Diversity Department
City of Tempe

Vision: "With Diversity Comes Strength"

Diversity in the workplace is an inclusive process whereby the City benefits from the combined skills and experience of all employees at every level and position. The goal of creating an inclusive workplace is to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse community.

Safe Haven:
The Diversity Office was created to serve all City of Tempe employees.  One of the most important roles of the Diversity Office is to serve as a safe haven for any employees experiencing discrimination, based on race, color, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, familial status, age, disability or United States military veteran status, retaliation or a hostile work environment.  Employees can feel comfortable knowing the Diversity office is independent from the normal chain of command.  Dr. Velicia McMillan Humes, Chief Diversity Officer is available to meet with employees either in a city office or offsite, 480-350-8970. Safe Haven Guidelines

SOLVE:
Employees are encouraged to utilize the SOLVE process to resolve workplace conflict. 

Tempe PRIDE LGBTQ+ Alliance

PRIDE: Promoting Respect, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equality

Mission: To create a more equitable and safe work environment for all employees through increased aware and education about diversity, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

The City of Tempe has a long history of being inclusive, including the LGBTQ+ community.  In 2006, with the support of the City’s Diversity Office (know known as the Strategic Management and Diversity Office), Tempe PRIDE (formerly Gay-Straight Alliance) was created.  After many years of hard work, the City passed an Anti-Discrimination Ordinance in 2014 indicating that it is unlawful for City of Tempe businesses, to discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, disability, gender, military veteran status, familial status, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

Tempe PRIDE serves as a support organization for the City’s LGBTQ+ employees and their allies.  Additionally, Tempe PRIDE also gets involved in a variety of community events and outreach opportunities.  These events include the following:

• Adopt-a-Mile clean-up on Rio Salado between Mill and Rural (quarterly)
• Phoenix Pride Parade
• One n Ten Fresh Brunch
• One Community Spotlight on Success
• Regional Unity Walk
• AIDS Walk
• Mulligan’s Manor connectivity

The City of Tempe takes PRIDE in being a welcoming and inviting community.  Cities that attract and mobilize people across the spectrum lead in innovation, creativity, and higher learning standards.  Tempe recognizes that the key to attracting people is to recognize diversity in particular.  If you are interested in learning more about Tempe PRIDE, please reach out to the organization’s Co-Chairs by email at GSA-info@tempe.gov.

Alex Chin, alex_chin@tempe.gov

TBD

The Mayor’s Office and Police Department have designated LGBTQ+ Liaisons to serve as a resource for the Mayor, Police Chief, and the public, with the purpose of elevating LGBTQ+ concerns and program opportunities.

Dr. Velicia McMillan Humes, velicia_mcmillan_humes@tempe.gov

Darren Martinez, daren_martinez@tempe.gov

Domestic Partner
The City of Tempe has been offering benefits for Domestic Partners since 1999. These benefits include medical, dental and vision, bereavement pay, and FMLA. Please follow this link for the definition of Domestic Partner.  LGBT Programs and Benefits
 

Inclusion Training
A continued effort of education and training every employee, regardless of status or position, will focus on achieving an inclusive workplace in which no one person or group is provided special consideration over another. The impact of the training will increase the consciousness and appreciation of the differences and recognition of the similarities associated with heritage, characteristics and values of many different groups of people, as well as increasing the respect for the uniqueness of each individual.

Inclusion Training is an eight-hour training which is broken into two four-hour classes.  The course objectives are:

• Understand that inclusion is a business imperative
• Realize the three criteria to workplace satisfaction as established by The Great Place to Work Institute
• Learn the core elements of a healthy workplace that leads to productivity, retention and customer service.
• Identify specific ways our behaviors impact productivity.
• Acquire the skills to repair the five main behavioral disconnects that are the cause of many personnel issues
• Develop a greater understanding of the LGBT community

Jamieson and Gutierrez Audit Report 2002 and Follow-Up Audit Report 2005

Jamieson and Gutierrez presentation to Council from 12-12-02

City-Wide Diversity Recruitment Committee
City-Wide Diversity Recruitment Committee Recommendations

Multi-Cultural Taskforce Report
An Employee Group on Multicultural issues convened in 2005 to identify specific needs of multicultural employees in the City of Tempe workforce as recommended in the Diversity Audit:

“Develop employee task force groups to study feasible additions and modifications to work-life balance
initiatives with an emphasis on diversity enhancement.”

This is a great opportunity for diverse employees of our organization to share their views and experiences and to make recommendations for continued success. The purpose is not to promote a division among our employees, but rather to identify in more detail the needs, areas of opportunity and challenges faced by our diverse work force. It is the goal of the Diversity Steering Committee to gain a greater understanding of the needs of all City of Tempe employees.

The committee consisted of eight members with five individuals coming from each of the 5-Sided Partnerships (since then a sixth partnership was added). The remaining four spots were filled through competitive recruitment. The Multicultural Employee Task Force Committee members were as follows:

Mercedes Blunt, Community Services/Park & Rec.
Andrea Groves, Diversity Office
Mark Stodola, Courts
Robert Lopez, IAFF
Oliver Ncube, Management PW/Field Services
Lily Rice, TEC Community Services/Library
Raquel Romero, City Attorney's Office
Christy Slover, TSC Courts

The Multicultural Task Force compiled their finding in a 24-page report. Multicultural Task Force Report

Women's Taskforce Report
An Employee Group on Women's issues convened in 2005 to identify specific women's issues of employees in the City of Tempe workforce as recommended in the Diversity Audit:

“Develop employee task force groups to study feasible additions and modifications to work-life balance
initiatives with an emphasis on diversity enhancement.”

This is a great opportunity for diverse employees of our organization to share their views and experiences and to make recommendations for continued success. The purpose is not to promote a division among our employees, but rather to identify in more detail the needs, areas of opportunity and challenges faced by our diverse work force. It is the goal of the Women's Task Force to gain a greater understanding of the needs of all City of Tempe employees.

The committee consisted of eight members with five individuals coming from each of the 5-Sided Partnerships (since then a sixth partnership was added). The remaining four spots were filled through competitive recruitment. The Women's Task Force Committee members were as follows:

Amy Douglass, TSC Community Services/Museum
Andrea Glass, IAFF
Peggy Goldberg, Community Services/Social Svcs.
Shelley Hearn, Community Relations/Graphic Design
Lisa Kleinpeter, Community Services/Social Svcs
Carol Martsch, TEC Public Works/Engineering
Cecilia Velasco-Robles/Management/Financial Svcs
Ramon Saiz, Public Works/Sanitation

The Task Force on Women's Issues compiled their findings in a 14-page report.  Women's Task Force Report

The Women in Networking series was created as a response to the Women's Task Force Report.  The Diversity Office offers lunchtime programs focused on topics of interest in assisting women develop their careers.  The program is open to ALL employees.  

Transgender Workforce Guidelines 

Personnel Rules and Regulations Diversity Section   
Diversity Section 408 of Personnel Rules & Regulations

New Employee Orientation
The Diversity Office welcomes new employees every month at the New Employee Orientation. 

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