Creating a More Inclusive & Diverse Workplace

December 3, 2019 | Members of The Toy Association are invited to review findings from the new Diversity & Inclusion Committees inaugural report. The findings highlight how committee member companies are utilizing in-house training, outside workshops, focus groups, employee feedback, labor market data, and other means to achieve their own diversity and inclusion goals.

The committee is also looking to members of the toy community to share their own experiences and insights to help The Toy Association’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee develop a more comprehensive overview of how diversity and inclusion initiatives can be put into action industry wide.

Whether as a newly launched initiative or a decades-old strategy, these programs should exemplify how companies embrace all employees regardless of gender, ethnicity, race, religious affiliation, veteran status, disability, age, sexual preference, family make-up, and/or body type.

"This report provides just a baseline to members of the toy industry on what strategies they, too, can implement to better guarantee that their company staff and culture reflect the consumers they serve," said Marian Bossard, executive vice president of global market events at The Toy Association and staff liaison for the committee. "We also invite others to share their feedback and stories in how diversity and inclusion are being prioritized in their businesses."

Members can email Anne McConnell for more information.

The Diversity & Inclusion Committee was formed to build awareness of and provide best practices for creating diversity within toy companies’ missions, workforce, products, and content development. Learn more about how committee member companies are already implementing these practices in our ongoing Spotlight on Diversity series. Previously interviewed committee members include LEGO's Mark Moynihan, Mattel's Kim Culmone, Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance’s Gerry Fernandez, and Walmart's Anne Marie Kehoe.