DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION & BELONGING
What our pets teach us about diversity and inclusion.
We’ve always been at odds with the expression, gone to the dogs. It’s usually used as a negative as in “this place has gone to the dogs”. We don’t get it. We’ve always felt that the world would be a much better place if people were more like our pets. There’s a lot we can learn from them.
Are all Goldens the same? Does every Frenchy act the same way? Are all tabby cats alike? Of course not! All pets are individuals and have their own unique personalities with different strengths, skills, characteristics, sizes, temperament, energy level and more. With all of their differences, they each have the potential to add positive value to their environments and to the lives of their humans by being exactly who and what they are.
That’s the idea behind PetPeople by Hollywood Feed’s approach to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. By suspending judgment when we encounter people we perceive as different, it gives us an opportunity to learn more about their individuality, personalities and value their differences. By joining our individual differences, we become stronger and achieve more.
Diversity is all the ways we, as humans and people, are different. It transcends race, gender and ethnicity. It may include veteran status, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, marital status, education, disabilities and more.
Inclusion refers to having an environment where individuals can live, play and work to achieve their personal and professional goals; without being singled out, excluded or treated differently. Similarly, inclusion in the workplace means that our business can leverage the unique abilities of everyone to achieve our mission and goals.
This approach fits so well with our core values. At PetPeople by Hollywood Feed we believe that we’re in this together. Our goals are to continue to build relationships, be passionate for not only pets, but people, and to continue to learn and build our knowledge so that our involvement in our communities can make a difference.
Here are some of the diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging initiatives we’ve put in place over the past year:
- Leadership diversity training
- Company diversity training
- Formation of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council
- Monthly internal diversity recognition and education
- Paid volunteer days
