Taking the Right Step with DEI Initiatives

Dave & Buster’s (D&B) platform, coined “FunHub,” is every employee’s first stop for training and company updates. Since its inception, it has transformed into so much more than just systemic programs. Community is a huge part of D&B’s company culture, and the FunHub is where DEI initiatives are born. In D&B’s own words:

“While we are very proud of our Company’s diversity, after the unfortunate events of last year, it became clear there was much more that we could do to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within our stores and at our corporate office,” stated Alex Findlay, Manager, Team Engagement at Dave & Buster’s.

“In early 2021, we kicked off our new 2021 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion plan on FunHub, our Wisetail LXP. We created a DE&I page to highlight our plan and be the one stop shop for all things Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at D&B. Each month, we created banners to showcase different initiatives, like Black History, Women’s History, Pride, Asian and Pacific Islander History, and Diversity Day. These banners were not only posted on our DE&I page, but on the home page of our site for everyone to see.

In addition to bringing awareness to each of our monthly initiatives via our site, we utilized a Now@ communication board to send out weekly employee highlights to each and every one of our team members using the “broadcast to audience” feature. So far this year, we have highlighted over 10 employees and celebrated the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion of our team members. 

We look forward to using FunHub to continue the open conversation and dialogue on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at D&B!”

AEO Inc.’s LXP named, “AEO Academy,” has played an integral part in developing a strong training program. It has also been the path to building community through re-telling of authentic experiences of fellow employees. Though AEO Inc. has stores nationwide, employees can use AEO Academy to get to know coworkers and their stories in an intimate way, even if they aren’t in the same location. In AEO’s own words:

“When it comes to Inclusion and Diversity content, our L&D team at AEO Inc. always aims to collaborate with people who can provide insights on the best ways to acknowledge a certain holiday or event based on their own lived experiences,” commented Kieran Craft, Coordinator, Learning & Development at AEO. 

“For Pride Month, we worked with associates from AEO’s REAL Pride Network to develop a strategy for the month, pull out important educational themes, and build out content around each of these that we would release on a weekly basis throughout June. We shared LGBTQIA+ history that is often untold and erased, the community’s impact on the Arts and Entertainment industries, information about different identities and intersectional experiences within the community, and ways that folks can become better allies and support the LGBTQIA+ community year-round. We focused our efforts on spotlighting some of the more marginalized and lesser-understood groups within the community — from transgender and nonbinary people to LGBTQIA+ people of color and people with disabilities. We’re so proud of the end result that we were able to achieve through our collaborations with AEO’s L&D team and our REAL Pride Network!”

At the end of the day, people want to feel included and connected. Growing together and sharing experiences is what helps humanity as a whole gain a greater understanding and develop well-deserved respect for each other. Any steps we can take to continue to foster Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at work —  and at home — are always the right step forward. We want to say Bravo to Dave & Buster’s, AEO Inc., and the countless other clients that  have ongoing DE&I initiatives. Thank you and keep it up!