5 Things / Micro Inclusion


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This week I was a panelist at an internal event hosted by one of my clients. I arrived early and caught the previous fireside chat with the CEO, during which one of the employees in the audience encouraged everyone in the room to say something to every single person they make eye contact with on a daily basis.

People in the hallway, in the elevator, waiting in line… Saying something doesn’t have to be long or complicated. It can be a simple “hi” – a micro act of inclusion. If this isn’t the norm at your workplace, and I bet it might not be, consider what it would have been like your first week at work if everyone you made eye contact actually said something. What would the impact have been on your day last Friday? Imagine how this can help create a culture of belonging.

I’ll admit I can be very guilty of finding distractions on my phone – sometimes specifically to avoid eye contact and interaction! I also I know that I crave connection and those micro acts of inclusion give me a mini oxytocin hit. And the cool thing is, I have control over it. It can start with me. It can start with you.

This Week's Good Vibes:

  1. A Navy Ship Named for a Confederate Victory Now Honors a Black Union Hero

  2. Alaska Airlines’ First Class Gets Upgrade With Black Sisters’ Wine

  3. Disability Activists Grace Cover Of British Vogue

    • British Vogue is promoting inclusion in the fashion industry by featuring disability activists on the cover of their May issue. The issue, titled "Reframing Fashion", will feature 19 different people with disabilities throughout the magazine. Sinéad Burke, one of the cover stars, owns a consultancy called “Tilting the Lens” and worked with British Vogue on the issue and other accessible updates like alt text on the website and social media, and improved audio description in videos. This promotes the “normalization” of people with disabilities in fashion and matters to the 20-25% of people who have a disability and seldom see themselves represented in media, especially in fashion media.

  4. Nasdaq Board Diversity Rule Boosted LGBTQ Policies

  5. Beaches Resorts Grows Program For Guests On The Spectrum

This Week’s Call to Action:

If you don’t already get Karen Catlin’s fantastic 5 Ally Actions newsletter each Friday morning, I’d encourage you to subscribe. It’s an excellent summary of bite-sized actions (with concrete examples) that we ALL take to promote inclusion at work.


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