Diversity in the AGO

The Attorney General's Office respects diversity and makes a continuing commitment to promote understanding and acceptance of diversity through its programs, policies and employees.

Diversity is critical to the success of the mission of the AGO.   It is the recognition, respect and appreciation of all cultures and backgrounds and the fostering of the inclusion of differences between people.  These differences include age, race, creed, color, sex, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, disability or veteran’s status, and all other differences, including differences in philosophy.  Appreciating, valuing and implementing principles of diversity permits AGO employees to achieve their fullest potential in an inclusive, respectful environment.  The core values of the AGO are served by a strong commitment to the value of diversity and by promoting an inclusive workplace. 

The office values, THRICE, are fundamental to delivering ethical, excellent and effective public service.  The AGO is committed to promoting diversity and providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all staff.  As such, for purposes of diversity and inclusion, these values mean the following:

• Transparency:   The AGO is made up of many voices and those voices are welcomed in the office-wide decision making process.
• Honesty:  Honesty can only occur in an environment where it is safe for all to speak openly and where leadership willingly listens to diverse opinions and ideas.  Creating an environment of inclusion furthers an environment of honesty.
• Respect:  All staff must work to maintain a respectful workplace and respect for the diversity in the workplace.  Each individual is unique.  The AGO will expect more than simple tolerance and will embrace and celebrate the rich dimensions of diversity found within each individual.
• Innovation:  The AGO recognizes that a diverse workforce with a range of backgrounds and perspectives provides a broader range of ideas and insights to draw upon in decision making and policy development.  Diversity fuels innovation and speeds up the creative process.
• Competition:  Maintaining an inclusive work environment is critical to remaining competitive.  An inclusive work environment attracts the most talented people.   An inclusive work environment leads to the development of unique and insightful problem solving.  Responding to such a diverse client as the people of the State of Washington requires nothing less than a total commitment to the concepts of inclusion and workforce diversity.
• Ethics:  The AGO takes time to understand others in order to ensure fair treatment.  To respond ethically and professionally to the issues faced on a daily basis, the AGO will strive to be well grounded in the community’s diversity.  A reputation of fairness, coupled with a willingness to develop understanding, is critical to the long term success of the AGO.

The Attorney General has created a Diversity Advisory Committee to promote diversity and inclusion within the AGO by serving as a resource to management and others on diversity issues, providing assistance on recruitment and retention efforts and providing education, training and programs to promote awareness.