Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Empathy is essential to patient-centered research. However, empathy alone does not ensure inclusion. That requires shifting power to the people our work intends to serve.

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An open letter from our Founder and CEO:
A commitment to humanity.

The foundation of humanity should be that individuals from all diverse populations inhabiting this earth are included and treated equitably and fairly, irrespective of race, ethnicity, gender, age, physical and mental ability, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, culture, language, and education, as well as professional and life experience.

As the CEO of an outcomes research group, I founded this company on this general principle and will continually work to maintain these values at COS. As a leader, I ensure equitable treatment across the organization regarding current employees and those considering joining the COS team.

Personally, as a gay woman who grew up very poor with an amazing single parent, I know what it is to hide your true self and have to fight the odds to find success. It is with great pleasure that I stand behind our employee-run DEI panel at COS, and I firmly support the idea that every team member will be embraced for their individuality in our work family.

— Stacie Hudgens, MSc

Chief Execitive Officer

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Our diverse identities
help define who we are at COS.

Our ability to innovate for our global customers and communities depends on the skills, perspectives, and knowledge of people from all backgrounds.

Building a welcoming and inclusive culture is essential to people doing their best work and to our company's success. We recruit individuals from diverse backgrounds and foster an inclusive workplace. We take steps to ensure employees have a sense of belonging, feel valued, and are able to succeed and thrive.

We aim to foster a workforce that reflects and contributes to the diverse, global community in which we operate. At COS, we are committed to developing, maintaining, and supporting a culture of equality, diversity, and inclusion for all our colleagues. We seek to sustain a working environment in which all our colleagues are valued, recognized, and supported so that they can achieve their true potential.
At COS, we are responsible for creating an environment where colleagues feel included, respected, and comfortable bringing their whole selves to work. We celebrate diversity, and we believe this enriches the working environment and interpersonal relationships within and outside the organization. We listen to each other and value different perspectives.
To effect meaningful change, we at COS pledge to:
1. Develop and set meaningful targets to achieve our organization's diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.
2. Collect relevant and meaningful data on diversity, equity, and inclusion. This will assist us in targeting areas where we need improvement to keep committed to our goals that can be measured.
3. Develop strategies to intentionally place diversity at the heart of our business through our hiring strategies, our onboarding process, external business relationships, and the retention and development of our people in the following ways:
4. Hiring strategies and onboarding new employees: Annual Board audit of hiring practices to ensure procedures are free from biases related to a candidate’s age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and other personal characteristics that are unrelated to their job performance.
5. External business relationships: Engaging with and supporting businesses that are also committed to diversity and inclusion efforts.
6. Supporting and retaining employees: Ensuring that employees can share concerns with management without fear of repercussion. Additionally, helps to aid in the development of all employees equally. This includes fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all.
7. Improve the diversity of our organization to ensure it appeals to people from all backgrounds, be they clients, suppliers, sponsors, or colleagues.
8. Engage others within our sector to champion diversity and inclusion.
9. Create best practices and guidance to help all at COS develop and build an inclusive culture.
10. Provide diversity training for all employees to create a more positive work environment and help employees understand unconscious barriers and biases. This will also be a part of the onboarding process.