all at once. We recommend picking one area of focus and begin integrating it into your company.
• Going to change your business overnight. There is no checklist for DEI, but it will get you started down the right path.

Ready to get started?

Great! The implementation page (page 2 of the toolkit) walks you through some initial thoughts to begin your journey.

• Review the full toolkit to better understand what it has to offer.
• Share the information with key members of your team who will be a part of the process.
• Pick one area to begin focusing on. Read through that section and, with your team, begin to develop a plan to incorporate those practices into your business.

We’re excited that you are committed to a more diverse and inclusive work environment. Our business community’s continued growth in this area will make Salem an even better place to live, work and do business!