Focus on Diversity & Inclusion, Transparency and Meaningful Action Propels Deltek to Success

By Ed Hutner, SVP of Human Resources, Deltek

Editor's Note: In addition to being named a Top Workplace for 2020 in the D.C. area, Deltek has also been named a Best Place to Work in the Philippines! The Best Employer Brand Awards recognize companies across Asia that excel at fostering a positive working environment and engaging employees through best-in-class human resources practices. Deltek’s Philippines office in Makati has received this prestigious award eight times since 2012.

Today, The Washington Post revealed its 2020 Top Workplaces list in the D.C. area, with Deltek ranking #11 among the Top Large Companies. As proud as I am to have Deltek named a 2020 Top Workplace for the fourth time, I am more proud of how we have come to achieve this honor. 

I attribute a great deal of Deltek’s success to our transparency with employees and our progress we are making with diversity and inclusion. Finding ourselves on this list again tells us we are doing something right.

What Makes Us a Top Workplace

Diversity and inclusion have always been areas of emphasis for us and are part of our Core Values. At Deltek, we take pride in creating a values-driven environment in which team members are comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work each day. We offer all our employees access to LinkedIn Learning courses and webinars tied directly to diversity and inclusion. We have always considered it our responsibility to ensure employees always feel valued, included and empowered to share ideas, innovate and grow. We believe that our corporate values are only enhanced by the variety of unique identities, experiences and perspectives that our diverse group of employees brings to the table.

Open communication among employees, their managers and leadership is essential. We are constantly encouraging employee feedback, whether through our pulse surveys, global engagement surveys, employee roundtables, employee, manager one on ones or employee driven platforms. These avenues, which have become even more important over the last few months as we have moved to 100% remote work, allow us to stay connected while apart. And the feedback we have heard is that our employees have a desire to take action now, so we have very intentionally put more focus on our Diversity & Inclusion efforts.

"We believe that our corporate values are only enhanced by the variety of unique identities, experiences and perspectives that our diverse group of employees brings to the table." 

– Ed Hutner, SVP of Human Resources, Deltek

It is our responsibility as an organization, and as leaders, to take the time to listen, learn and take meaningful action. One example of how we have put employee feedback into action is with the creation of Deltek’s Diversity & Inclusion Council (D&I Council), whose primary role is to connect our diversity and inclusion activities, and serve as a voice in driving change. Our D&I Council has an executive sponsor plus a dozen cross-functional members who promote the mission and goals at Deltek. This group identifies and lead Employee Resource Groups, or ERGs, and cultivate relationships both internally and externally to support the goals of the ERGs. Perhaps most importantly, our D&I Council commits themselves to educate those who may be outside of any of our ERGs, helping to bring tolerance, understanding and awareness across the organization. We hope to learn from the ERGs and implement strategies that promote the values that will sustain employee and company success.  

One of our ERGs, created in 2018 is Women@Deltek, which aims to promote the advancement of women in the organization and help them reach their fullest potential. The group facilitates thought-provoking discussions and gives women the platform they need to speak freely and openly about the topics that matter most to them. In March of this year, Women@Deltek celebrated International Women’s Day by hosting a panel discussion with some of our customers and vendors to understand their professional journeys and how they have navigated their careers. The group continues to inspire, educating both men and women all across Deltek.

Another ERG that has played an integral role in bringing forth change over the last year is LGBTQ+ Allies. This group is open to all employees and provides a safe space for people to ask and answer questions, hear each other’s experiences, and learn about the diverse lives of employees across the globe. Through the LGBTQ+ Allies ERG, employees can keep each other aware of networking and educational opportunities going on in local communities. In June, our LGBTQ+ Allies ERG led us in celebrating Pride Month as an organization. Employees shared why Pride is so important to them on a personal level, and discussed what it means to them to know they can be their most authentic selves in the workplace.

Supporting #TeamDeltek

Diversity and inclusion have always been at the forefront of our values at Deltek, but the opportunity to step up and use our voices to be a part of change has become abundantly clear with the events over the last year. We often talk about growth, learning and innovation at Deltek. While many may equate these values to business, we are also recognizing how these terms apply to our employees outside of the workplace. We look forward to continuing to grow our Employee Resource Groups, having open dialogue with our employees on the topics that are important to them, and offering Diversity & Inclusion training to all Deltek employees. Employees must continue to raise their voices, leaders must continue to listen, and together we all must take action to make meaningful change.