In 2020, in response to the George Floyd and racial justice protests, DRA’s staff convened a DEI Committee to make recommendations to management to make our organization and our work more diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
When we ratified the CBA in October 2023, we agreed to a DEI article with a reopener to negotiate the article after the conclusion of a report by DEI consultants. Those negotiations are ongoing.
To make DRA a better and more inclusive organization, staff seek changes to our hiring practices, including:
- A Hiring Committee that includes staff members to help mitigate bias and ensure different voices are represented in the hiring process. The Committee would:
- Develop hiring protocols, including job posting locations, structured interviews, consistent standards, interview questions, and criteria for advancing candidates in the hiring process, to recommend to the President & CEO.
- Review and monitor job postings of comparable legal organizations and nonprofits for best practices to compare DRA’s competitiveness.
- Engage in affirmative outreach efforts to schools, professional organizations, affinity groups, and other networks and channels to build relationships and improve outreach to diverse and underrepresented candidates.
- Consider input from the DEI Committee and any other employee with suggestions or recommendations to improve DRA’s hiring process.
- We seek more transparent job postings, that include disability-friendly language, and the the elimination of arbitrary requirements that serve as barriers to underrepresented applicants.
- When there is a vacancy, staff seek:
- A transparent and streamlined interview process that includes staff representation and input.
- Consideration of the diversity of the available hiring pool at every stage of the hiring process
- An opportunity for candidates to speak candidly with current employees before making a decision about coming to DRA.
To read more about our efforts to improve retention, see Protecting Against Burnout.