DRAFT DEIB Assessment Executive Summary
and Blueprint
Prepared by Ivy Planning Group
March 22, 2024
Assessment Objectives and Next Steps
Examine and assess the workforce, workplace, and
marketplace performance through a diversity, equity,
inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) lens.
Identify opportunities for the City of Palo Alto to
achieve a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive
workplace, and to enhance the City’s ability to meet
the needs of an increasingly diverse community.
Inform the DEIB Blueprint to drive accountability and change the city has committed to.
Document Review Understand policies and procedures on paper, as they are designed and intended to work. Ivy requested documents related to recruiting, hiring, onboarding, career planning, promotion, performance management, compensation and rewards, DEIB programs, procurement, community engagement, marketing, etc.
29 Interviews
August 2022; Jan 2023; May-
June 2023
Conversations with City Council members, leaders, and process owners, to learn about:
• Our organization’s values and goals; how DEIB fits in • Leader experiences in their own careers, leading others, etc. • How our policies and procedures are working in practice; how this compares to design and intentions All 7 City Council members were invited to participate in an interview, and Ivy was able to speak with 6. 28 Focus Groups
187 Participants
July-August 2023
Groups were defined by demographics, and all were asked the same questions. Participation was voluntary and confidential.
Selection was random within each demographic group (except *). Focus group participation was about 29% of full capacity, which is lower than Ivy's typical rate of 50% in similar assessments.
Individual contributors:
• Asian men
• Asian women & non-binary
• Black and Other POC men
• Black and Other POC women &
non-binary
• Hispanic/Latino men
• Hispanic/Latino women & non-
binary
• White men
• White women & non-binary
Individual Contributors – Sworn Police:
• Asian & Black men
• Hispanic/Latino men
• Hispanic/Latino women & non-binary
• White men
• White women & non-binary
People leaders:
• POC men
• POC women & non-binary
• White men
• White women & non-binary
• Sworn Fire
• Sworn PoliceIndividual Contributors – Sworn Fire:
• Asian & Black men
• Hispanic/Latino men
• POC women & non-binary
• White men
Other Groups:
• HR
• Gen X, Baby Boomers
• Millennials, Gen Z
Analysis Methods • Evaluated on-paper policies through a DEIB lens • Categorized participant statements by categories using content analysis • Identified themes and similarities/differences by demographics • Selected “notable quoteables” to illustrate themes; lightly edited for length and confidentiality Assessment Methods: Qualitative
*Self-identify and volunteer:
• LGBTQ+ & allies
• People with disabilities & allies
5 Key Themes
The City of Palo Alto has some
infrastructure in place that can
enable DEIB success.
Employees often feel they are
treated poorly by the public and
would like more support to
navigate difficult interactions.
The City is missing a structured
approach to DEIB.
Some people processes
encourage while others inhibit
the advancement of Diversity,
Equity, Inclusion, and
Belonging.
The lack of follow-through and
history of exclusionary practices
has made people question the
City of Palo Alto’s dedication to
DEIB.
Key Theme #1
The City of Palo Alto has some infrastructure in place that can enable DEIB success.
Some leaders speak
effectively on the value of
diverse perspectives and
see their role as advocates.
City Council Members, supervisors, and executive leaders communicate the value diverse perspectives bring to informed decision-making. Some reflected an understanding that cultivating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture is pivotal in attracting and retaining employees.
When asked to describe their role and responsibility for advancing DEIB, many emphasized the importance of empowering employees and hearing different perspectives.
Many employees conveyed
the importance of DEIB and
want more dialogue and
resources.
Several employees discussed how reflecting the demographics of the community and fostering a welcoming, inclusive environment enhances the City’s ability to serve residents effectively.
Employees are eager for the opportunity to talk about uncomfortable topics related to race, gender, and other dimensions of diversity and would like more training to advance DEIB in their departments.
The City has engaged in
meaningful work in the
community to advance
DEIB.
From inclusive playgrounds to creating new policies at the Library that enable people to choose their preferred name, the City has made a meaningful effort to demonstrate social responsibility, engage the community, and be philanthropic. There can be a greater return on these investments if the City decides to be more targeted in its approach.
Key Theme #2
Employees often feel they are treated poorly by the public and would like more support to navigate difficult interactions.
Employees not getting the
support they need to work
with difficult members of
the public.
Individuals across all levels of the City say community members often mistreat them. There is a perception that this level of mistreatment is an expectation in their roles and may also be tied to socioeconomic differences.
