Dawn Frazier-Bohnert
Senior VP and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Liberty Mutual Insurance Group
Liberty Mutual Insurance
Headquarters: Boston, MA
Business: Insurance
CEO: David H. Long
Employees: 55,000
Website: www.libertymutualgroup.com
LIBERTY MUTUAL EMBRACING DIVERSITY THROUGH ENGAGEMENT, INNOVATION AND MARKET COMPETITIVENESS
Diversity and inclusion is actively being integrated in the way Liberty Mutual Insurance does business and in just three years it’s already resonating with its 55,000 employees. The company’s D&I framework is connecting employee engagement, innovation and market competitiveness.
“Diversity is not only about race, gender, sexual orientation or perspective – diversity is about ‘all of us.’ This idea is woven into our mission and vision statements and is an integral part of everything we do,” said the company’s Senior VP and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Dawn Frazier-Bohnert.
Under her leadership, Liberty Mutual is launching programs and strategies to connect diversity and inclusion to engagement, innovation and market competitiveness. As a result, “the employees are increasingly reflecting the diversity of our clients, customers and communities we serve,” Frazier- Bohnert said.
Her team has developed a consistent platform along with the language to communicate the company’s D&I mission and business case to employees. This framework was designed to engage the workforce and help them embrace D&I initiatives with open communication. “Without the support and acceptance of all employees, no D&I program can be successful. Employee engagement is critical to our success,” she said. “We’ll continue to invest in it to create a stronger global organization,” she added.
AWARENESS CAMPAIGN THE IMPACT TOUR
Her department includes eight professionals who develop and implement the strategy in partnership with HR colleagues and business leaders across the enterprise to drive the company’s D&I initiatives. “We are providing the tools and direction for our employees to champion a diverse and inclusive workplace,” she said.
As part of this, the team launched an awareness campaign called the IMPACT Tour to drive this message across the enterprise. The acronym stands for: Innovation, Mindset, Personal Commitment, Alignment with Principles, Customer/ Community and Talent.
The tour visited multiple cities across the United States and held in-person sessions as well as utilizing live streaming and on demand technology to make the sessions available to all employees. The goal was to involve all employees and make everyone accountable for building a more inclusive work environment.
As a result, a foundation for development began with the rollout of an Unconscious Bias Awareness program to all employees. The program gave employees a uniform language to talk about the impact of bias and is currently being integrated into the company’s core management curriculum.
ERG’S ARE AN ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT
Liberty Mutual’s Employee Resource Groups are another essential ingredient of its D&I strategy. The company has five ERGs focusing on employees of African Descent, Asian Americans, Latino/ Hispanics, LGBT, and Women and Allies. This year they are planning on launching a sixth group for Veterans. “The ERGs are open to everyone and allies are an important component of the program’s success,” Frazier- Bohnert said.
When building the group for Women and Allies, the company knew the importance of finding ways to engage men in the group. Frazier- Bohnert’s team created the Engaging Men strategy which is unique from the traditional ways of focusing on women’s advancement exclusively.
“Our ERGs raise employee engagement, help us attract and retain talent, and provide an inroad for reaching our expanded customer base,” Frazier-Bohnert said. With a strong foundation in place, the company’s focus is now on greater integration of D&I principles into core business processes, or as Frazier- Bohnert describes it, “looking at everything through a D&I lens.”
HIGHLIGHTS OF LIBERTY MUTUAL’S RECENT D&I RECOGNITION INCLUDE:
- Profiles in Diversity Journal – Diversity Leader Award
- 2020 Women on Boards – Gender Diversity list
- Equal Opportunity – Top 50 Employer’s list
- Arnold Rosoff Award – Marketing to Promote Inclusion for diverse social media campaign
- Boston Chapter Black MBA – Outstanding Dedication and Leadership Award to
- Gary Morton head of Liberty Mutual’s African-American ERG