City of Cambridge Releases Results and Recommendations from Independent External Assessment of Its Recruitment, Hiring, and Promotion Practices and Policies

City seeks to implement innovative ideas to further efforts for a diverse, more equitable and inclusive workforce

The City of Cambridge today announced the release of an independent report on the findings and recommendations from a multi-year assessment of the city’s recruitment, hiring, and promotion (RHP) practices and policies. The evaluation was conducted by Washington D.C.-based consulting firm Working IDEAL. The goal of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: A Workforce Plan for Recruitment, Hiring, and Promotion Project is to identify and implement innovative ideas on recruiting, hiring and promoting a diverse workforce. The findings and recommendations outlined in the report will help the city build a workforce that mirrors the people who live and do business in the City of Cambridge.

In January 2019, the city selected Working IDEAL, a team of experts in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and employment law and discrimination, to conduct an independent, multi-method assessment through a DEI lens.

Based on its analysis, Working IDEAL surfaced a number of findings. These key findings include:

• The City of Cambridge has made a clear commitment to support DEI goals and principles and this project is the next phase of this work.
• There is untapped potential to increase diversity in the City workforce.
• There is untapped potential in the current workforce.
• There is untapped potential in the Cambridge community.
• There is untapped potential compared with benchmark cities.
• Existing trends are positive, but much more work remains to be done.

Policy and procedure changes will aim to further increase DEI in the city's workforce. The project also provides an opportunity for the city to further demonstrate its leadership in DEI and take a proactive stance.

“Working IDEAL’s detailed Trend Analysis Report outlines its findings and recommendations for improvement, and I am pleased to share the results of this comprehensive independent assessment with the community.” said Cambridge City Manager Louis A. DePasquale. “These findings and recommendations are based on information collected directly from our workforce and Working IDEAL’s independent review. By releasing this report, I hope to demonstrate how seriously the city takes this work and how committed we are to carrying out these recommendations to the fullest extent possible.”

As part of its work, Working IDEAL outlined a series of recommendations to assist the city with improving its existing work and commitment to hiring and supporting a diverse workforce and creating a more equitable and inclusive culture. The recommendations include:

• Leverage existing internal resources and a DEI lens to build stronger and more standardized RHP policies and practices applicable across the city.
• Attract and cultivate a more representative workforce through updated selection criteria and procedures.
• Expand the city’s ability to promote opportunities and connect with a broader pool of talent.
• Reimagine opportunities for advancement and development.
• Use metrics and reporting on RHP to support implementation of these recommendations and ensure ongoing accountability though greater transparency.
• Expand the commitment to DEI across city roles and responsibilities.
• Strengthen city infrastructure that supports RHP to better implement these recommendations for the written DEI workplan.
• Engage city and department leadership in a plan to implement these recommendations.

The implementation phase of the recruitment, hiring, and promotions project will begin in FY22. This work will build on the city’s solid DEI foundation, leverage the strengths outlined in the report, and work to address the barriers identified. Since 2017, the city has created new initiatives that intentionally focus learning, development, and leadership programs on anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion. The city remains strongly committed to supporting and sustaining the work of anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion to best support its workforce and the community we serve.

Download Working IDEAL Cover Letter to City Manager Louis A. DePasquale (PDF)

Download RHP Trend Analysis Report Executive Summary 4-26-21 (PDF)

Download Trend Analysis Report and Recommendation for Written Workplan (PDF)