Tune-In-Tuesday – Transcription Episode: March 9, 2021 Announcer (00:00:27): This month's installment of Tune in Tuesdays is a two-part episode highlighting Developmental Disabilities Awareness and Women's History Month. We'll hear an update from Wendi Safstrom, Executive Director of the SHRM Foundation, about the work the foundation is doing on behalf of the workplace as well as an update on the foundation's partnership with the Entertainment Industry Foundation and the Delivering Jobs Coalition, an inclusion campaign dedicated to creating pathways of employment and leadership opportunities for the neurodiverse community. Announcer (00:01:01): Later, SHRM's Chief of Staff, Corporate Secretary and Head of Government Affairs, Emily M. Dickens, will sit down with Elke Suber, Associate General Counsel of the Microsoft Corporation, and Khadijah Sharif- Drinkard, Senior Vice President of Business Affairs at ABC News, to discuss how to navigate the challenges, opportunities, and transitions into, out of, and through the workplace. Announcer (00:01:28): To begin this month's program, please welcome Wendi Safstrom. Wendi Safstrom (00:01:35): Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to this month's Tune in Tuesday. We are bringing you a special two-part program this time as we recognize Women's History Month and Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. Both are important topics to SHRM and the SHRM Foundation and our purpose of supporting inclusive workplaces that benefit business and society. Wendi Safstrom (00:01:56): I want to start, though, by bringing you the latest updates from the SHRM Foundation. We have been busy and we're excited about our new projects. As you may know, the foundation's mission is to mobilize the power of HR and activate the generosity of donors to lead positive social change at work and in the world. For us, that means removing barriers and ensuring a robust pipeline of gifted, diverse talent that flows into the HR profession, equipping people from all walks of life with the skills and experience to manage the realities of the 21st century workplace. Wendi Safstrom (00:02:28): So, I am proud to announce the launch of SHRM Foundation's registered apprenticeship program. We call it HR RAP, and it will shape the next generation of HR leaders and our future workplaces. With support from the US Department of Labor, HR RAP will bring HR career opportunities to new sources of talent. The program focuses on bringing new talent into the HR profession by reskilling displaced workers, upskilling existing employees, and reaching out to people just entering or re-entering the workforce. Just last week, we made HR RAP official with a joint SHRM Foundation-Department of Labor signing ceremony. HR RAP is designed with SHRM members in mind, and you'll help lead your organization to close the HR skills gap, diversify your workforce, and build a skilled employee base unique to your business. Page 1 of 23 Tune-In-Tuesday – Transcription Episode: March 9, 2021 Wendi Safstrom (00:03:19): The program's already up and running with apprentices ready to join your team right now. It takes between 18 to 24 months for an apprentice to complete the flexible program. If you're interested, just get in touch with us via the foundation website. Wendi Safstrom (00:03:34): Our next bit of good news is our research partnership with Walmart. Thanks to a generous grant, we've embarked on a study of the marketplace of untapped talent. Knowing we've got to measure what we treasure, the research focuses on bringing more veterans, people with disabilities, older workers, and people with criminal histories into the workforce. You can find this research on our website as well. Wendi Safstrom (00:03:57): And finally, the foundation's Employing Abilities at Work Initiative is moving from strength to strength. The initiative's goal is to support businesses and HR professionals as they manage the employment lifecycle for individuals with disabilities. For too long, employers have overlooked these valuable and committed workers, or they've been unsure as to how to recruit and support them, or perhaps they think they're too costly and cumbersome to hire. We aim to bust the myths around employing peoples with disabilities, and this website is a great place to start. Be sure to check it out in the episode resources below and share the URL with our networks. Wendi Safstrom (00:04:34): As part of our commitment to Employing Abilities, the SHRM Foundation is also partnering with the Entertainment Industry Foundation on this issue, and we have got a treat for you. As part of today's program, we'll hear from Nicole Sexton, President and CEO of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, Anthony Shriver, Founder, Chairman