Many suggested that higher-level employees do not fully understand the emotional toll and challenges employees face when dealing with the public and that citizens can often be valued over staff. There is an opportunity for the City leadership to set better boundaries with the public on how staff can be treated and prioritize their well-being.
Women and nonbinary individuals, People of Color, People with Disabilities, and those who identify as LGBTQ+ expressed experiencing more harm from Palo Alto community members.
Police would like more
vocal and visible support
from City leadership and
the community.
Some members of the Palo Alto Police Department (PAPD) feel their relationship with the public is strained due to mistrust from the community and intense scrutiny in the media. Some officers feel this has impacted their job satisfaction and overall effectiveness and has deterred qualified applicants from applying.
Key Theme #3
The City is missing a structured approach to DEIB.
Employees do not have clear
responsibilities or individual
performance measures for
DEIB.
Race and Equity efforts were launched by City Council in June of 2020 through actions including a public commitment to confronting systemic racism and bias, adopting a Resolution affirming that Black lives matter and approving a Race & Equity Framework, action plan, and mission statement. Several initiatives and programs were also taken on by various departments and committees throughout the City, including, but not limited to, the Library, Children's Theater, Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo, Art Center, Palo Alto Police Department, Human Relations Commission, and City Council’s Policy and Services Committee. In October of 2023 the City hired it’s first Inclusion and Equity Manager.
Despite the previous work, many leaders (i.e., supervisors and executives) say there are no structures to hold them accountable for DEIB. Some recommended including DEIB performance metrics. At all levels of the organization, there is a need to understand individual responsibilities around DEIB.
The City can make a
stronger demonstration of
its commitment to DEIB.
The City Council’s 2023 priorities and the Equity Mission Statement use softer language to refer to diversity and inclusion (i.e., “welcome many perspectives,” putting DEIB efforts under the title “Community Health and Safety”).
Employees across the City, especially women and non-binary individuals, feel they are doing DEIB work without the City Council's or executive leadership's support.
Many City staff are unaware
of DEIB efforts.
Many indicated that they had not yet seen the City’s Equity Mission statement and were not aware of the DEIB efforts happening with the City. There is an opportunity to better communicate what the City is trying to achieve regarding DEIB.
Key Theme #4
Some people processes encourage while others inhibit the advancement of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging.
With the existing strong
value proposition, there is
an opportunity to create
better strategies for
recruiting through a
diversity lens.
Employees shared that they are attracted to work for the City for various reasons, including environmental leadership, employee benefits, and stated or demonstrated inclusion of different aspects of their identity (gender, race, LGBTQ+).
There is not a formal diversity recruiting strategy or metrics in place to ensure diverse applicant pools. Strategies such as career fairs and internships have been sparsely used and often unsuccessful. Interview and focus group feedback suggested the City could do a better job actively recruiting local talent and establishing specific DEIB recruitment strategies.
Talent assessment best
practices are available, yet
many employees distrust
the interview process and
believe bias is prevalent.
According to process owners, best DEIB practices are used in the interview process, including; diverse interview panels, using a standard set of questions for each candidate, and having questions reviewed by the hiring manager and subject matter experts.
Some say that candidate evaluations are unstructured and based mostly on popularity and reputation. Many believe the City should teach how to mitigate bias when conducting and scoring interviews.
Pathways for
advancement are unclear.
People of Color were most likely to say that the promotion process lacks transparency.
Employees mentioned not knowing how to get a position and what they should focus on for improvement.
Performance appraisal processes are strong on paper, but many employees shared that performance reviews are inadequate.
Key Theme #5
The lack of follow-through and history of exclusionary practices has made people question the City’s dedication to DEIB
Past events are causing
some employees to be
distrustful of current DEIB
efforts.
Some past harm was not addressed adequately and still influences how the City of Palo Alto views DEIB work. Some of these incidents include members of the Police suing the City for the Black Lives Matter mural, past micro-aggressions, and culturally significant events not getting the attention many desire. These past events have resulted in a lack of trust that DEIB efforts are genuine.
Lack of follow through is
causing frustration.
Employees across many departments are frustrated that little action has taken place, given the number of plans, assessments, and commitments the City has made. There is a perception that the City of Palo Alto’s focus on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging stems from external pressure rather than from a sincere dedication to DEIB.
Employees with disabilities and allies were vocal in calling for improvement and better follow- through. People of Color expressed an increased burden to lead DEIB initiatives.
The history of
exclusionary housing
practices had a far-
reaching impact.
The Palo Alto community and Federal Housing Administration’s history of exclusionary and discriminatory housing practices has impacted who can and can’t live in the City of Palo Alto.
