5 Things / Unplugged
This week I spent time in California whitewater rafting and hiking with an old friend. There was no cell service while we were on the overnight rafting trip, and it felt great to be completely unplugged. After I returned from the solace of nature, I learned there was a parade shooting in Highland Park, Illinois about 30 miles from my home.
Another shooting. So much for good vibes. I wanted to unplug all over again.
Friends, it sometimes feels like the world is falling apart and I run out of words. I run out of patience. Maybe you do, too. Still, I look for inspiration because of the discipline of writing this every week.
I found some inspiration this morning when I learned that the winery tasting room in downtown Highland Park, run by my friend Matt Phillips, was a safe haven for 40+ parade-goers escaping the violence. In the spirit of the kindness of strangers, I share this short news story about Matt and Lynfred Winery. Any one of us may have done the same thing, but Matt did.
Here are the good vibes I found this week:
GE Appliances Is Working to Hire 1,000 Refugees at Its Louisville Factories by 2023
The GE Appliances factories in Louisville, Kentucky hire a large number of refugees. The company’s thoughtful and comprehensive approach is giving them a competitive advantage in a tight job market. They have partnerships with refugee support organizations, but they take it further by setting the refugees up for success. They’ve translated more than 100 employee documents into multiple languages, hold ESL versions of new hire orientations, and as a result, 42 languages are spoken on the plant floor. This matters because those refugees are being given a chance to succeed in the U.S. and supported along the way by their employers.
Slack’s Bold Bet on Training Formerly Incarcerated People to Be Tech Workers
Slack (owned by Salesforce) has a program for hiring formerly incarcerated people. Slack’s nonprofit Next Chapter provided 30 apprenticeships to date, and all apprentices received full-time job offers at tech companies. Now they’re showing 14+ other companies how to do it via Rework Reentry, a project that will provide those companies with a playbook, events, documentaries, and other resources to support hiring formerly incarcerated people. This matters because when someone leaves prison, it can be incredibly hard for them to find a well-paying job.
PayPal CEO Improved Results By Investing in His Call Center Workers
PayPal created a model of how to invest in call center employees. When PayPal realized that its 10,000 call center employees were largely living paycheck to paycheck, the company increased pay and health insurance contributions for those employees and also offered stock options, and provided a financial literacy program. Since then, customer satisfaction has gone up, the stock is doing great, and employees are more engaged. This matters because lower-level employees are often overlooked and underappreciated, and those folks are more likely to be BIPOC.
Hootsuite’s Office Gets an Inclusive Redesign
Hootsuite redesigned its Vancouver offices to be more inclusive. Their new office has considerations for people with invisible and visible disabilities, on the autism spectrum, and both introverts and extroverts alike. Features include Braille signage on all rooms, dimmable lighting in meeting rooms for those with light sensitivity, gender-inclusive washrooms, a wellness room (with moss on the walls), and more. This matters because many employees have mixed feelings about the return to the office, and these office features show sensitivity to individual needs.
Sandra Douglass Morgan Becomes the First Black Woman to Be Named an NFL Team President
The Las Vegas Raiders hired Sandra Douglas Morgan as team President, becoming the first Black woman to hold this position. I don’t always celebrate firsts because it’s about time that there are no more firsts. But still, firsts are meaningful, and this one matters because Black women are rarely in charge, and leading an NFL team is a big deal. Sandra will be a possible model for others.
Listen here:
Watch here: