Announcing the IAPD DEI Task Force

Editor’sPerspective

by Susan Avery, CAE
IAPD CEO

rade associations like IAPD serve many functions for members like you. We provide in-person events where learning and networking happens, such as the Annual Convention (and new connecX experience this year) and the recently completed Leadership Development Conference. There are also regional events, such as the golf tournaments, that serve as an opportunity for people who would not typically travel to one of the larger events to network with other IAPD members. The Women in Plastics educational workshops have been a wonderful forum for women (and men!) to learn and network and become connected to the larger community of performance plastics professionals. The IAPD University educational offerings give members free or low-cost ways to train their employees. Many members use the IAPD University training as a standalone way to onboard their new employees, others use it in conjunction with their own proprietary training. The training offerings are designed so that companies can engage in the programming as it works best for them.

Trade associations also monitor outward threats and opportunities for the industry that they serve. For example, IAPD’s government relations program has been instrumental in blocking legislation that would otherwise devastate member companies. Plus, the GR team has ensured that legislators understand the sustainability benefits of performance plastics. Although the anti-plastics attacks are still going on, thanks to the GR program we are monitoring them and standing up to misinformation whenever we see it.

As we hear from members about issues that you are facing, IAPD leadership discusses these issues and will often approve the formation of a task force to study this issue. Volunteers are then recruited from the membership to join this task force. In some cases, board members will recommend people within their companies as possible volunteers because these people have the right skillset and/or a passion for the issue to be studied. In this issue, you will see the work done by several of these task forces: the Supply Chain Efficiencies Task Force, the two Workforce Development Task Forces and the Recycling Task Force.

I am pleased to announce that IAPD leadership, recognizing the importance of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the workplace, has approved the formation of a DEI Task Force. This working group had their kickoff meeting at the Leadership Development Conference in June. They will meet frequently for the remainder of the year and I will share updates about their progress. While we are in the early stages of their work, you can expect this group to compile resources and best practices to share with you.

Why DEI?

To start, it’s good for your company’s bottom line: A McKinsey report showed that diversity correlates with better financial performance. Such a finding should not be surprising. After all, having varying viewpoints and backgrounds can help companies both find new opportunities as well as avoid possible pitfalls. For example, I recently heard about a relatively new shopping mall in a major city that already had to undergo a major renovation that was going to cost the company millions of dollars. Why did they have to spend so much money? The only women’s restrooms in the mall were located at the end of a long corridor off the parking garage. Women did not feel safe using the restrooms there, so they were shopping elsewhere. Had a woman been on the all-male team of architects, this flaw might have been pointed out and they could have changed the design prior to construction.

“Creating a culture where everyone feels like they belong can help with employee productivity and retention.”

Also consider the changing demographics not only in the United States, but in many countries around the world. Whereas the older generations in the workplace may have lived and worked mostly around people who look like themselves, the up-and-coming generations are much more accustomed to being around different races and ethnicities. Inclusiveness is important to them and can be a selling point for your company when you are trying to hire your next generation workforce.

Creating a culture where everyone feels like they belong can help with employee productivity and retention: a KPMG success story showed that a feeling of belonging was linked to a 56 percent increase in job performance, a 50 percent drop in turnover risk and a 75 percent reduction in sick days.

I am excited to see what the talented IAPD DEI Task Force discovers. The tools they create will be shared with IAPD members via special communications, in this magazine, via social media and on the IAPD website. Let’s all do our part to make the performance plastics industry an appealing and inclusive one for all, employees and customers alike.

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