Port of Seattle Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Organizational Assessment 2021

Executive Summary

Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (OEDI)

January 2022

Item Number: 11c_attach 2

Meeting Date: Jan 4, 2022

The Port of Seattle is committed to working both regionally and nationally to achieve equity

and justice for all. The Port recognizes our essential role in building a socially just institution by

dismantling the structural barriers that have prevented the full participation of our most

marginalized communities.

Since 2017, the Port has stepped up efforts to integrate equity into its work including by

creating a standalone Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (OEDI) in 2019. OEDI’s mission is

to build capacity across the organization to address institutional oppression and to transform

Port policies, practices, and processes. OEDI has used the three-pronged framework outlined in

the Port’s Equity Strategic Plan to 1) normalize, 2) organize, and 3) operationalize equity Port-

wide.

Already, OEDI has made major progress in its first few years of existence, from trainings and

assessments focused on improving equity within the Port to shaping the implementation of

externally facing efforts like the South King County Fund and the development of the Port’s

Equity Index. However, there is clearly more work to be done, and so, on October 13, 2020, the

Port of Seattle Commission adopted Motion 2020-19, known as the Racial Bias & Equity

Motion, “[t]o direct the Executive Director to examine Port operations and policies for sources

of racial bias and discrimination and to develop programs and policies eliminating inequity in all

aspects of the organization.” This document reports back on the tasks contained in the Motion.

The findings and recommendations contained in this report draw on input gathered from

several employee engagement efforts – ranging from Port-wide initiatives, such as the 2021

Equity Survey, to focused gatherings to solicit feedback from specific groups of employees, like

EDI Assessment Listening Sessions. Each of these efforts is described, along with a summary of

the results, in the report and its appendices. OEDI also utilized employee feedback to vet and

finalize this report document, ensuring that it accurately reflected the inputs received.

The results of this effort are fifteen key issues grouped into six focus areas.

 Workplace Culture

 Operations and Processes

 Employment

 Equity Capacity Building

 Engaging WMBEs and Small Businesses

 Engaging Impacted Communities

Each of these focus areas represent an opportunity to address concerns and make progress in

key areas of Port-wide equity. Furthermore, to ensure that the Port turns issues into action, this

report lists 50 clear, tangible next steps that can be implemented beginning in 2022, beyond

the steps already taken on each of these fronts. The full report contains additional details on

each of these recommended actions, including further discussion of the issues and concerns

raised by Port employees on each topic as well as existing progress to date on the issues

identified.

Finally, it is critical to note that this report reflects a synthesis of input and key issues expressed

by all employees and drawing from multiple sources of evidence as described above. However,

the data also indicate that individual experiences of equity, diversity, and inclusion across the

Port vary widely.

Specifically, issues and concerns often fall along racial and gender lines, with some employees

indicating satisfaction with the status quo and/or less concern, while others face greater

barriers, have comparatively greater concerns, and/or are more negatively impacted by racism

and other inequities. The latter groups include Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC),

women, and represented employees. As one employee noted, “It’s a tale of two Ports.”

Black, Indigenous and People of Color. A recurrent pattern was that BIPOC employees,

especially Black/African American workers, expressed greater concerns about racism

and other inequities, across almost all topical issues, whether hiring or compensation or

workplace culture. This was especially evidenced in the qualitative data of the Equity

Survey.

Women, with a focus on women of color. Women employees also shared gender-based

concerns across several of the employee engagement activities. In the Equity Survey, for

example, respondents called for consideration of other aspects of equity besides race,

with gender equity mentioned most often.

Represented and off-shift workers. This group of employees expressed unique

challenges, including lack of access to professional development opportunities,

inadequate support for participation in equity activities from their supervisors, and

often not being included in or provided meaningful access to Port-wide equity or

professional development activities.

Additionally, intersectionality compounds inequities. For example, women of color, or

Black represented workers, expressed even greater barriers and inequities.

Informed by the experiences of these specific groups, this report intentionally strives to

recognize these inequities and take a proactive, racial equity centered approach. In the

report, this is done by spotlighting perspectives from these groups, and integrating

Recommended Actions specific to these groups throughout the Recommendations.

Table of Issues and Recommendations

Fifteen key issues were identified from the various sources of input previously described. These are grouped into six focus areas:

Workplace Culture, Operations and Processes, Employment, Equity Capacity Building, Engaging WMBEs and Small Businesses, and

Engaging Impacted Communities. These are shown below along with a Summary of Recommended Actions for each issue.

Equity Assessment Focus Areas, Key Issues and Summary of Recommended Actions

Focus Areas Key Issues Summary of Recommended Actions

Workplace Culture

1. Inconsistencies in Port-wide

vision for and commitment to

equity

1. Ongoing racial equity training and development for Port of

Seattle’s leadership.

2. Policy Directive to codify equity

3. Continue communication efforts to make information accessible

4. OEDI on-site presence at SEA Airport Office Building (AOB) and

maritime locations

2. Lack of open dialog about

equity and racism

5. OEDI continues EDI learning opportunities (e.g., book clubs,

caucusing, etc.) to normalize racial equity, including accessible

training opportunities for represented and shift employees.

6. Language and Meaning Initiative on how to use language that is

equitable and inclusive.

