A Message to Colleagues About Recent Racist Events

Like so many people, over the last few days my family and I have shared our sadness and outrage at the chilling racist events of the last week.

Below is a message I shared with my colleagues at ManpowerGroup earlier today…

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Dear Colleagues,

Like you and your families, over the last few days my family and I have shared our sadness and outrage at the chilling, racist events of the last week. The tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the horrific incident in New York’s Central Park are the latest of many episodes angering swathes of our communities, across the U.S. and beyond. 

Following a weekend of protests and unrest in many cities across the country, including in our own community here in Milwaukee, I want to reinforce to all our ManpowerGroup employees, associates and clients that we take this as a stark reminder of the importance and urgency with which we all must address these inequities. When our society is broken for some, it is broken for all of us. And where we have the power, the influence, the tools and the opportunity to be a part of fixing this, we must stand together, and we must act together.   

Covid-19 arrived as a health crisis, now evolving into an economic and a social crisis. While it impacts everyone, we must be open in acknowledging that it doesn’t affect everyone in the same way. In every instance black and brown people in the US have been disproportionally impacted, adding to the inequalities and injustices that already existed for too long. This is a stark reminder that we still have a long way to go to make our communities and workplaces more equitable, more inclusive, and better for all. 

At ManpowerGroup, we believe in human potential and we advocate acceptance, respect and inclusion.  We remain committed to do all we can to fight racism and to strengthen diversity, equality and inclusion within our great company, and in the communities in which we live and operate. We also know, from our vast experience in labor markets across the world, that we must engage and include all available talent and ignite human potential to sustainably grow prosperity around the world. It is the right thing to do, and it is what we must do to prosper. 

I confess that I do not know all the answers to rectifying many decades of racism and inequality.  But I do know that I want us, by living our values, to be part of the solution. And I know that we will never stop working towards creating a better and more equal workplace where everyone feels welcome, listened to and seen, and able to unleash their human potential. We will never shift from our purpose – that meaningful and sustainable employment has the power to change the world. We will always take seriously our responsibility and our commitment to reach, assess, train and upskill people of all communities because we do know that work, education, skills and aspiration are critical parts of community cohesion and prosperity.  

We are proud that our workforce is diverse, yet we acknowledge we have more work to do.  For every employee in our organization, particularly those of color, I want to say clearly that we are with you, we support you and we hear your pain and anger. And where there is more we can do, we will listen, we will learn and we will change. We are committed to doing our part and being part of the solution.