NewsBreak Original

I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that all of us want to be included. What’s more human than the desire to feel loved and wanted? In all my work around the world, I have never met someone who did not seek to feel included. A crucial part of this inclusion, however, is opening ourselves up to including others. Multiple times have I seen people claiming to support inclusive practices before following it with a stipulation: “I support inclusion of everyone except…”

Many times we may say things simply because we’ve always heard them used. We all have little phrases that are ingrained in our language! However, because these phrases seem so ubiquitous to us, we may not have considered how offensive some terms may be.

One time I was hired as a DEI consultant for male-dominated, majority-white company. Early on in this partnership, I hosted an optional DEI workshop, and I was delighted to see that many of the organization’s employees chose to attend despite that the training was not mandatory. Many of the men there, despite appearing a bit uncomfortable and nervous about the conversations to follow, proved to me by their very presence that they were willing to listen and learn. For that, I could hardly be more grateful.

In many of my DEI workshops, I like to ask for audience examples of microaggressions, as it helps make these challenges personal. People we work with and respect have been struggling with these very issues, and we may not have known!

I’ve noticed that when people are first beginning their DEI journeys, they often become particularly frustrated with the idea of monitoring their language, e.g. to avoid microaggressions. An attendee of one of my workshops approached me in a huff, angered by the possibility that she might offend someone simply by saying Good morning! For those of us who feel frustrated by the idea of another item being loaded onto our plates, my advice is this: lean into close examinations of our language rather than pushing against them. What do I mean? I’ll explain with a short personal story.

When it comes to DEI, I like to encourage self-reflection on the following question: How does this work enhance my life? There are two anecdotes I’d like to share that, in my opinion, speak to this question.

She stood up, tension riddling her shoulders, and began voicing perspectives all but identical to my own. It was clear from the first few sentences that she and I had near-identical political beliefs and values, and yet the more she spoke, the more I found myself feeling uncomfortable and pulling away from her words.

I might summarize the ultimate desire of humanity as this: to be loved. To be wanted. To be included. The question then becomes… What sacrifices are we willing to make to achieve that?

Picture this: you’re standing in front of an elevator. You send a text message, putting your phone away once you hear the familiar ding! The low creak of doors sliding open follows. You look up, ready to step inside, but—

When I hear someone say “DEI,” my mind jumps to HR departments, from countering bias in the hiring process to increasing retention of diverse employees. However, the focus on DEI should go beyond HR—after all, humans constitute every department in the workplace. From Procurement to Marketing, there are always people behind decisions, and for that reason, DEI is crucial across the board in organizations. Today, then, I will be exploring a variety of tips and tricks for departments beyond HR to implement DEI in their daily practices. Although this list is not comprehensive in covering all DEI possibilities for every non-HR department, I hope it offers us a strong place to start when considering the value of DEI beyond Human Resources. What are we waiting for? Let’s dive in!

When I hear someone say “DEI,” my mind jumps to HR departments, from countering bias in the hiring process to increasing retention of diverse employees. However, the focus on DEI should go beyond HR—after all, humans constitute every department in the workplace. From Procurement to Marketing, there are always people behind decisions, and for that reason, DEI is crucial across the board in organizations. Today, then, I will be exploring a variety of tips and tricks for departments beyond HR to implement DEI in their daily practices. Although this list is not comprehensive in covering all DEI possibilities for every non-HR department, I hope it offers us a strong place to start when considering the value of DEI beyond Human Resources. What are we waiting for? Let’s dive in!

Diversity and inclusion are instrumental parts of every workplace. Proper understanding and implementation of DEI leads to increased productivity, a positive workplace culture, and more! But as with many initiatives, we are always looking for ways to make this educational process more fun. As such, I have compiled a list of five DEI team-building activities for the workplace that can be conducted with any level of employees, from new recruits to leadership teams. Let’s jump right in, shall we?

With remote work going global, accompanying novelties are also piling up. In addition, some old concerns are getting recycled (like employee engagement, for example) as the new environment means new habits, new people, and new rules.

For many employees, the modern workplace is synonymous with stress. As a result, business burnout has become habitual. Burnout eventually leads to anxiety, irritability, poor communication, and reduced productivity, among other outcomes.

Getting engaged is a special moment in a couple's life. The moment symbolizes a commitment to spend the rest of one another's lives together through thick and thin. It's a time of joy, excitement, and anticipation for what the future holds.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion. In our previous two blogs, we have reviewed the many ways boards of directors can hold their CEOs accountable for diversity and equity, which leaves but one category left: inclusion. Of the three, inclusion can be the most difficult to monitor, because unlike diversity and equity, there are not as many quantitative statistics associated with this element of DEI. Nonetheless, there are still some quantitative as well as numerous qualitative elements that boards of directors can, should, and must confirm their CEOs are overseeing when it comes to inclusion. No reason to delay—let’s walk through each task!

“Diversity” and “inclusion” are words gaining more and more significance by the day in the corporate workplace, but when people speak of DEI initiatives, the “E” sometimes falls by the wayside. However, the equity of diversity, equity, and inclusion is instrumental not only unto itself but also in ensuring that the diversity and inclusion elements of DEI themselves are successful! As a result, this blog is a follow-up to our article on how boards of directors can hold CEOs accountable for diversity. So, let’s jump right in!

In recent years, DEI initiatives have transformed from “nice-to-have” into “must-have” elements of an organization’s strategy, and this positive progress cannot be overemphasized. But although DEI initiatives require support from all levels of an organization, boards of directors may be uncertain about how to become involved in DEI, especially as many may not see themselves as directly linked to these initiatives. Fortunately, there is one linkage that facilitates extensive opportunities for boards of directors to support DEI: the connection between a board of directors and their CEO.

Today’s workplace is unique, as it is rich not only with racial, gender, and ethnic diversity but also because it consists mainly of four different generations: Baby Boomers (late 50s to late 70s), Generation X (early 40s to mid-50s), Millennials (late 20s to early 40s), and Gen Z (elementary age to mid-20s). When most of us think of “diversity,” generational diversity may not be our go-to example, but the range of ideas and experience that comes with each age group is as instrumental to creating a productive workplace as any other element of diversity. There are numerous areas in which younger and senior generations can learn from one another, so today we will explore a few of these infinite learning possibilities!