Sharna Barnes, the CEO of Complete Contract Consulting, an Atlanta-based customer service relations company, speaks at the Georgia Chamber of Commerce summit on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (Courtesy of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce)
Business leaders gathered at a Georgia Chamber of Commerce summit to discuss efforts to bring more diversity to the workplace.
The summit featured a series of panels and fireside chats about the importance of diversity at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park.
Chris Clark, the president and CEO of the Chamber, said Georgia business leaders are looking at ways to expand diversity, equity and inclusion programs as workforce retention issues and likely policy changes loom over the business community.
“Georgia is at the forefront,” Clark said. “We recruit companies from around the world and they want to be here because we have the most diverse workforce and they know that the more diverse their workforce, the more customers they can connect to, the better their bottom lines.”
In recent years, recruitment and retention have been recurring problems for businesses here.
The Georgia Chamber of Commerce hosted its 2024 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Summit on Wednesday November 13, 2024 (Courtesy of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce)
Sharna Barnes is the CEO of Complete Contract Consulting, an Atlanta-based customer service relations company.
Originally born in Jamaica, Barnes says finding a way to attract talent from around the world could add to the workforce.
“It’s crucial that our immigration process remains an opportunity for immigrants to come in to help level out that playing field because there’s no other way,” Barnes said.
With the recent election of Donald Trump as the country’s next president, many expect immigration policy to tighten up, which could cause companies to rethink DEI efforts.
Tasha Allen, the vice president of talent management and diversity for the Georgia Chamber, said regardless of who’s in charge, this work remains paramount.
“We’ve been around over 100 years. We’ve seen many presidents, but we continue to still advocate for Georgians so that they can live, work, and play here in this great state that we love,” Allen said.
Chamber officials say they will unveil their strategic plan for the next 25 years at the upcoming Eggs and Issues event.