The City is challenged with addressing the exclusion that has occurred and creating new affordable housing policies that improve diversity and welcome all. 40%
DEIB INFRASTRUCTURE WORKFORCE WORKPLACE COMMUNITY
The City of Palo Alto has a formal and
structured DEIB effort that is well
communicated and measured
consistent with other strategic
initiatives.
The City of Palo Alto has a high-
performing, diverse, and inclusive
workforce at all levels and across all
roles.
The City of Palo Alto has a safe and
inclusive culture that values
communication, transparency,
feedback, and accountability in which
every employee is treated fairly and
with dignity and respect.
The City of Palo Alto will leverage
DEIB to better serve the City’s
residents and partner with diverse
community partners and suppliers.
City of Palo Alto
Equity Mission Statement
The City of Palo Alto is committed to creating a respectful, fair, and professional workplace and city. We will identify gaps, eliminate inequities, welcome many perspectives, and use a collaborative approach to create an environment that works for everyone. The City’s commitment to achieve equity in Palo Alto is the shared responsibility of our residents, organizations, governments, and other institutions.
City of Palo Alto DRAFT
DEIB Goals
DRAFT DEIB Blueprint
GOAL The City of Palo Alto has a formal and structured DEIB effort that is well communicated and measured consistent with other strategic initiatives.
DEIB INFRASTRUCTURE
STRATEGY ACTIONS
1. Formalize DEIB roles,
responsibilities, and
accountability.
a. Every department should have 3 DEIB goals, which include the following: Access to development opportunities, employee satisfaction, surveys/assessments measuring employees’ sense of belonging and psychological safety, inclusive leadership (Active listening, promoting psychological safety, empathy, inclusion decision- making, conflict resolution, etc.), fostering a culture of belonging (provide resources and support for employees to share their experiences and perspectives). b. Identify and incorporate DEIB responsibilities into existing functions and create a behavioral framework for DEIA that identifies the necessary behaviors for different roles.
c. Establish affinity groups (such as Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), committees, or roundtable discussions) that provide inclusion recommendations for serving City staff and education for their respective groups.
d. Define roles and responsibilities in implementing the DEIB strategy; include City Councill and Human Relations Commission. e. Continue implementing and updating the recommendations of the Black and Brown History and Current Experience report and any similar reports. f. Embed DEIB into the current performance review process.
2. Increase
communication on DEIB.
a. Develop a DEIB annual report that reflects progress against DEIB goals, accomplishments, and activities and gives recognition to departments or teams following the DEIB goals and strategies.
b. Add DEIB updates to existing forms of communication, including the employee newsletter, all-hands and manager-specific meetings, and individual notes from the City manager.
c. Create an avenue for receiving feedback on DEIB from City Staff at all levels and departments (e.g., DEIB-specific 360-degree assessment, DEIB office hours, DEIB hotline, or email address).
d. Require leaders to communicate and report on their DEIB progress against their respective DEIB operational plans (See Action 1a). e. Explicitly state DEIB as one of the City’s core values.
3. Build staff and public
DEIB knowledge, skills,
and abilities.
a. Create an education roadmap by level and function to build the capacity of all employees to execute the DEIB strategy, including; requiring all interviewers and panel members to participate in training on fair hiring practices, removing bias and hiring through a DEIB lens. Create trainings that are accessible, comprehensive, interactive, and personal (Potential topics: building cultural competency, pronouns and creating inclusive language, unconscious bias, and allyship). b. Develop and conduct a series of DEIB educational offerings for the public, such as Diversity Dialogues, to position the City as a leader or partner in building inclusive communities and healing, recovery, and reconciliation from historical and current social issues.
GOAL The City of Palo Alto has a high-performing, diverse, and inclusive workforce at all levels and across all roles.
WORKFORCE
STRATEGY ACTIONS
1. Create and Implement a DEI
Recruiting Strategy.
a. Incorporate DEIB behavioral expectations into job requirements, interview questions, and evaluation criteria. b. Track demographic data (e.g., race/ethnicity & gender) on the applicant phase (e.g., applicants → qualified → referred → interviewed → hired) and determine where, if any, gaps exist by demographic in the City’s recruiting and hiring process to make there is not bias in the hiring process. c. Provide recruiters with education and resources for recruiting through a diversity lens. d. Utilize affinity groups (see DEI Infrastructure Strategy 1, Action c) to provide recommendations for recruiting diverse talent. e. Establish a definition of what it means to have a diverse pool. f. Recruit interview panel diversity.
