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What is Diversity?

Equality of Opportunity Equals a Level Playing Field

Diversity is the sense that no matter where you come from, who you are, or what your background is, there is a place for you.

At Berkeley Lab, Workforce Diversity has evolved to include an extensive set of issues. The traditional policies, programs, and legal mandates of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Affirmative Action (AA) are still the first and most important steps to achieving diversity in the workplace. But diversity is a broader concept than ethnicity, race, and gender.

Diversity has gone beyond legal mandates and has become an environment that is inclusive of all groups, maximizes the potential of all employees, and values the variety of perspectives all employees bring to the workplace at the scientific, technical, management, and administrative levels.

We want to provide a quality work life for all Lab employees so that Berkeley Lab can be an employer of choice. Moreover, we uphold the principle that a level playing field is the foundation upon which to build a diverse and inclusive work environment.

Diversity at Berkeley Lab

The dimensions of diversity go beyond race, ethnicity, and gender. Diversity endows the Lab's workplace with a multitude of perspectives from different races, ethnicities, genders, cultures, social classes, and lifestyles. All perspectives are equally important and differences are not only welcomed, but also actively sought.

The Lab's definition of diversity complements its business style. As a tier-one research institution, Berkeley Lab seeks multiple perspectives in the pursuit of scientific excellence and innovation. Lab management and administration would suffer without the multiple perspectives and experiences afforded by a diverse workforce.

Workforce Diversity Action Plans

The Workforce Diversity Action Plans consists of individual diversity action plans that are organization, division, and department specific. These plans detail areas where diversity issues are identified and lists ways in which these problems will be addressed. Biannually, Laboratory and division directors will be evaluated as to whether or not their diversity goals were achieved.

Best Practices

Berkeley Lab now faces an important challenge. We have implemented the Lab-wide diversity action plans, but how do we make them effective? In other words, how can we maximize these plans’ effectiveness in terms of leadership, outreach, retention, and accountability? One answer is through the role of the Laboratory's Best Practices Diversity Council (BPDC).

Best practices are a framework for diversity management at Berkeley Lab. They are used to develop programs and practices useful to the Laboratory in structuring systems and policies that are consistent with business priorities as well as equal opportunity and diversity obligations.