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Together We Thrive: Promoting Psychological Safety at CDW

June 3, 2024  |   Dei

June is Pride Month, a special time to celebrate the diversity and inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in our communities and workplaces. At CDW, we are committed to creating a culture of belonging where everyone can be their authentic selves and thrive. This year, our BRG Pride theme is psychological safety, which means feeling comfortable to express our perspectives, ideas, and concerns without fear of judgment or retaliation. Psychological safety is essential for fostering innovation, collaboration, and well-being among our coworkers and customers.  

To celebrate, we asked members of our Pride Business Resource Group to share their proudest moments and how they foster psychological safety in the workplace. 

Maureen DeWitt

(she/her) Senior Manager, Hybrid Infrastructure 

What has been your proudest or best experience being part of the Pride Business Resource Group? 

Leading the book club in 2023 was a great way to connect with a smaller group of other community members and allies to discuss how we could be better leaders for the queer communities at CDW.  

How do you foster and promote psychological safety for LGBTQ+ individuals in the workplace? 

I like to establish boundaries on my team for others to feel comfortable being themselves. This includes being intentional about inclusive language, stopping any microaggressions and doing our best to overcome our unconscious bias when in new or unique situations.  

How do you believe allies can contribute to creating a more inclusive and supportive workplace for LGBTQ+ individuals? 

It’s always great to know who allies are. These can usually be spotted easily by those who include their pronouns in their email signature, sporting rainbow flags in some way or ensuring to ask inclusive questions like ‘what are your pronouns’ in meetings.  

Ksenia McAllister 

(she/her) Category Manager, Lenovo 

What has been your proudest or best experience being part of the Pride Business Resource Group? 

I feel the proudest when I see my mentees and coworkers succeed. Leading the BRG gives me an opportunity to develop the best talent and help them achieve their career aspirations. Over the last year, not only did I help rebuild the BRG leadership team with the best talent at CDW, I also worked with several mentees who achieved promotions or moved to a desired career position. I love seeing their success and growth at CDW! 

How do you foster and promote psychological safety for LGBTQ+ individuals in the workplace? 

Fostering psychological safety for LGBTQ+ coworkers require a multi-pronged approach that addresses both cultural norms and individual interactions. We first focus on building the culture of inclusion by normalizing pronoun sharing, driving inclusive benefits, conducting DEI trainings, celebrating diversity, and promoting BRGs.  

Then we emphasize psychological safety by respecting autonomy, bystander intervention training, open communication, clear anti-discrimination policies, and visible support from leadership. All of this helps create a workplace where LGBTQ+ individuals feel comfortable being themselves, leading to increased engagement, productivity, and overall well-being. 

How do you believe allies can contribute to creating a more inclusive and supportive workplace for LGBTQ+ individuals? 

As an ally, being part of the Pride BRG has been a rewarding and humbling experience. It's opened my eyes to the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ colleagues and empowered me to become a stronger advocate for inclusion. For me, allyship is about using my voice and privilege to create a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQ+ coworkers. It's about actively promoting diversity and challenging any instances of discrimination. The Pride BRG provides the perfect platform to put allyship into action. By fostering a strong sense of allyship, we've been able to create a ripple effect throughout the company. 

 

–CDW Coworkers

Learn how our coworkers promote a culture of inclusion, diversity, equity and belonging at CDW. 

 

 

June is Pride Month, a special time to celebrate the diversity and inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in our communities and workplaces. At CDW, we are committed to creating a culture of belonging where everyone can be their authentic selves and thrive. This year, our BRG Pride theme is psychological safety, which means feeling comfortable to express our perspectives, ideas, and concerns without fear of judgment or retaliation. Psychological safety is essential for fostering innovation, collaboration, and well-being among our coworkers and customers.  

To celebrate, we asked members of our Pride Business Resource Group to share their proudest moments and how they foster psychological safety in the workplace. 

Maureen DeWitt

(she/her) Senior Manager, Hybrid Infrastructure 

What has been your proudest or best experience being part of the Pride Business Resource Group? 

Leading the book club in 2023 was a great way to connect with a smaller group of other community members and allies to discuss how we could be better leaders for the queer communities at CDW.  

How do you foster and promote psychological safety for LGBTQ+ individuals in the workplace? 

I like to establish boundaries on my team for others to feel comfortable being themselves. This includes being intentional about inclusive language, stopping any microaggressions and doing our best to overcome our unconscious bias when in new or unique situations.  

How do you believe allies can contribute to creating a more inclusive and supportive workplace for LGBTQ+ individuals? 

It’s always great to know who allies are. These can usually be spotted easily by those who include their pronouns in their email signature, sporting rainbow flags in some way or ensuring to ask inclusive questions like ‘what are your pronouns’ in meetings.  

Ksenia McAllister 

(she/her) Category Manager, Lenovo 

What has been your proudest or best experience being part of the Pride Business Resource Group? 

I feel the proudest when I see my mentees and coworkers succeed. Leading the BRG gives me an opportunity to develop the best talent and help them achieve their career aspirations. Over the last year, not only did I help rebuild the BRG leadership team with the best talent at CDW, I also worked with several mentees who achieved promotions or moved to a desired career position. I love seeing their success and growth at CDW! 

How do you foster and promote psychological safety for LGBTQ+ individuals in the workplace? 

Fostering psychological safety for LGBTQ+ coworkers require a multi-pronged approach that addresses both cultural norms and individual interactions. We first focus on building the culture of inclusion by normalizing pronoun sharing, driving inclusive benefits, conducting DEI trainings, celebrating diversity, and promoting BRGs.  

Then we emphasize psychological safety by respecting autonomy, bystander intervention training, open communication, clear anti-discrimination policies, and visible support from leadership. All of this helps create a workplace where LGBTQ+ individuals feel comfortable being themselves, leading to increased engagement, productivity, and overall well-being. 

How do you believe allies can contribute to creating a more inclusive and supportive workplace for LGBTQ+ individuals? 

As an ally, being part of the Pride BRG has been a rewarding and humbling experience. It's opened my eyes to the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ colleagues and empowered me to become a stronger advocate for inclusion. For me, allyship is about using my voice and privilege to create a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQ+ coworkers. It's about actively promoting diversity and challenging any instances of discrimination. The Pride BRG provides the perfect platform to put allyship into action. By fostering a strong sense of allyship, we've been able to create a ripple effect throughout the company. 

 

–CDW Coworkers

Learn how our coworkers promote a culture of inclusion, diversity, equity and belonging at CDW. 

 

 

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