5 Things / The Tech
Earlier this week I was at the law firm Jenner & Block for an event. As I was attaching my lavalier mic, the tech said, referring to me, “she’s a pro [with the mic].” Seconds later, the tech came back and said, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to assume your gender.” I responded with, “No worries! You guessed right. Thank you.”
I found this whole exchange startling in a good way. I even told the story to the group, applauding the firm for giving all of their employees the tools to be LGBTQ-inclusive. I was so impressed by the tech’s self-awareness and willingness to apologize for something I hadn’t given a moment’s thought to. It was also a “no big deal” moment, in that there wasn’t a giant discussion – moments of inclusion can be quick and straightforward.
My pronouns are she/her and even when I’m not somewhere they’re on display, people generally get it right. In the work world, we haven’t gotten to a critical mass sharing of pronouns. It’s not quite normalized. We’re working on it. That’s why it’s really inspiring to watch that work being done, to experience someone apologizing for something that’s not yet normalized, apologizing for something that didn’t bother me one bit. Because I’m cisgender, and I have the privilege that comes with it.
I’m celebrating the small wins because that’s how we build momentum for the big stuff. Let’s do this!
Here are the other good vibes I found this week:
2. Bank of America Making Big Moves With Avoiding Layoffs, BIPOC Leadership, and More
Bank of America is doing a lot of things right. Their minimum wage is $23/hour (vs the federal minimum of $7.25); more than half of their newly promoted managing directors are women and BIPOC; and they expanded maternity and paternity leave from 12 weeks to 16. They’re also avoiding layoffs but letting attrition naturally reduce the workforce. This matters because all of the initiatives promote equity: increasing pay for front-line employees, who are disproportionally BIPOC and experience the racial wealth gap; providing equitable parental leave to reduce the burden on new mothers; and creating pathways for women and BIPOC employees to advance at work.
3. The State Department is ditching Times New Roman for Calibri
The U.S. State Department is changing its standard font to improve accessibility for people who are blind or visually impaired (13% of Americans). In the past, the department has used Times New Roman (a serif font) and is switching to Calibri (a sans serif font). Secretary of State Antony Blinken states that serif fonts “can introduce accessibility issues for individuals with disabilities who use Optical Character Recognition technology or screen readers.” One of the things I love about writing this newsletter is that I continue to learn about more ways to be inclusive. I’m on this learning journey, too. I had no idea that serif fonts presented more difficulty for screen readers, although apparently, this information has been available for almost 20 years!
4. Welcome Corps, A New Refugee Resettlement Program
The U.S. has a new refugee resettlement program called the Welcome Corps, where Americans in groups of 5+ privately sponsor refugees. The groups can come together for any reason: book clubs, faith-based groups, teams, etc. They’ll need to raise at least $2,275 per refugee and then help the refugees find schools, affordable housing, jobs, get kids signed up for school, and just show them around and help them figure out transportation. Canada and Australia have similar programs in place. More than 100 million people were forced to leave their homes last year, according to the United Nations, and this program helps those who show up at our door have a safe and supportive environment in their new homes. I also love that this program brings people together in service of our shared humanity.
5. Businesses Pledge to Support Divorcing Employees
The U.K. is seeing more businesses supporting divorcing employees after a study showed that 74% of them report feeling less efficient, and over 90% feel their work performance and mental health suffered. As a divorced person, I can completely relate to this. Major UK employers such as Unilever, PwC, and Tesco are now pledging more divorce-friendly policies. The new campaign is recommending that companies recognize separation as a ‘life event’ in HR policy so support services like counseling are formally available; actively publicize that policy; and commit to flexible working arrangements for divorcing parents reconfiguring their family setups. This matters to the many people who struggle with the complex and emotional nature of separations and can go a long way towards a more compassionate and human work culture.
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