The population in Central Florida becomes more diverse each day, like many of the nation's other metro areas — and that means diversity and inclusion no longer can be used as marketing buzzwords for area businesses.
Making all workers feel safe and included requires hard work, tough conversations and key initiatives. And it's for a very good business reason, as there are 133 million multicultural Americans who account for 37.5% of the U.S. population in 2019, according to Claritas, a Cincinnati-based consumer segmentation insights company that spun off from New York-based ratings firm Nielsen. People from varying backgrounds — including gender, age, disability, sexual orientation and religion — can help a company better reflect its customers and/or client base, provide different perspectives that can generate more success and create a more vibrant workplace that, in turn, can attract and retain top talent.
In this week's The List, Orlando Business Journal featured the region's top law firms ranked by number of Central Florida attorneys. Many of the firm's leaders said they have taken steps to ensure they can meet the needs of a new, more diverse clientele, not to mention their own workforces.
Click through the photo gallery above to hear what they had to say about their most effective diversity policies and programs for this ever-changing dynamic.
Rachel Gebaide, partner; diversity committee chair; and labor and employment law group chair, Lowndes: "We host internal educational programs throughout the year to celebrate the history of a variety of cultures and ethnic groups. We commit financial support and volunteer time to diverse Bar associations, chambers of commerce, and affinity groups, and we support all attorneys in their leadership roles in these organizations.
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