Tennessee Voices, Episode 262: Ebonee Davis-Ifeobu, Bridgestone Americas DEI vice president
As employers contend with recruiting and retaining workers in the time of the Great Resignation, human resources professionals find that a key component to meeting employees' wants and needs is creating an environment that invites them to be their "whole selves" at work.
Companies are looking to reflect the communities they serve in their offices and removing barriers that marginalize differences, be it because someone's race, background or faith, for example.
Ebonee Davis-Ifeobu, the vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion, at Bridgestone Americas, spoke about her company's commitment to employees on this episode of the Tennessee Voices video podcast.
We spoke about the meaning of DEI and retention strategies that create a sense of belonging in the workplace for employees.
Bridgestone Americas' headquarters is in Nashville and while it is a transportation company, it is also looking to create solutions for less congestion, she said.
A fellow Chicagoan, Davis-Ifeobu talked about the importance of DEI training, connecting human-to-human, creating spaces for vulnerability, and building relationships of trust.
While diversity, equity and inclusion are related, they are not synonymous terms, and we spoke about those differences and why they matter.
Op-Ed by Ebonee Davis-Ifeobu: How Bridgestone Americas has stepped up its commitment to equity and inclusion
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The Tennessee Voices videocast is a 20-minute program, which started in March 2020 and invites leaders, thinkers and innovators who have written guest columns for a USA TODAY Network Tennessee publication to share their insights and wisdom with me and our viewers.
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David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee and an editorial board member of The Tennessean. Tweet to him at @davidplazas.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Voices: DEI with Bridgestone Americas VP Ebonee Davis-Ifeobu
