Poprouser CEO Joins GMSHRM Board as Director of Diversity

January 17, 2019, marked Poprouser CEO Cody Bess becoming the new Chair of Diversity and Inclusion at the Greater Miami Chapter of the Society of Human Resource Management (GMSHRM).

Regarding the new appointment, Cody exclaimed: “I’m very excited … I want to start working.” He states there is a lot to focus on when it comes to diversity in the South Florida Business community. Employers overlook communities who have not been trained or culturally prepared for the workforce. “Here in South Florida, we have unique challenges in addition to what the rest of the country is facing.”

Among these communities are veterans. As a veteran himself, Cody knows the military environment contrasts from the business environment.

 

“Employers are not trained on how to work with veterans, and there is this assumption that we are inherently risky to hire, are overtly sexist, and too rigid for the nature of work today … that stigma reduces opportunities due to implicit bias. Training should be conducted to help veterans adjust to civilian life and re-enter the workforce. We should focus on educating companies looking to fill their teams with great people from all walks of life.”

 

– Cody Bess, Poprouser’s CEO and GMSHRM’s new Chair of Diversity and Inclusion

“We intend to extend beyond just inclusion,” states Mohales Deis, Poprouser’s COO. “We are considerate of toxic work environments made even more visible through #MeToo, and going forward we know that just being ‘included’, isn’t always enough.”

Cody stresses that “…many employers have not updated job descriptions to make it clear that jobs are suited for differently-abled persons. As work is becoming more “mind-based,” for many jobs, we can eliminate physical requirements and use automation to actually get people jobs. One should not underestimate the minds of differently-abled people. Strong minds adapt to automation and working in a digital sphere. Outdated job descriptions are deterring candidates by using language which unintentionally stresses that only an able-bodied candidate may be able to perform a task.”

Despite the unique multicultural skillforce™ in South Florida, there is an issue in hiring the best talent from across communities that some would see as homogenous groups. Many companies have diversity problems. Companies often use the notorious practice of ‘tokenism’ to meet their quotas. Cody affirms that any company which does not globalize ideas and puts off diversity will suffer in the long term. They will be overshadowed by greater companies who capitalize on universal talent across demographics.

Poprouser’s mission aligns with Cody’s plans with GMSHRM. The firm is developing great high-performing hybrid thinking teams across South Florida businesses. This incorporates a diverse, agile, and forward-thinking skillforce™.

“I’m incredibly proud of Cody’s appointment,” says Mohales. “What we want is to continue working toward expanding the definition of what is viewed as diversity beyond EEOC requirements. This includes the LGBTQX community, minorities, women, among others, but also diversity in life story, generational groups, skill sets, experiences, perspectives, origin, and more. We see this as a source for developing a resilient team, able and ready for a rapidly changing world, customer whims, and new market opportunities not even imagined yet. We are not here to disrupt, we’re in search of allies for shared evolution and ecosystem building. And we’ve already met great allies within GMSHRM.”

In addition to Cody’s appointment, Mohales is now a partner and liaison of the Miami Chapter of HackingHR.

“This is our wheelhouse. The application of technology, data, and design thinking to both predict and shape the future of work. We’re hackers through and through and look forward to working with an already international organization with a similar dedication to the advancement of human resources,” says Mohales.