Inclusion is about humility

By Yasir Kamal, American Family Insurance Inclusive Excellence Vice President

I started my journey at American Family Insurance as a local agency owner and spent several years as a sales leader.

Building relationships with customers and the community, I became passionate about the importance of inclusion.

People increasingly want to do business with companies that are humble enough to listen, speak up and take a stand on issues that matter to them, including diversity, equality, equity and inclusion.

Community members, customers and current and future employees not only want to see themselves reflected in our marketing materials, they also want to feel welcome in our spaces, respected by our people and confident that we’ll show up for them — no matter what.

It’s why we remain committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.

When the verdict in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd was announced, American Family made a statement sharing our hope for healing and recognizing that much more action is needed to ensure the lives of people of color are valued and protected.

That statement is just one example of how we show up, stand up and speak out. Another is President and CEO-Elect Bill Westrate’s blog showing support for our Asian and Asian-American colleagues, friends and community members who’ve experienced a tragic rise in violence, hate and discrimination during the pandemic.

It’s important to speak up and support societal issues. But even more important are the actions we take to support real change. We’ve long partnered with public and private organizations to support individuals and communities affected by systemic racism and other challenges.

In February, we continued our work, pledging $105 million during the next five years to help close racial equity gaps and bring positive change to communities.

We’re also working to improve and expand our recruiting, hiring and retention practices, as we continue to cultivate an inclusive culture.

Our Business Resource Groups provide a safe, welcoming space for employees to share feelings, expand their cultural knowledge, network with others and influence business decisions.

For example, the American Family African American/Black and Multicultural BRGs hosted two supportive discussion sessions to help employees talk through feelings and emotions related to the Chauvin trial.

I heard from some employees who hadn’t experienced sessions like this before. They were amazed how people spoke directly from the heart. They were honored to be there. They listened and learned from their colleagues. Many also asked how else they could help and be an ally.

This work is not a quick fix. It’s deliberate and requires ongoing commitment.

We’re not doing this work to check a box.

American Family is in this to make real, lasting change inside our enterprise, for our customers and communities.

That kind of work is more challenging because it requires humility, listening, patience and commitment. We all play a role.

We do this by:

• Partnering with communities and learning what they need to thrive.
• Working across our enterprise to ensure our business practices, policies, products and services are as fair and equitable as possible.
• Creating space where everyone can bring their whole selves to work.

We’re committed to this work because we know it’s good for our agency owners, employees, customers, communities — and our business.

I think it’s worth it. Don’t you?