Wilmington, DE – Today, Governor Jack Markell announced the latest step in his administration’s support to improve upon the working climate in State government and toward ensuring that, as Delaware’s largest employer, the state becomes a model for addressing any form of workplace discrimination.

“Delaware’s government must reflect the rich diversity of the community we serve,” Governor Markell said. “I remain committed to ensuring that we foster a healthy, supportive, and responsive work environment for all employees, and as part of that work we have hired Ivy Planning Group, a leading management consulting firm, to conduct an independent, comprehensive review of State policies, procedures, and organizational structure. They will support our effort to create a more diverse and inclusive environment where employees are confident they will be treated fairly.”

This summer, the State announced that as part of its ongoing efforts to create an inclusive work environment for public employees, it would retain an outside firm to conduct an independent review of state human resources policies and provide recommendations to state leaders. Last week, the Governor met with senior leaders and staff of Ivy Planning Group to commit the State’s full support to the firm and to emphasize the importance of its work for state employees and the citizens they serve. That meeting kicked off Ivy’s work, and the firm anticipates completing its mission as well as presenting a final report and recommendations to the Governor by the end of the year.

In addition to its review of State policies, procedures, and organizational structure, the State seeks recommendations from Ivy regarding the organizational structure of state Human Resources functions and the roles and responsibilities of other State groups related to Equal Employment Opportunity, Anti-Discrimination, and Affirmative Action matters. Its specific scope of work related to hiring, retention, promotion, and discipline matters includes, but is not limited to:

• Extensive document review;
• Evaluation of State government workforce data;
• Site visits across state agencies;
• Interviews with agency directors, executive teams, and human resources staff;
• Survey, focus groups and interviews, as appropriate, with a diverse cross-section of State employees who will remain anonymous across every department and agency;
• Engagement with community members and other stakeholders; and
• Best practice research.

“Ivy Planning Group believes that diversity and inclusion represent a significant workforce, workplace, and community opportunity for the State of Delaware,” said Janet Crenshaw Smith, President of Ivy Planning Group. “We look forward to helping the state identify and remove any barriers, and leverage any internal or external best practices to realize its vision for diversity and inclusion.”

Today’s announcement follows sustained work by the Markell administration to make Delaware the best possible place to work. Those efforts have included:

• An e-mail sent by the Governor to all state employees encouraging them to attend public hearings convened by Delaware faith leaders and others;
• Thorough investigations of specific personnel matters reported to state officials;
• Development of an online Diversity and Inclusion toolkit, which provides agencies with additional resources regarding policies, strategies, and best practices;
• Funding secured to retain a third-party to conduct a statewide climate assessment; and
• A significant increase in state employee participation in diversity-related courses and unconscious bias training.

“We celebrate our state government’s diverse workforce but are mindful that we can and must do more,” the Governor said. “I have been concerned by reports I have received that state employees at times feel as though their advancement options may be limited or that their recourse for grievance must too often be made through the manager that they believe is the source of the problem. We’re committed to leading the way to being a fully inclusive employer through strong policies and consistent practice, as well as a welcoming culture, and I look forward to receiving and implementing the recommendations presented to us at the conclusion of this review.”

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