Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — 1. Suggest new job skills to learn Have you recently received feedback about a job skill you need to learn to grow your career? If so, please realize that it may contribute to the amount of privilege you have at work. That’s right. Privilege. Not everyone receives this kind of feedback, and individuals who don’t receive guidance…

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — 1. Disrupt “praise deficit” In the Harvard Business Review article Where Does DEI Go from Here?, Laura Morgan Roberts, Ph.D., a researcher in positive psychology and diversity and inclusion, addresses the economic uncertainty, corporate belt-tightening, and court rulings and legislation that have impacted diversity and inclusion initiatives. To keep moving forward, she recommends focusing…

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — 1. Codify unwritten rules Many organizations have unwritten rules: insider information about how things are done, or should be done, that isn’t formally established or documented. Often, they underlie success. “Here’s what you need to do for that project.” Or, “To get ahead, do this.” Ideally, the unwritten rules are widely known and freely…

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — 1. Ask before helping As we wrap up National Disability Employment Awareness Month, let’s consider this tip from How to Be a Disability Ally by Meryl Evans, CPACC: Ask before helping. Evans wrote, “Many folks want to be helpful to everyone, not just disabled people. …

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — 1. Go beyond empathy My news feeds are filled with stories about the war between Hamas and Israel, violence and threats against Jewish and Muslim people, and increased security measures to protect members of these groups. Perhaps yours are, too. As organizational psychologists Jane E. Dutton et al. wrote in Leading in Times of…

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — 1. Be an inclusion booster for disabled coworkers October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), a month to celebrate and recognize the achievements of disabled people. Coincidentally, October also brings us the annual Women in the Workplace Study, produced by McKinsey and LeanIn.Org. The team collected information from 276 organizations employing over 10 million people, surveyed more…

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — 1. Seize “See it, say it” moments In a recent article on allyship for Forbes, Megan McCann recommends seizing the “see it, say it” moments. She wrote, “You know these moments. It’s when something doesn’t feel right in your gut, when someone makes you uncomfortable. They’re the moments when you should lean in, speak up and educate…

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — I invited my friend Suzanne Wertheim, PhD, to write today’s newsletter. Below, you’ll read five actions for better allies drawn from her new book, The Inclusive Language Field Guide, to be published on October 3, 2023. Each action is based on a question from a client, colleague, or friend.

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — 1. Notice who’s missing Last week, Jann Wenner, co-founder of Rolling Stone magazine and author of the upcoming book The Masters, made disparaging remarks about women and Black musicians. As CNN reported, Wenner featured only white male musicians in his book, explaining in an interview with the New York Times: