World Day for Cultural Diversity Employee Reflections

For the first time at Assurant, we proudly observed World Day for Cultural Diversity, which the United Nations acknowledges and celebrates annually on May 21. It’s an international day dedicated to understanding the depth, value and strength of cultural diversity. While celebrating the richness of the world’s diversity, it also highlights the need for intercultural dialogue.

Assurant is committed to advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) across the organization. We believe we’re stronger when we bring together individuals with diverse experiences and perspectives. And it starts with listening. It begins with hearing from our employees about their life experiences – including their personal history, identity and heritage. We encourage open dialogue across our global footprint of 21 countries, 80 locations, 22 time zones and 65 languages spoken.

One example comes from our Tennessee U.S. depot center, where they recently underwent an exercise to creatively showcase the diversity of employee nationalities within their production floor. To represent the 35 different nationalities of our employees in the depot, they displayed 35 country flags along the main walkway as a tribute to the richness of our diverse workforce, backgrounds, perspectives and ideas. 

Since the launch of this project, there's an increased dialogue and conversations among employees about heritage, country histories and what their flag represents. Celebrating our unique heritages and learning from one another brings us closer to inclusion, and inclusion is the heart of our Workplace DEI goals.  

To continue celebrating the unique voices and stories everyone has to share, employees were eager to share stories of their heritage across the organization through internal communication channels and social media. Here are a few - of many - employee stories:

Monica B.

"I am from Tanzania and a tradition that I really enjoy is getting henna tattoos. Henna tattoos are part of a special ritual during occasions like religious holidays (Eid), birthdays and/or weddings. During traditional ‘Swahili’ weddings the bride is decorated with henna for good luck. Henna tattoos are really popular now and you don’t have to wait for a special occasion to get one. The last time I went home (pre-Covid) my daughter and mother-in-law got beautiful tattoos."

Todd B.

“May is Jewish American Heritage Month. Throughout time, it was looked down upon to be Jewish. People were held back, punished, discriminated against, told “no” and even killed. Despite these obstacles, Jewish people have held their heads high, pushed back, and never let anyone stop them from achieving their goals, which has helped shape the world. 

To share my Jewish culture, here’s a picture of apple charoset (pronounced “Horosa”). It is a dish that reminds me of my grandfather, as he traditionally made this dish. While the recipe varies, common ingredients in apple charoset are apples, pears, raisins, figs, orange juice, red wine, pine nuts and cinnamon and it is traditionally eaten during Passover Seder.

I'm proud to be Jewish, during this month and every day.”

Jessica S.

"Although I have lived in the United States for nearly 23 years, I am originally from Northern Spain. Here are some photographs that remind me of where I come from.

The traditional Basque clothing although it varies per region, derives from what farmers would wear back in the day. Usually people will dress in traditional clothing for town festivals to celebrate their heritage, you will also see performances of traditional dances.

The Txistu, it's a popular Basque instrument usually played alongside a drum during these celebrations, typically you would march around the streets of the town for all to hear.

I also wanted to share some pictures of the beautiful home architecture (the picture shared is where my mom currently lives). We also have beautiful mountain views and beaches.

My son got to visit Spain and meet his great grandma for the first time in 2019. Hopefully we can go back again soon!"

Melissa T.

"As an American Asian and Pacific Islander (AAPI) that was born in the U.S. with immigrant parents, English became my primary language out of necessity. Fast forward many years later and both my children are in a Mandarin immersion school, because both heritage and diversity helped me to be a better leader. It allowed me to empathize and collaborate with people that have had accomplishments, struggles and experiences shaped by their own cultural differences. Diversity of thought, inclusion of ideas and courage to change is what drives organizations (and people!) to succeed."

Ricardo C.

“Our individual cultural identities help inform the way we see the world. Sharing about our cultural diversity with our colleagues in the workplace is super important, as it offers new perspectives that can inspire us to see the world in a different light. Bringing these new perspectives about the world into the workplace have been proven to inspire creativity, drive innovation, and even make businesses more competitive and profitable!”

Daniel O.

"#WorldDay Baleadas are among the most popular Honduran foods to date. These soft, thick tacos, in their simplest form, are stuffed with refried beans, salty cheese, and Honduran-style sour cream. Other satisfying fillings may include scrambled eggs, avocado slices, and meat. What’s even better is you can customize baleadas to suit your taste! #AssurantDiversity #Honduras"