Equity Will be the Focal Point for City Staff's Fourth DEI Training

Equity will be the focal point this week for City of Melrose employees participating in their fourth DEI training session, "Measure, Monitor, and Manage Equity,” on Wednesday, October 25, 2023. The training will be facilitated by the City’s DEI consultant, Racial Equity Group, which the City hired to conduct a comprehensive series of five DEI training sessions for employees.

To ensure all staff can participate in the training, many City departments will be lightly staffed, and the following City offices will be closed:

• From 9:15 a.m. until 11:45 a.m.
  • Clerks Office
  • Inspection Services Department
  • Assessors Office
  • Mayor’s Office
  • Health and Human Services Department
• From 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.
  • Melrose Public Library
• From 12:45 p.m. until 3:15 p.m.
  • Clerk of Committees Office

The training is designed to provide the City workforce with the knowledge and skills to identify and develop metrics and key performance indicators; understand best practices to track progress toward objectives, goals, and validated targets and timelines; and develop equity scorecards and equity dashboards.

“Not only will this training introduce us to the best practices for assessing our progress towards achieving equity goals in our daily work, but it will also acquaint us with tools to visualize equity-related data, identify areas that may need proactive adjustments or allocation of resources and efforts to ensure that equity and inclusion remain the central focus during our transformative journey,” said Human Resources Director for the City of Melrose Polina Latta. “We will rely on data to inform our decisions, as our consultant, Bird Guess, often reminds us, ‘without data, we only have an opinion.’”

The DEI trainings are in line with the City of Melrose's commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. The first two sessions were foundational, designed to foster a shared knowledge base, establish a common language, and enhance our collective understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The fifth training will be held on November 21, 2023.

The DEI training courses are the next step in implementing the recommendations outlined in the City’s 2022 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Assessment and Racial Climate Survey. Through the training series, the City seeks to empower employees to recognize, respect, and value the differences that lead to innovative approaches and diverse thought and to develop skills to address problems and challenging situations, with the goal of sustaining a lasting shift in culture.

For more information on the City’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, visit www.cityofmelrose.org/mayor/pages/dei-initiatives-date.