7. Uplift examples of supervisors and employees who are advancing

racial equity.

8. Targeted caucuses.

9. Strengthen the Change Team’s impact.

10. Identify and address equity and anti-racism as central to the

Port’s Special initiative to address anti-black racism.

3. Lack of BIPOC representation

and voice in decision making

11. Each year, ERGs, D&D Council, Change Team, and OEDI review

and coordinate annual work plans and priorities including

budgeting needs.

12. Develop organizational policies, practices, and mechanisms for

participation in decision making tailored to specific groups.

Equity Assessment Focus Areas, Key Issues and Summary of Recommended Actions

Focus Areas Key Issues Summary of Recommended Actions

13. Town Hall briefing for new Commissioners to discuss potential

collaboration and partnership.

14. Set baseline

for, track progress on, and publish data on racial and

gender diversity in senior level positions and higher.

4. Lack of safety and a fear of

retaliation when reporting

racism and discrimination

15. Curriculum and training for supervisors that increases

supervisors’ comfort with addressing issues of race and gender.

16. Training to increase supervisors’ awareness of what constitutes

retaliation.

17. Human Resources to offer training on the fair and consistent

application of HR-18 and Code of Conduct policy.

Operations and

Processes

5. Unclear discrimination

reporting process

18. Workplace Responsibility and Employee Relations continue

process improvement and report back in 2022.

19. Increase communication and clarity about how Workplace

Responsibility and Employee Relations processes work.

20. Workplace Responsibility and Employee Relations will publish an

annual report.

21. Title VI reporting issues will be clarified by OEDI, Legal, and

Employee Relations.

22. Develop a process for consultants and contractors to report

issues of discrimination.

23. Additional training for represented workers on reporting

discrimination.

24. Port-wide dialogue about reporting discrimination and manager

accountability.

Equity Assessment Focus Areas, Key Issues and Summary of Recommended Actions

Focus Areas Key Issues Summary of Recommended Actions

6. Gaps in critical role of

supervisors

25. Executive Director, Commission, Executive Leadership Team lead

by example.

26. Consistent and on-going messaging from Port leadership to all

supervisors about the importance of leaders’ accountability to

Port values and EDI.

27. Foundational EDI training for all new supervisors and additional

advanced racial equity training for all supervisors.

28. Develop EDI performance goals, competency, and evaluation

best practices for all supervisors.

7. Inconsistent integration of

equity in key Port-wide

processes

29. Trainings and technical assistance on how to integrate equity

into department budgeting processes.

30. Training and working group to develop skills, expertise, and

capacity on using data with an equity lens.

31. Starting in 2022, all departments set annual EDI goals.

Employment

8. Inequities in recruitment,

hiring, and qualifications

32. Integrate equity considerations more deeply into the interview

and hiring process.

33. Develop system to track equity indicators in hiring processes.

34. Increase BIPOC representation in leadership positions.

9. Inequities in compensation

35. Make salary information more accessible and easier to find.

36. Additional work on compensation equity: complete Port-wide

analysis, establish a definition and philosophy for pay equity,

determine potential remediation, and implement a new pay

program.

In this report, “supervisors” includes employees with at least one direct report.

Equity Assessment Focus Areas, Key Issues and Summary of Recommended Actions

Focus Areas Key Issues Summary of Recommended Actions

10. Barriers to advancement for

internal candidates

37. Performance Link goal for all supervisors to provide training and

development opportunities to all employees interested in

advancing.

38. Assess if certain formal education or credentials are needed to

perform the essential functions of open jobs.

39. Develop system to track promotion of internal candidates.

40. Increase staff awareness about the Port’s internal mentorship

program.

41. Improved supervisor training on how to use coaching and

mentoring as a management practice.

Equity Capacity

Building

11. Barriers to participation -

resources and resistance

42. Expand equity-related training activities.

43. Explore the need to create dedicated funding to support

employee participation in EDI efforts, especially for represented

workers.

44. Explore development of a policy to allow and support employee

participation in equity learning activities.

Engaging WMBEs and

Small Businesses

12. Barriers for WMBEs and small

businesses

45. Assessment of barriers for small businesses and WMBEs to

contract with the Port.

46. Strengthen internal communication and training about

contracting processes with WMBEs and small businesses.

13. Barriers in procurement

processes

47. For all new contracts, add provisions for language services, anti-

harassment language, and integrate anti-bias video review and

discussion in contract evaluation panels.

48. Support community partnerships by reducing paperwork,

expediting contracts, and creating feedback loops and a

dedicated CPO team for CBO engagement.

Equity Assessment Focus Areas, Key Issues and Summary of Recommended Actions

Focus Areas Key Issues Summary of Recommended Actions

Engaging Impacted

Communities

14. Lack of empowered and

meaningful ways for external

stakeholders to engage with

the Port

49. Continue work to stand up and operationalize the Community

Equity Board.

50. Create processes and best practices for how the Port engages

communities.

51. Ongoing training and support to develop employees’ skills to

navigate power dynamics, build authentic relationships, and

engage communities in inclusive, meaningful ways.

52. Create dedicated funding to support and remove barriers for

community engagement.

15. Challenging processes for

community-based

organizations to contract with

the Port

53. Continue process and system improvements in Port’s community

investment programs.