5 Things / reduce the friction
This week I'm going to try something new...Patti and I will recap and debrief these 5 Things in 15 minutes on LinkedIn Live this Monday at 1pm CT. Please join us to get clarity around specific DEI steps you can take -- inspired by the world's most progressive organizations. We'll bring the good vibes.
This week I learned that filmmaker Ava DuVernay (see 13th ASAP) is behind a new nonprofit diversity initiative called Array Crew. Array Crew is a database of women and BIPOC tv and film production talent. The industry is simply not very diverse (remember #OscarsSoWhite?) and this database attempts to remove the "pipeline" issue as an excuse for not having women and BIPOC people behind the scenes.
There are already 3,000 people in the database (which is free for credited crew to join). Array Crew is available to every major studio and streaming company, which pay to have access. This ensures they have a stake in its success.
This initiative matters because virtually any tool that can remove "friction" from increasing diversity is useful. Humans easily find many excuses NOT to increase diversity. Resources like this reduce the excuses and reduce the blame.
How can you make it easier to increase diversity by removing friction from your processes?
Here are some other good vibes I found this week:
H.E.B. grocery showcased its humanity again last week during the winter storms which wreaked havoc in Texas. Not only did the company pay time and a half for employees who made their shifts, but they also paid time off for those who had to call off due to the storm. There are also some beautiful stories of how they took care of their customers. This matters because every employee matters.
Beginning in June, schools in New Zealand will be stocked with free period products for young people who need them but may not be able to afford them. Scotland has a similar policy. Thousands have missed school because of an inability to afford products. This matters because it's a simple policy that addresses poverty and impacts 50% of students.
The classic Mr. Potato Head toy is losing the Mr. and will hereafter be known simply as Potato Head. All of the toys will be gender neutral and the packaging even shows a mom and dad, two moms, and two dad families. This matters because it moves away from heteronormativity and allows children to create all types of families.
Accenture has a new partnership with The Mom Project to place 150 moms in career roles in coveted positions in their Midwest offices. They're focusing on moms who are unemployed and making a career change. This matters because it's an intentional commitment to do a tiny part to make up for the disproportionate number of jobs moms have lost due to Covid. Hopefully there will be a ripple effect with other organizations making similar commitments.
Image: mac6