2. Ensure human resource
systems are inclusive and
equitable.
a. Update HR policies, practices, and systems to ensure they are inclusive, use inclusive language, and are fair (e.g., Create opportunities for employees and the public to identify as non-binary, trans, or genderqueer and to choose their pronouns in employment and City documents; bargain with labor groups to expand the definition of disability to include temporary and invisible disabilities and reinstatement of short-term disability coverage). b. Review policies for converting part-time roles to full-time to ensure they do not disproportionately and negatively impact underrepresented groups.
Update policy to allow for employees to work with HR in partnership with their supervisors to receive reasonable accommodations. c. Solicit employee input to identify and implement solutions that address the inclusion needs of specific groups (e.g., gender-neutral bathrooms, accessibility issues, etc.).
3. Ensure fair and equitable
systems for hiring and
promoting.
a. Assess the equity of all talent management processes. Conduct data analysis to determine the equity of talent management systems processes, including hiring, promotion, compensation, and separation. b. Provide appropriate levels of leadership (e.g., department leaders) with access to the demographic data of their division to allow for action planning to identify and address any inequities by demographic.
c. Further define and communicate employee career paths by function/department; require all employees to have individual development plans to make sure employees are fairly developed.
d. Develop tools and approaches to increase the likelihood of unbiased and fair selection for hiring, promotions, L&D opportunities, and other key points of access to opportunity (e.g., select anti-bias ambassadors who are empowered to speak up when they observe unconscious bias impacting decisions).
GOAL The City of Palo Alto has a safe and inclusive culture that values communication, transparency, feedback, and accountability in which every employee is treated fairly and with dignity and respect
WORKPLACE
STRATEGY ACTIONS
1. Update and establish
systems, policies, and
practices that center the
employee experience.
a. Review benefits to ensure they do not disproportionately and negatively impact underrepresented groups (e.g., consider expanding transportation benefits to allow more employees to access them).
b. Highlight and communicate department achievements and success stories across the City quarterly. c. Create and communicate an internal policy for when City staff are mistreated by the public. The policy should highlight the importance of employee safety. d. Create affordable housing for city staff to live in the City of Palo Alto.
2. Build consistent
performance evaluation.
a. Create more consistency in how promotions are decided by documenting and sharing promotion policies, procedures, and criteria for advancement. b. Provide coaching and development for supervisors and leaders who are underperforming on leading their diverse teams. c. Ensure position reclassification policies are consistently communicated, interpreted, and applied.
3. Imbed DEIB into the
culture of the City.
a. Break apart employee survey data by demographic. Require department leaders to include plans to close gaps by the differences identified as part of their operational plans.
b. Establish building more high-quality relationships across difference (age, race, gender) as a leadership expectation. © 2024 Ivy Planning Group | p. 13
GOAL The City of Palo Alto will leverage DEIB to better serve the City’s residents and partner with diverse community partners and suppliers
COMMUNITY
STRATEGY ACTIONS
1. Increase supplier diversity
efforts.
a. Establish supplier diversity vision statement and plan and identify how the current disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) programs support larger supplier diversity efforts.
b. Determine if existing DBE participation goals for U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration-assisted contracts are being met and establish a plan to enhance DBE participation where needed. c. Consider partnering with peer agencies to create a “common app” that allows suppliers to complete paperwork one time that registers them to do business with all agencies.
d. Simplify the procurement process and identify barriers to entry.
2. Intentional outreach to
diverse communities.
a. Understand existing language barriers with the public. Specifically, discover what departments and teams need which specific language translation services to better serve the residents of Palo Alto.
b. Create tools and resources on the City of Palo Alto’s website for DBE for new, small, and minority-owned businesses looking to offer their services to residents.
c. Measure the impact of current community engagement efforts and create goals for which specific communities the City wants to better serve. d. Allow all residents to provide feedback to the City in their language of choice. e. Create more opportunities for feedback from racially diverse and historically marginalized community members by having a suggestion box at every office that has visitors from the public (e.g., libraries, police and fire departments, recreation center, etc.). Let people know that their feedback was received and incorporate feedback into specific outreach initiatives and programs. f. Create a leadership development program that builds communication between diverse leaders and connects leaders with the top issues facing the City of Palo Alto.
3. Build stronger relationships
between City staff and the
public.
a. Host a series of public events that let residents get to know different departments and employees working for the City. b. Create a campaign that highlights and recognizes City Staff to the public of Palo Alto. c. Have incentives to encourage city staff to volunteer within the City of Palo Alto to develop new skills and create stronger community connections. d. Create a summer youth employment program that provides opportunities for young people to earn money while gaining meaningful work experience and building relationships with people who work in the City of Palo Alto.