Level 3 Blog: Diversity Is a Journey, Not a DestinationLevel 3 Blog: Diversity Is a Journey, Not a Destination

Mary Beth McGrath, senior vice president of global talent management, discusses the company's journey to becoming a diverse and inclusive workplace.

March 15, 2016

2 Min Read

BROOMFIELD, Colo. -- When enterprises speak about diversity, the conversation often revolves around an end goal, a particular stat or percentage related to the workforce or an idea of what the company should look like.

However, diversity by its own definition is the state of being diverse; and includes a range of different things. In my mind, diversity isn’t a destination to achieve; a company can’t check the box and move on. Diversity is a journey that has many milestones.

From the corporate point of view, Level 3 believes diversity – of thought, backgrounds and experiences – affects all that we do, from our employees to the solutions we deliver. Our goal is to create an environment in which inclusion through diversity helps deepen the lives and work experience of our employees, enhances our innovation and creativity and enriches our involvement in our communities.

For me, personally, that means I want the people who work at Level 3 to feel good about their contributions, to believe that everyone has a voice and to know we all have the opportunity to make a difference.

Ultimately, this inclusiveness provides a greater experience for our employees and for our customers. We want both of these audience groups to come along on the journey – roadblocks and all.

It is no secret that technology companies struggle with diversity. A recent study from Project Diane – research focused on the state of black women in tech entrepreneurship ─ suggests the problem lies in the focus on assimilation rather than inclusion.

This resonates with me. Focusing on inclusion in the work place helps us celebrate and embrace differences. Assimilation will only get you so far when you’re a global company looking to hire a highly technical workforce. I don’t need a slew of programmers with the same background; I need diversity of thought to solve problems in new and innovative ways.

Others point to the actual tech pipeline as the issue. Fewer women and minorities are getting a tech education. But even this has been debunked by top schools who are turning out black and Hispanic graduates with tech degrees at rates higher than leading tech firms are hiring.

More needs to be done.

Many ask, where do we begin? For Level 3, it starts with our culture.

Over the last few years, Level 3 initiated a revolution in our culture, led by our North America and APAC President, Laurinda Pang, and championed by our C-Suite. This shift helped to reevaluate many of our traditional behaviors and to usher in a new way of recognizing talent and connecting with our peers, both formally and informally. Under this initiative, we also kicked off a few programs that opened up the conversation around diversity and inclusion.

Level 3 Communications Inc. (NYSE: LVLT)

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