As executive communications team lead at Hyland, I supported crisis communications for the leadership team. To develop this statement expressing support for the company's employees and communities during the social justice movements of 2020, I collaborated with members of the Hyland's C-suite and communications teams.
A note to our teams and communities
June 2020
By Bill Priemer
Distributed via internal email, corporate website and social media channels
The crisis that is playing out on television and in cities across the U.S., including our beloved Cleveland home, is the outgrowth of exhausted frustration caused by generations of racial injustice and inequality across our communities. Issues of race, of poverty, of unemployment, of politics and so much more are dividing us. We can do better. We must do better. We must do more.
We share a social responsibility as a company and as individuals to act. To reflect. To make a difference. To get involved.
At Hyland, we believe that racism has no place in this world. That equality is essential. And, that diversity is required. For nearly 30 years, we have embraced a strong employee culture rooted in the idea that “Our employees are our family.” We have embraced our responsibility to serve our communities, foster diversity in our people and strive for equality in our actions.
A practitioner of nonviolent resistance, Mahatma Gandhi said, “The future depends on what you do today.” So, today, we commit to listening and working closely with our employee diversity groups to determine how we can evolve as an organization to better support our people and communities. Today, we will identify and align philanthropically with organizations focused on social justice and equality. And today and always we will stand true to our values in support of change.
Finally, as this crisis plays out in our lives, in our communities and in the media, I pray for peace, for health, for conversation and for change.
With hope,
Bill Priemer
President and Chief Executive Officer, Hyland