Q&A WITH HOME INSTEAD’S DIRECTOR OF THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND ADVOCACY, EMILY ALLEN

By David Smith, IFA

We caught up with Emily Allen, director of thought leadership and advocacy at Home Instead, one year after we first highlighted Home Instead’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives in the Diversity Issue of Franchising World. Learn more about one of our incredible volunteer leaders and the strides they are making in the space.

David: Tell us a little about yourself. What brought you to franchising and the IFA? What is your favorite part of working with the aging population?

Emily: When I’m not working, I enjoy spending quality time with my family and friends; playing very average (not par) golf; traveling; working out; and volunteering for different organizations within the Omaha community.

If I had to pick just one “favorite” about working with the aging population it would be something I’ve shared with fellow IFA Diversity Institute board members before. Aging is a certainty and is one of the only unifying and universal human experiences. The second someone is born, they age. While you’re reading this, you’re aging. In a time when there can be so many differences within our various facets of life — the experience of aging isn’t one of those differences, but instead, can unite us. That to me is not only refreshing, but truly beautiful.

David: You’re on the IFA Diversity Institute board and have been a long-time supporter of VetFran and the IFA Diversity Institute. This year, you continued your sponsorship of IFA’s Diversity Institute. Why has Home Instead made the decision to consistently financially support the IFA Diversity Institute?

Emily: In a time when there is so much financial uncertainty, a lot of companies are having to make hard decisions about dollars. Continuing to invest time, talent and treasure in DEI as well as the Diversity Institute is important due to the impact that it has on the franchising industry. Our involvement has allowed us to share the great work that is happening in this space, learn from other Subject Matter Experts around challenges and continue to grow in this field. Franchising creates opportunity not only for the franchisees, but their employees, to create meaningful jobs and resources as well as stability, opportunity and wealth for generations to come. Personally, I have enjoyed having a front row seat with the Diversity Institute and its Advisory Board growing and evolving the past 4+ years — the increase in momentum and participation is a testament to its powerful work.

David: “It is important for us to foster a culture of inclusion across our franchise network, so everyone can bring their full selves to work.” Your team said that in last year’s Franchising World. How have you at Home Instead fostered that culture?

Emily: Home Instead has always been a strong supporter of inclusivity and diversity, and since our acquisition by Honor, our commitment to DEI has gotten even stronger with more breadth and depth. Following the acquisition, we reconstituted our core values to come up with a shared set of values, and one which rose to the top was “Our Differences Propel Us.” Whether ensuring our franchisees and workforce are representative of the communities we are part of, or maintaining a culture where all employees can bring their authentic selves to work and belong, we are committed to embedding diversity, equity and inclusion in everything we do.

Some of the ways we’ve fostered this important value and interwoven it into our enterprise and culture include: a dedicated DEI senior leader; DEI learning programs and mandatory training for new hires; monthly DEI dive-ins for the entire company to optionally meet and learn about diversity, equity and inclusion across multiple dimensions; Employee Resource Groups with leaders from across the organization; recently launched inclusive interviewing practices for our talent team, as well as an inclusive marketing pilot with our brand team; and will soon be launching a DEI learning and development program for our franchise network.

Additionally, our top leadership has made it a priority to understand the dynamics of all communities where we operate, and for all employees to have the opportunity to be able to give back within the community through our “Honor Gives” program. This program allows for employee matching dollars, as well as dollars donated to an organization where an employee chooses to donate their time and talent. Honor Gives is a continuation to Home Instead’s long standing commitment to give back, whether in community, its partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s; its annual Be a Santa to a Senior Program; and a soon to be launched national partnership with Meals on Wheels America.

Finally, we continue to look in the mirror and ensure that we’re walking the talk, leading by example and holding ourselves accountable to continue to learn and grow in the DEI space.

David: Home Instead and Honor have continued to commit to their DEI journey. What recommendation or advice do you have for other franchise systems as they pursue greater diversity, equity and inclusion?

Emily: Congratulations for beginning or continuing to pursue greater DEI within your organizations or networks. I’ll share just a couple learnings from our work over the years. Make sure you work to include all voices at the table (from all levels of the organization) and ensure you collaborate with all stakeholders — including your employees and franchisees. We’ve found that having an advisory group comprised of diverse franchise owners to better help integrate DEI within the franchise network is not only a good learning opportunity, but a great way to gain buy-in and engagement. Highlighting franchisees that are leaning into the importance of DEI — they’re walking the talk, so to speak — will help encourage other franchise owners to engage. And finally, this important work isn’t a checklist (like many things at work are), but instead will be a very rewarding lifelong learning journey for individuals, networks and organizations.

David Smith is senior manager, diversity programs of the IFA Diversity Institute. For more information about the IFA Diversity Institute, please visit franchisefoundation.org/ programs/diversity-institute.