Committee discusses DEI training licenses amid harassment-training requirement

Members of the Committee on Human Resources and Insurance discussed Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) training materials used in new-hire orientation and whether to renew a vendor license for "creating inclusive workspaces." The conversation took place under new business and did not produce a formal vote.

Lisa Drabek, human resources director, told the committee that beyond required anti-harassment training the city does not maintain quotas or other DEI programming. "Right now, the only thing that could be classified as DEI, if you will, is that inclusive workspaces training or workplace training that's given to all new hires," Drabek said. She added the city maintains a nondiscrimination policy but does not have additional DEI programs or hiring quotas.

Drabek said the "creating inclusive workspaces" training is currently an add-on license that expires at the end of the fiscal year and renews on a fiscal-year basis. She said she had not yet renewed the licenses and had not discussed renewal with the mayor. "So if it's the board's intention to tell me that I can't renew it, then it won't be renewed," Drabek said. She also said that the anti-harassment training module is mandatory.

Committee members asked whether the DEI materials that one alderman had shared with colleagues could be replaced or removed; Drabek said she could allow nonrenewal of the add-on licenses but that harassment training must continue. She provided approximate training durations during the exchange, saying the inclusive-workspaces module is roughly 30 minutes and harassment training is longer, perhaps 45 minutes. No formal direction to staff or vote was recorded in the meeting minutes.

Next steps

Drabek said discussion among the aldermen and consultation with the mayor would precede any decision on renewal; no formal instruction or deadline was recorded in the meeting record.