Coffey’s Corner
February 24, 2021
DEI for the Win!
I’ve been thinking a lot about DEI. Those three letters may sound like a secret code or the acronym for a nefarious, clandestine government agency. But it’s really quite simple: DEI stands for diversity, equity and inclusion. But what does that mean, exactly, and why does CoolSys care? Let’s take a look at who we are and what we believe as a company.
At CoolSys, we build things, we service things, we provide energy saving solutions and we help engineer spaces for our customers to safely occupy. What we do at CoolSys cannot be stored in a box and put on a shelf. If a company cannot store its product on a shelf, then its product is not a thing: it’s people. Yes, that’s right: At CoolSys, our product is our employees!
I have dedicated the past four years to building a company that puts employees’ needs first. It hasn’t always been easy. A global pandemic, value-conscious customers, political turmoil — wow, we have been through a lot! But over the past four years, we have grown to over 2,800 employees, we have bought 18 companies, we have added tens of thousands of new customer locations — and we have invested millions in YOU.
Do you remember my one goal and objective for each employee? It is to create an environment where you can spend your entire career in one place — right here. And to accomplish that goal, at CoolSys we need to do four important things: pay a fair wage, offer excellent benefits, provide a strong retirement plan and — most importantly — create opportunity. And that’s what DEI is all about!
D is for Diversity. CoolSys is a reflection of our broader society, and the communities we live and work in. All of us come in various sizes, shapes, colors, and with different sexual orientations, ethnicities, religions, and political beliefs. Our diversity makes us stronger as an organization, so it is important that we are open-minded and welcoming to each other and respect each other’s different beliefs and viewpoints.
E is for Equity. At CoolSys, we believe everyone has the right to be treated fairly. Equity means that all our employees are treated based on the content of their character, their ability, and their potential to perform. We are committed to supporting each employee’s growth and development to attain the career path they choose at our great company.
I is for Inclusion. At CoolSys, we want everyone to succeed. We are committed to building an environment and culture where every employee feels valued and that they belong. We want to ensure that our hiring practices, policies and procedures enable each employee to work, prosper, and grow!
As a young soldier in the United States Army, I learned that, when my life was on the line, the skin color, religion, sexual preference or personal beliefs of my teammates didn’t matter. I could count on them and they could count on me because in the United States Army, we were all part of one family and with one color: GREEN!
In the spirit of DEI, CoolSys launched a confidential employee survey on Monday to seek your individual input and opinions about how we, as an employer, are doing at creating a work environment all employees can be proud of. The survey is being conducted by McKenzie & Co., one of the world’s preeminent consulting firms.
We want to hear from each of you! Your input will be held in complete confidence. If you haven’t already done so, please take the survey now — or at least by the survey deadline of March 5th and help us establish a baseline from which we can make CoolSys an even greater organization. The current and future employees of CoolSys thank you!
Best,
Adam
In case you didn’t have a chance to see it, take a look at my video: