At Optimae LifeServices, our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) team works to provide every individual with a sense of belonging and the tools to thrive. We are steadfast in our authentic commitment to generate meaningful and impactful change in our company and communities. By adopting an always-intentional and ever-evolving educational approach in our anti-discriminatory work, we embrace our core values; above all, respect.
Our DEIB team represents a diverse set of employees from all corners of Optimae. Director of DEIB Holly Stevenson, along with the team, has identified four key initiatives for Optimae: understanding, culture, workforce diversity and advocacy.
Our Four Key DEIB Initiatives:
We aim to enhance DEIB knowledge across Optimae with fun and informative activities like online trainings, trivia games, a book club and our Common Ground newsletter.
We increase advocacy at all levels, such as joining Iowa Businesses Against Trafficking, to make a broader impact.
We’re dedicated to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce. This includes forming the “Diversifying Optimae” group and adding inclusive language to our job postings.
We strive to create a culture of inclusion and belonging where every employee feels valued and empowered. Where they can join our Circle of Strength support group, participate in local events like the One Iowa Gala, honor Juneteenth and see our statements of solidarity in action.
A few significant milestones over the past few years have included recognizing Juneteenth as a company-wide paid holiday, signing the CEO Commitment to Racial Equity in DSM and joining the Iowa Businesses Against Trafficking coalition.
Every month, we roll out initiatives that make a difference. We have:
Our community sponsorships have included events like the Young Women’s Resource Center Gala, Discover Diverse Des Moines, the Business Record’s LGBTQ Legacy Leader Awards and Habitat for Humanity builds.
Each year, Optimae issues a companywide DEIB survey to receive employee feedback regarding our DEIB initiatives. In 2022, Optimae launched our first company-wide DEIB survey, with 78% of respondents strongly agreeing that Optimae values diversity — much higher than the national average of 24% (Harvard Business Review, 2023). In 2023, that percentage increased to 86%.
Looking ahead, we’re excited to develop a comprehensive virtual training program focused on DEIB. Our goal is to better equip our customers and colleagues with the tools they need to live in community with these new initiatives at the forefront.
Optimae values diversity and we encourage everybody, including those from traditionally overlooked identity groups, to apply for our open positions.
—Matshona Dhliwayo, philosopher, entrepreneur and author
Many communities that we provide services in and live in were once occupied by various indigenous people who were forcibly removed from their lands.
Who were the indigenous people of Iowa? The best concise description of the indigenous people of Iowa, the history of their contact and interactions with European settlers and their ultimate removal from the state can be found on the website of the Office of the State Archaeologist at the University of Iowa.
These historic lands are a part of who these indigenous peoples were and are, and we wish to acknowledge, especially as a provider of human services, that these forced removals have created significant intergenerational trauma and disadvantage for these peoples. While we cannot reverse the historical facts with this land acknowledgment, we hope to raise awareness of these facts in the people who currently live in these places and, also, use this acknowledgment to help support and to build real, authentic relationships with indigenous people; those who receive services or work for Optimae, those who still live in these areas and those who have been displaced from these areas.
The creation of our land acknowledgment marks the beginning of a process: to integrate support of indigenous people into the planning and work of our DEIB initiatives.
At Optimae, we know that everyone is deserving of being celebrated for their authentic selves, and we strive to provide the tools that each individual needs to thrive while not only respecting, but also celebrating, their uniqueness. We are intentional in ensuring that our customers, colleagues, communities and company not only have a voice, but a voice that is listened to and genuinely heard. This enables all of us to feel the immense value which we inherently possess and know and feel that we truly belong.
Holly Stevenson | Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
