James Morales
James Morales, a carpenter in Engineering, is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of PAH and its surrounding buildings. He works on floor and ceiling repairs and metal fabrication to ensure the hospital has a strong and secure infrastructure. Morales is also working on building the hospital’s workplace culture within PAH’s walls through his involvement with the Culture workgroup, a subcommittee of PAH’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. As chair of the workgroup, he collaborates with his colleagues to promote an inclusive and equitable atmosphere in the workplace.
“The culture of the hospital circulates around the employees,” said Morales. “We want all of our employees, whether newly hired, with years of experience, or tenured to all be on the same page in terms of our mission and goals for the hospital.”
Morales expressed interest in the committee based on his experiences with his family who moved to New Jersey from Puerto Rico. He recalls seeing his family members denied job opportunities and wondered if systemic racism and biases were factors. The Culture workgroup is breaking down these barriers for professional development by fostering an environment where everyone can feel represented and heard and have equal opportunities for success, regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender.
As their first task, the Culture workgroup wanted to demonstrate their commitment to staff. They distributed a pin labeled with “Penn Medicine is antiracist,” accompanied by a formal pledge, signed by all the DEI workgroup chairs, that expressed support for an inclusive community that embraces unity over uniformity.
The group then developed focus groups with the goal to identify any shortcomings or common themes regarding DEI in employees’ work environments, such as their experiences with hiring processes or promotions. The Culture workgroup completed a virtual trial run of the focus groups with the five other DEI subcommittees, and just recently held their first in-person session with staff in May. Flyers with registration information will be distributed to each unit for scheduling future sessions.
Looking ahead, Morales and his workgroup members hope the focus groups reach a majority of hospital staff by the end of the year. They want to prepare their findings from the sessions for the DEI Committee’s second annual DEI Summit this fall, where all six workgroups will discuss their progress on projects from the past year.
“We don’t want employees to feel held back for uncontrollable reasons, or feel their identity contributed to setbacks in their role,” said Morales. “We want them to comfortably vocalize their experiences and share any issues or ideas to strengthen PAH’s workplace.”