Knowledge is born from diversity. Combined experiences, cultures, traditions and beliefs dwell alongside each other to create a dynamic environment filled with positive potential. Within the workplace, diversity acts as a catalyst for progress.
Two Western Washington businesses exemplify the successes a diverse working environment can achieve. Puget Sound Energy in Bellevue and MEDPREP Vocational Training Center in Everett both focus on better serving a multicultural customer base through a diverse workplace.
According to Lorelee Bauer, manager of staffing and diversity at Puget Sound Energy, “Our company’s prospects for success are enhanced by bringing together people, who by virtue of their diverse life experiences, provide diverse perspectives and creative solutions for the work environment.”
This dedication to diversity starts at the top at PSE. “Half of the officers who report to our CEO are women,” she said. “This commitment to diversity continues with efforts such as sponsoring college scholarships that encourage African-American students to pursue careers in clean energy fields.”
PSE also has an outreach programs that seek out diverse and nontraditional applicants to enhance its employee mix. “Further, our top 100 leaders have been trained in how to build a more inclusive work environment, with a particular emphasis on understanding the differences between generations,” Bauer said. “All of these efforts, and more, help create a great work environment and empower PSE to better serve our diverse population of customers across Western Washington.”
At MEDPREP, owner Pat Stickles also has a commitment to creating a diverse landscape within her business. The company, which specializes in nursing assistant education, trains students from different ages and cultures to work with patients from different ages, cultures and health situations.
During each training session, 30 to 60 percent of the students speak English as a second language.
“We ask students to respect each other based on their cultural differences,” Stickles said.
“I see a lot of very able people who have the compassion to be a health care provider,” she continued. “When they come in the door to register for a program, sometimes they have green hair, tattoos all over or body piercings, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be wonderful care providers.”
Stickles also believes that anyone can be successful. “At our center, if a student has difficulties with a test, he is able to try again,” she said. To ensure a student is fully prepared to work as a nursing assistant, MEDPREP allows a student to attend multiple sessions of training before beginning clinical work.
For Stickles, diversity within any workplace requires adaptability. “For instance, when working with a dementia client, a nursing assistant needs to change her own behavior because the dementia client is not able to do so,” she said.
Puget Sound Energy
10885 NE 4th Street
Bellevue WA 98009-9734
(888) 225-5773
www.pse.com
**Please note—waiting to hear back from contact if this is the address she would prefer listed (if you are listing an address, that is…) she didn’t include the address within her e-mailed statement.
MEDPREP Vocational Training Center
1830 Broadway
Everett, WA 98201
(425) 257-9888
www.medprep.com
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