Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — 1. Be a door opener, not a gatekeeper In her TEDx talk A Moonshot for Gender Equity, Dr. Shikha Jain reflected on her career, wondering if some of the challenges she had faced weren’t because she wasn’t good enough, but because she was in a system that put barriers in places where they shouldn’t be.

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — 1. Be on the respectful side of things “When they go low, we go high.” I thought about that iconic Michelle Obama quote a few weeks ago. Here’s why. I noticed that Elon Musk tweeted, “My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci,” mocking the support many of us show for the binary, transgender, and gender-fluid communities when we share our pronouns.

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — Last year, I started a new tradition of doing an annual “pundit accountability” exercise. Inspired by David Leonhardt, editor of the New York Times Morning Newsletter, who wrote: “Writers and experts should be transparent about what they got wrong. … There is no shame in being wrong at times. Everybody…

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — 1. Flip it to test it During a press conference with the Prime Ministers of Finland and New Zealand last week, a reporter asked if the two leaders were meeting because they’re of similar age and other “common stuff.” …

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally. — 1. Call attention to potential bias Perhaps one of the easiest ways to eliminate bias from talent evaluation is to call attention to it. I first learned about this approach from former SVP of People Operations at Google, Laszlo Bock. In his book, Work Rules!, he explained that at the start of Google’s talent discussion meetings…

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…