Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — 1. Publicly support those calling out harm Last week on Twitter, Dr. Anna Maria Valdez posted a powerful thread about her recent experience calling out a harmful phrase. It’s a cautionary tale full of learnings. Here’s what happened. During a webinar, Valdez, a disabled nurse, heard the speaker use the term “lame” several times to describe something…

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — 1. Know when to walk away from business Recently, the news has been filled with large brands walking away from lucrative business deals because of their values. Major advertisers have left Twitter over concerns about a rise in misinformation and hate speech. Dozens of retailers terminated their relationships with Kanye “Ye” West after he made antisemitic remarks in…

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — 1. Don’t coach women to do more office housework The other day, Austin Rief, CEO of media company Morning Brew, posted this advice: “If you’re the most junior person in a meeting, the easiest way to stand out is to take detailed notes and send them to the group afterwards.” It immediately stirred up some controversy. For example…

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — 1. Don’t lower the bar I remember the first time I witnessed a biased interview process. It happened early in my career, when I interviewed for a software engineering job on the same day and at the same company as my husband Tim. At that point, our resumes were almost identical. We’d graduated with computer…

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — 1. Level up your praise Earlier this month, I joined the “Managing Software Teams in Seattle” meetup to discuss how allies can give effective and equitable feedback. One of the topics we explored was whether there’s a role for allies to play in the 360-degree feedback process. …

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — 1. Resist the urge to say, “It doesn’t happen here” Let’s face it. No one wants to believe that their own workplace is oppressive, racist, or overflowing with sexist behavior. In fact, “It doesn’t happen here” is often the response when leaders are asked about bias within their workplaces.

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — 1. Speak up on your own behalf (not theirs) In the Harvard Business Review article How to Intervene When You Witness a Microaggression, professors Jennifer Kim and Alyson Meister explored some commonplace behaviors or comments that often unintentionally exclude or demean someone from an underrepresented group. …

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — For this week’s article, I invited my friend Jennifer Brown to be a guest author. I’m delighted to share her wisdom with all of you! In this edition, you’ll read about five strategies for showing up as an ally, based on her recently published second edition of “How to Be…

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — 1. Distract harassers A recent edition of the Anti-Racism Daily (ARD) newsletter implored us to take action when witnessing harassment. In their words, “Harassment is any behavior that is unwanted, unwelcome, and makes you feel uncomfortable. It might be verbal, it might be physical, it might be non-physical and non-verbal, like someone following…