One of the top goals for many companies in the tech industry is to focus on building a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce. It is also one of our top goals at VentureFizz in terms of helping to support companies on this important mission.
Companies have different approaches as it relates to how they are addressing their diversity, equity, and inclusion goals, so we thought that it would be valuable to profile companies and what they are doing to accomplish their DEI initiatives.
We connected with Amwell, a leading digital care delivery enablement platform, connecting and enabling providers, insurers, patients, and innovators to deliver greater access to more affordable, higher quality care. They support the full spectrum of care needs and power digital health solutions for over 2,000 hospitals, and 55 health plan partners with over 36,000 employers, reaching over 90 million lives.
Please provide a high level statement supporting your DEI mission and objectives?
Amwell’s DEI mission is to educate our organization what diversity, equity and inclusion mean to our employees, elevate our company’s inclusiveness through candid reflection, targeted programs and a culture of openness, and celebrate the rich diversity within our teams. We conduct events, discussions and festivities designed to open dialogue and share employee perspectives and experiences. We seek to grow and evolve on a daily basis, reaching toward industry best practices and following the guidance of DEI thought leaders.
What is Amwell doing to attract a more diverse workforce?
At Amwell, we recognize the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. To attract a more diverse workforce, we are implementing several strategies and initiatives.
Firstly, we have reviewed and will continue to review our job postings to ensure the language is inclusive, and we are posting our job openings in a variety of places to attract a more diverse pool of applicants. We are also partnering with organizations that serve underrepresented communities such as Hack Diversity.
Secondly, we have implemented and continuously look to improve our inclusive recruitment practices to identify and eliminate any biases and ensure that our interview panels are diverse.
Thirdly, we are providing diversity training to our current employees to help them understand the importance of diversity and inclusion. This will help create a more welcoming and inclusive environment for all.
Lastly, we are reviewing our benefits and policies to ensure they are inclusive. For example, offering flexible work arrangements and providing unlimited PTO to give employees the chance to honor and celebrate days that may be of importance to their religion, culture, or ethnic background.
Can you share all the different Employee Resource Groups at Amwell?
Employee Resources Groups (ERGs) are a significant focus for our committee this year, as we recognize the impact of scaling focused groups of a specific dimension of diversity to our professional and local communities.
What other programs do you have to support your DEI initiatives?
Amwell has an internal committee of individuals focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion to help assess our current state, identify goals and build better business practices to support our commitment to equal opportunity for all. This group focuses on grassroots events, recruiting and retention, talent management, procurement and partnerships with minority, women, disabled, veteran, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender led organizations, among other things. Each month the DEI committee puts on cultural and diversity centered events, and this year has been focusing on releasing regular podcast series centered around each month’s theme.
In addition, Amwell is committed to providing education and training to our employees such as IE Conscious Bias Training, Managing Inclusion Training, Inclusive Interviewing Training, and more.
Do you have any data that you’d like to share that demonstrates your diverse workforce?
Where can I find more information about your Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives?
Podcast episodes have been published on LinkedIn as well as other social media outlets.
Hear From Our Employees
Amwell’s DEI initiatives have stimulated candid, meaningful conversations with my colleagues that have taught me so much and brought me closer to the people I work alongside every day. I feel my world view has broadened and my empathy has grown as a result of my participation in Amwell’s DEI initiatives in the last two years. - Emily
