Inclusivity Leads to Innovation
by Elizabeth
While this post does not directly speak to digital care issues, it is relevant to the topic of innovation. I am actively involved with Prime Health community here in Colorado. As a co-chair of the Inclusivity working group, we are always searching for information and resources to help our members maximize creativity, innovation and productivity through inclusive business practices.
This recent Massachusetts employment legislation, as reported by the NY Times, highlights one way in which we can all contribute to innovation by becoming more conscious of our cultural biases. From the article:
By barring companies from asking prospective employees how much they earned at their last jobs, Massachusetts will ensure that the historically lower wages and salaries assigned to women and minorities do not follow them for their entire careers. Companies tend to set salaries for new hires using their previous pay as a base line.
“I think very few businesses consciously discriminate, but they need to become aware of it,” said State Senator Pat Jehlen, a Democrat and one of the bill’s co-sponsors. “These are things that don’t just affect one job; it keeps women’s wages down over their entire lifetime.”
Is your company asking your job applicants to share previous salary information as part of your hiring process? If so, you may be perpetuating the pay equity problem. Remember that minorities must be put in the context of the industry or job function – which could be men in positions such as nursing or early childhood education. This data does not just apply to women, age and ethnicity.
Let’s not wait for Colorado to pass a law in order to stop the cycle and do the right thing. It’s up to us to build Colorado’s digital health ecosystem based upon respect and equality. Simple changes in process or policy can go a long way to increasing our innovation and competitive edge as companies, health organizations and a digital health community.
Posted in: digital health