In today's workplace, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) play a pivotal role. DEI efforts help ignite innovation, foster creativity, and ensure better decisions as an organization. These efforts also cultivate a positive work culture and build adaptable, resilient teams. This resiliency and positive work culture leads to a greater sense of belonging, which increases employee engagement and job satisfaction. And when employees feel valued and seen, they give their best. 

But DEI isn't just about building a more productive workforce or meeting legal and ethical standards. It's about fulfilling social responsibility. At OLIPOP, our commitment to DEI isn't just the right thing to do, it's better for our business. And more importantly, it's better for our people. By challenging biases, we do our part to level the playing field, creating fair opportunities for everyone. 

As we celebrate Black History Month this February, we wanted to share with you exactly what DEI means to us at OLIPOP. Here is our DEI philosophy and its critical role in our company culture...

OLIPOP’s DEI Philosophy

At OLIPOP, we demonstrate our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) through a range of engaging activities, practices, and policies. This DEI philosophy includes:

• Awareness and celebration
• Educational and cultural events
• Workforce diversity tracking
• Inclusivity and equity in the workplace
• Policies and training
• Recruitment and facility accessibility
• Employee surveys
• Supplier diversity tracking
• Healthcare selection
• Continuous DEI and anti-discrimination training

Join us as we break down these different pillars of our DEI philosophy.

Celebrating Diversity

Diversity is something to celebrate! At OLIPOP, we celebrate and raise awareness of diverse cultures through Slack posts and participation in events like Pride parades, honoring and celebrating Juneteenth, and participating in Heritage Month celebrations. We also host educational and cultural events like AAPI cooking classes and Hispanic/Latinx drink-mixing happy hours. These programs and events help educate our employees about different cultures, traditions, and customs. They also help create an understanding and appreciation for diversity. Not to mention, they’re a ton of fun!

Inclusion in Action

At OLIPOP, we provide detailed internal communications for all DEI-related events and days, like the Juneteenth holiday and our Heritage Month celebrations. We also know that celebrating diversity and pushing for further inclusion isn’t just about holidays and happy hours. It’s about the actions we take as a business and leadership team. That’s why we advocate and support organizations like the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI). EJI is a non-profit organization dedicated to challenging and addressing issues of racial and economic injustice, particularly within the criminal justice system in the United States. Through donations and support to organizations like EJI, plus our events and celebrations, we aim for inclusion in action and not just words.

Building an Inclusive Workforce

Building an inclusive workforce is a crucial component of our DEI philosophy. And that’s because we know that OLIPOP is nothing without our OLI-fam. Diversity in thought, background, and experience fosters innovation and creativity, as different viewpoints contribute to a broader range of ideas and solutions. This diversity also makes us better equipped to support you, the OLIPOP drinker! 

To encourage a diverse and inclusive workplace, we track and monitor diversity within our workforce, management, and even the suppliers we work with to source the ingredients you’ll find in all our OLIPOP flavors. This includes detailed monitoring of gender, racial, age, and ethnic diversity at all levels of our organization, including proportions and numbers across various demographics.

Diversity in Hiring & Recruitment

We then use this data in our recruitment efforts to ensure we’re hiring a diverse and inclusive workforce. Such as incorporating inclusive statements in our job postings and not asking about incarceration history. The result? Our OLIPOP team is comprised of 35% non-White employees, showcasing our diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. Our team also spans a wide age range, with an average age of 34 years. Our workforce is primarily between 24 and 50 years old, highlighting the generational diversity within our company.

Beyond the Numbers

Diversity is important, but you also need an inclusive workplace to welcome that diversity. At OLIPOP, we look beyond the numbers to also promote inclusivity, equity, and accessibility. We do that by evaluating inclusivity perceptions, implementing DEI goals reviewed by our executives, and monitoring gender and racial pay disparities. 

We prioritize employee welfare, ensuring living wages, bonuses, and a satisfaction rate of over 95%. Our workforce reflects our commitment to diversity and inclusivity, bolstered by policies for professional growth and flexible work arrangements. We also offer employees options to select healthcare professionals from their own communities, enhancing representation and comfort. These efforts ensure we’re not just building a diverse workforce, but providing the groundwork to maintain and support an inclusive community. 

Policies and Training

At OLIPOP, our Employee Handbook includes extensive non-discrimination and anti-harassment policies. We also provide year-round training and development on DEI topics, accessible to all OLIPOP employees. This might not be the most exciting element of our DEI philosophy, but the policies and training we put in place form the foundation for a positive and inclusive workplace. 

Beyond ensuring legal compliance with anti-discrimination laws, these policies and training play a crucial role in creating a safe and respectful environment where our employees feel secure and valued. They establish clear expectations for behavior and contribute to the success of our diversity initiatives. They also protect employee rights, promote inclusivity, and help prevent conflicts, fostering an atmosphere where our employees can thrive and contribute their best.

DEI at OLIPOP: The Takeaway 

At OLIPOP, we know that DEI is a work in progress. Even with all our recruitment efforts, policies, training, and celebrations, there is a lot more work we can and will do. As we learn and grow as a business, it’s crucial for us to learn and grow in our DEI approach. To do this, we aim to stay as informed as possible about the ongoing public discussions on DEI and ways we can improve. This awareness helps ensure we’re not only avoiding common pitfalls but also actively demonstrating effective DEI practices.

Do you have feedback or suggestions on ways we can refine or enhance our DEI efforts? Our team would love to hear from you. Shoot us an email, learn more about our DEI initiatives, and join us in related discussions and activities. Together, we can champion diversity and fuel a culture that values every individual's unique contributions.

Meet our Expert This article is reviewed by Justine Fraser.  Justine is the People Operations Coordinator at OLIPOP, with an emphasis on People and Culture. She has spent 10 years in People Ops and has a passion for supporting teams through all avenues of their employee life cycle. She is also a Bravo enthusiast and enjoys spending time with family and friends.