5 things / name pronunciation
Have you ever embarrassed yourself by mispronouncing the name of a colleague or client? I've been on both, uncomfortable sides of this. Pronouncing someone's name correctly is a simple way to show that you care and are willing to be inclusive.
This week I learned what Culture Amp did to systemize this: they added a "how to pronounce my name" section to employees' Slack profiles. You can suggest employees add this to their email signatures, LinkedIn profiles, project management software, and customize their CRMs in this way.
Here are some of the other best practices and good news I learned this week:
A few years ago, Virgin StartUp granted €25,000 to a coffee company called Change Please. That company trains and employs homeless folks as baristas, uses fair trade coffee, and sells in recyclable cups. And now the coffee is served on Virgin Atlantic flights. What a powerful full circle!
One of the most effective tools in cultural competency training is perspective-taking (yet it's hard to achieve!) because it builds empathy. Salaam is a new video game created by a Somalian refugee where users play a refugee searching for food and medicine while escaping violence. I'm not a gamer, but I'm definitely intrigued...
The NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission has sent its 100,000 drivers "inclusive language tips" to be more supportive of transgender and non-binary passengers. This is an incredible best practice for front line employees like drivers.
A Muslim physician in the UK has designed disposable, sterile hijabs. She realized that wearing the same hijab all day could lead to infection concerns, but didn't want to compromise her faith. This low-cost solution is expected to be rolled out to more hospitals throughout the UK.