During 2020, Quartz implemented many initiatives to advance Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEI&B). These initiatives are making a positive impact on employees, communities, and members. Visit our DE&I webpage to read our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement and learn more.
Here are some of Quartz’s DE&I initiatives in 2020:

• Quartz Internal DE&I Assessment – Quartz conducted an internal review to assess the capacity for growth concerning diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• DE&I Change Team – This team collaborated with community stakeholders to help build and support a culturally diverse workforce.
• Quartz Cares Matching Program – Quartz employees donated $21,200 to local organizations that focus on racial and health disparities. Our company match brought donations to more than $42,4000.
• COVID-19 community financial support – DE&I joined the Quartz Cares team, raising awareness for community members who were eligible for help with premiums.
• Addressing COVID-19 Health Disparities – If our members have experienced discrimination, Quartz empowered them with information and resources.
• The Partnership for Youth Success (PaYS) Program – In collaboration with UW Health, SwedishAmerican, and UnityPoint Health – Meriter, Quartz partnered with the U.S. Army to help ensure jobs are more accessible to soldiers, cadets, and veterans.
• Health Insurance 101 – This presentation (in English, Spanish, and Hmong) educated communities of color and other ethnicities. It focused on how health insurance works in the U.S., basic terminology, and who to contact with questions.
• Gender-affirming resources – Quartz compiled a resources list to help transgender and gender-expansive members navigate insurance. It includes information on who to contact with questions. Documents are available on Quartz’s DE&I webpage.
• Volunteer time – Quartz doubled the paid time off for each employee to volunteer in their communities from eight hours per year to 16. For 2020, Quartz employees could volunteer up to 13,000 hours!
• BadgerCare Plus Assessment Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) – Quartz assessed and adjusted our efforts to best support BadgerCare Plus members.
• Diversity Matters Cultural Competency Training – Employees completed annual cultural competency.
• Gender Pronouns eLearning – As part of our support for nonbinary, gender-expansive communities, employees learned to use preferred gender pronouns when communicating with co-workers and members.
• Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) – ERGs are employee-led groups dedicated to creating a more diverse and inclusive workplace. Quartz partnered with UW Health on ERGs, providing opportunities for networking, growth, and volunteering. The first resource group launched at Quartz was “Women United.”
• Recognition & Achievement Badge – This is an internal reward program available for part-time and full-time employees, that encourages behaviors that support Quartz’s core values of Respect, Responsibility and Relationships, the Employee Value Proposition, and the Customer Experience Vision.
• Lunch & Learn Presentations – Presenters from Quartz and partner organizations covered many facets of diversity, such as stereotyping and unconscious bias.
• Hiring Manager Training – Quartz raised awareness about implicit bias with hiring managers and provided strategies for making objective hiring decisions.

Quartz’s commitment to DE&I, and integrating diversity into talent and business practices, creates a culture that will result in high-quality plans and better service to all members. We’ll continue to work alongside our partners in 2021. We’ll identify areas of need and develop strategies to address them — to do better and be better.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy DE&I New Year!