and CEO Best Buddies, Angela Geiger of Autism Speaks, and a Special Olympic Global ambassador from Special Olympics. These four amazing organizations have formed the Delivering Jobs Coalition, which is an inclusion campaign dedicated to creating pathways of employment and leadership opportunities for the neurodiverse community. We're also joined today by Joey Travolta from Inclusion Films. They have all come together to join us in recognizing Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. Voiceover #1 (00:05:26): Delivering Jobs is a campaign that aims to help create one million employment and leadership opportunities for people like me. Voiceover #2 (00:05:36): For people like me. Voiceover #3 (00:05:37): For people like me. Page 2 of 23 Tune-In-Tuesday – Transcription Episode: March 9, 2021 Angela Geiger (00:05:38): There are approximately six and a half million people with developmental or intellectual differences in the United States. Mary Davis (00:05:46): Only 36% believe that people with intellectual differences can be leaders. Angela Geiger (00:05:54): One, it's about getting employers ready to employ people with autism. The second component is getting people with autism and other disabilities ready for the workforce. And the third is building community so that people are more supported. So, part of the reason that it's so important for employers is because this is a workforce that can really help them. Mary Davis (00:06:13): What we do in Special Olympics is ensure that our athletes have the necessary leadership skills that empowers them to go on and do other things in their lives, including having jobs. Anthony Kennedy Shriver (00:06:29): This is Kennedy Shriver, I'm the Founder and Chairman of Best Buddies, and I just wanted to give a huge shout out and appreciation to SHRM for your incredible commitment to Delivering Jobs, and to Best Buddies, and to supporting and hiring people with special abilities, people with intellectual disabilities, people with special skills. I can't think of anything better, if you're in the HR business, of hiring and encouraging employers to bring people with special abilities into the workforce. Anthony Kennedy Shriver (00:06:56): It makes your workforce more diverse, more dynamic, more exciting, more compassionate, more loving, kinder, and every company that does it, they become more profitable, they become more appreciative of their jobs, and they love their workplace, and they work harder, and they have great success. When you do good, good things happen to you. I know that from the bottom of my heart. I've been at this for 30 years. I'm excited about Delivering Jobs. We're finding hundreds and thousands of jobs, and we're inspiring people all over the world to hire people with special abilities. It's our future to have these people in the workforce, because when they're in the workforce, they feel loved, they feel kind, and they're paying taxes, they're earning an income, and we're doing a good thing. Anthony Kennedy Shriver (00:07:38): So, thank you so much for your passion, for your energy. I hope you'll keep going at it. I want to hear about it and I want to be more involved, so let me know how I can help. But I want to thank all of you for your incredible commitment to Delivering Jobs, Best Buddies, love SHRM, way to make it happen. Joey Travolta (00:07:54): Hi. I'm Joey Travolta, Founder of Inclusion Films, a practical film workshop for adults that are neurodiverse. So, the piece that you just saw, Delivering Jobs, was produced by Inclusion Films, and most of the crew and cast were made up of students or actors that were also neurodiverse. I'm at the Page 3 of 23 Tune-In-Tuesday – Transcription Episode: March 9, 2021 right place here with the SHRM family, and HR is a big, big factor in getting people with disabilities hired. For years, all I heard was, "If we hired somebody with disability, it would be an HR nightmare." Well, I'm here to tell you, I have three employees that I've had for over seven years. They're the best employees that I have. They show up early and leave late. Please help us get people that are neurodiverse hired in the field. Thank you. Renee Manfredi (00:08:48): Experiences from sports combined with leadership and training and opportunity give our athletes the skills and attitudes to become great leaders, competitors, and teammates in the workplace and communities. Leadership training help us get jobs and keep jobs. After the training, we feel more confident and comfortable in the workplace. We are better advocates for ourselves. This helps us to be more effective colleagues. SHRM's support for Delivering Jobs means more employers will be interested in hiring, training, and including people with intellectual disabilities.