DEI: It’s Hard Work, but Important Work. And Vizient is Up for the Challenge.

It's a phrase Chief Culture, Diversity and Inclusion Officer Monica Davy says often. And while she and her team approach the work with grace and ease, working in an area that is deeply personal for so many people is often challenging.

Davy joined Vizient in 2021, and since then she's created a new team; implemented the companywide strategic framework for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI); restructured and expanded the Diversity Networking Associations (DNAs); and developed new procedures around an enhanced executive recruiting process; among other initiatives. And that's all within two years.

"I have had the luxury and the privilege of being able to hire passionate, talented, skilled and experienced employees to help deliver this work, and I am extremely proud of this team," said Davy.

Recently, Vizient ranked 56th on the 2022 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list, which is based primarily on confidential employee feedback.

"Your culture is what your employees feel on Sunday night about going into work on Monday, and how our employees feel put us on the Fortune 100 list. So, that says a lot about our culture and the work that we've done," said Davy. "It's our employees who make our culture what it is."

But there's still more work to do. Establishing a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture is a journey, not a destination.

Currently, the team is working on a pay equity study, reviewing the performance evaluation process and conducting an applicant flow analysis that tracks how employees are recruited, interviewed and ultimately hired. The work is part of the executive recruitment process, which includes a newly hired executive recruiter and a diversity outreach and relationship director, and runs parallel with a new leadership development program aimed at providing people leaders the DEI skills needed to lead their teams more effectively.

"If you don't have an inclusive culture where people feel valued, respected or feel like they belong, they're not going to stay, but when people feel like they belong, they want to learn and grow and contribute to the organization," she said. "That's why it's so important to evaluate these processes and ensure we're providing employees opportunities to further their career development and advancement."

The team also plans to launch pulse surveys, regular surveys throughout the calendar year, and stay surveys, which are like exit interviews but, rather than focus on why an employee is leaving, stay surveys focus on why an employee chooses to stayat Vizient. The goal is to launch this new project in the near future to help provide a more well-rounded look at the employee experience beyond the annual employee engagement survey.

"We had a 90% participation rate in our employee engagement survey this year, which I am so thrilled about," said Davy. "But the employee engagement survey just looks at a moment in time. By adding regular pulse surveys throughout the year, we can get a better understanding of how our employees are truly experiencing Vizient."

On top of all that's around the corner, Davy and her team also are now combining their existing involvement in community impact with the company's overall environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) under one strategy.

"Across Vizient, we want to make sure we have a collaborative and focused effort around DEI, culture and engagement, community impact and health equity work, so we're bringing all of that together," she said. "When you do equity, inclusion and diversity well, that's when you get to the prize: the belonging."