You are an HR Manager at Gleason Tires ("Gleason"), a mid-size tire and rubber manufacturing company headquartered in Sarnia, Ontario. Founded by Ron Gleason Finch in 1978 with only 6 employees, Gleason now operates with over 125 employees across two locations in Ontario, Sarnia and Waterloo. Gleason operates under two divisions; (1) its corporate office, which is located in Sarnia and is comprised of 25 employees specializing in business operations such Administrative Support, Marketing, Operations and Finance; (2) it's manufacturing plant, located in Waterloo where the remaining 100 employees work and are responsible for tire production and distribution. There is a leadership committee at Gleason, which is comprised of all supervisors, managers and team leads within the organization. You meet with them monthly to discuss issues impacting the leadership team. You joined Gleason 6 months ago, as HR Manager, the first and only HR professional at Gleason. Until you joined, there has never been a dedicated HR function Gleason, and you are now responsible for the function at both locations. You have made a point to visit both office locations many times (however you are employed out of the corporate office). There is a stark contrast between the culture of the corporate office, and the manufacturing warehouse. There have been rumors Gleason is in discussions about opening another office next year. In the short time that you have been employed by Gleason, a number of employee related complaints, issues and concerns and have been brought to your attention: A single mother in the manufacturing office has requested to change her hours. Her son has been diagnosed with a rare behavioral disorder, and she requires time off to take him to medical appointments. Her supervisor has denied her request telling her there is nothing Gleason can do and "she needs to just make it work". An employee at corporate has advised you at he has a religious requirement to pray daily, during business hours. He has been using an old storage closet to pray, however that space is now being used to store tire cleaning chemicals, and is no longer safe for him to use. His manager has told him to pray in his car as an alternative. An employee who had a Pride Flag sticker on their vehicle reported that their car was vandalized on company property while at work. They suspect the vandalism is tied to the Pride Flag on their car. The employee is threatening to go to the local news with the story. A Black employee has asked Gleason to develop a Black Employee Network so that Black employees can get together, network and affiliate. He has asked your permission to email all Black employees to invite them to join. At present, you do not know who in the organization identifies as Black, and to your knowledge, the company has never conducted a diversity census. As the HR Manager, you are concerned about these issues. Additionally, you have come to realize that Gleason has no formally documented HR policies in place, which is part of your mandate as the new HR Manager. After assessing the issues, you recognize that a broader Diversity, Equity and Inclusion ("DE&I") program needs to be put in place at Gleason. You have discussed these issues and your idea with the CEO, Sandy Brenber, and she is supportive. She has asked you to act as an internal consultant on this project, and propose a DE&I plan to her for review. Answer the following questions: 1. A project of this magnitude will require consultation with stakeholders. Who are the stakeholders in this situation? What resistance do you anticipate from them, and what means would you use to build internal commitment? 2. Gleason currently has no HR policies in place to govern these issues. Recommend three policies, programs or initiatives that you would develop. Tie your recommendations back to the issues outlined above.