Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — 1. Embrace microvalidations As someone who thrives on positive reinforcement, I found myself nodding vigorously in agreement with this statement in a Harvard Business Review article by business school professor and author Laura Morgan Roberts, along with colleagues Megan Grayson and Brook Dennard Rosser:

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — 1. Reward people for taking on glue work In my books, I write about the glue work and office housework tasks that need to get done for the health of a workgroup but aren’t anyone’s actual job. Examples include scheduling a meeting and taking notes, ordering food, deep cleaning a shared fridge or lab space, and organizing a…

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — 1. Appoint an inclusion booster I recently read The Psychological Safety Handbook, a new book by Karolin Helbig and Minette Norman. It’s full of practical tools to create a healthier and more inclusive team culture, which means it’s a fantastic resource for all of us on the journey to be better allies.

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — I invited my friend Jeannie Gainsburg to write today’s newsletter. Below, you’ll read about five strategies for showing up as an ally for LGBTQ+ coworkers and clients, based on the second edition of her fabulous book, The Savvy Ally: A Guide for Becoming a Skilled LGBTQ+ Advocate, which was published…

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — 1. Be an Advocate Recently, Susan Wojcicki announced she’d be stepping down from her role as CEO of YouTube. That news made me think of a story she shared years ago about how the tech industry titan Bill Campbell had been an ally for her. In an article for Vanity Fair, she wrote: I…

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — 1. Redirect misdirected questions I frequently come across examples of “misdirected questions.” It’s when someone addresses their question to a man in the room instead of asking the most qualified person, who happens to be a woman or a member of another underrepresented group. Here are some:

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — 1. Push back on linguistic double standards Long-time readers of my newsletter know that I frequently cite Dr. Suzanne Wertheim, an inclusive language expert. I learn from her regularly and appreciate how she assesses language using frameworks, which helps avoid the trap of memorizing a long list of ever-changing terms to avoid.

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — In today’s article, I’m focusing on Inclusion On Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work by Ruchika Tulshyan. Regular readers of my newsletter and books know I’ve quoted her before, and I’m excited to share more of her wisdom with you today. Each of the…

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — 1. Seek systemic change In Is it Meaningful Action, or Is it Virtue Signaling?, Dr. Stephanie Pinder-Amaker and Dr. Lauren Wadsworth encourage us to avoid the trap of performative displays of DEI support. For example, taking quick actions without investing in organizational change to improve DEI. Things someone might do to “check the DEI…