Commonwealth Compact
Frequently Asked Questions
The Commonwealth Compact has prepared these FAQs to provide clarity about the mission and work of this initiative.
Why do we need a Commonwealth Compact (CC)?
Why target working with employers to accomplish this goal?
Why should my company be interested?
How complicated is the benchmark tool and how much time will it take?
How much does it cost to become a signer?
Who will see my company’s data?
Why do we need a Commonwealth Compact (CC)?
Massachusetts’s economic future depends on the skills of an increasingly diverse workforce. Yet we are losing too much talent because of our reputation as unwelcoming to people of color. Most businesses and other organizations know this. Commonwealth Compact focuses their efforts into a statewide campaign to change that reality and reclaim the reputation that Massachusetts once had as a Mecca for talented people of color.
Why target working with employers to accomplish this goal?
No few people – even a committed governor, mayor and other civic leaders – can change a state’s culture. Real change can come only from the community. The 150+ organizations participating in our Benchmarks Initiative measure their diversity in a very detailed way. These organizations together employ nearly 10 percent of the total state workforce. With this growing body CC rallies that community-wide movement.
No. Most organizations set their own goals, and seek to make progress year over year. We will track progress with annual reports, but will set no targets ourselves. Most organizations want to reflect the diversity in the geographic area and customer base they serve.
Why should my company be interested?
The entire state will benefit if organizations attract talented people of color. More specifically, individual organizations will benefit from
(1) the Talent Source database that we expect to launch this fall;
(2) best-practices workshops with peer organizations,
(3) the information they obtain by collecting their own Benchmarks data, and
(4) publicity, both internally and in the community.
Signing organizations, for instance, are highlighted on our web site, and their names have appeared in The Boston Globe four times.
How complicated is the benchmark tool and how much time will it take?
This depends on the size of the organization and whether consolidated records are kept. Several first-year signers reported that, while the questionnaire is detailed, the information produced was worth the effort required to collect it.
How much does it cost to become a signer?
There is no charge.
Who will see my company’s data?
Each organization’s report is kept strictly confidential, as with other data from proprietary research conducted by any university. The information will be aggregated and analyzed annually. Care is taken so that no individual organization’s report can even be surmised. Please see “Stepping Up,” our May 2009, report analyzing first-year Benchmarks data found on our web site.
For more information on the Commonwealth Compact, contact us.
Featured Links
Stepping Up:
Key Findings of the Benchmarks Data Analysis
Benchmarks Report (May 2009)
Signers of the Commonwealth Compact
Updated September 25, 2009
Commonwealth Compact video
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