5 Things / Comparisonitis

This week, I spent three days (and joyful evenings) with other thought leaders, each working to bring our new keynotes to life with the brilliant team at Heroic Public Speaking. I had a great week and did some fantastic work, but I started to feel a little down on myself once I left. I didn’t feel like writing this morning. Spending three days with other thought leaders can trigger comparisonitis (comparison syndrome). They have how many LinkedIn followers??!!

Any one of you could go to a conference of peers, or even read 5 Things and think, “That is such a cool thing that company X is doing…my company stinks and isn’t doing anything significant with DEI.” Or worse: ”They’re such a great leader…I stink compared to them…”

Comparisonitis. Comparison has been called the thief of joy – and it causes stagnation. I can’t fulfill my purpose to build a world where people feel safe to be authentically themselves if I let comparison drag me down. What I have to remind myself is that each step I take toward my vision matters.

Screw comparisonitis. There will always be those ahead of you and trust me, there will be many others just starting out. Each step you take towards more significant equity and inclusion matters – as an individual, and as an organization. Even simple things like intentionally connecting with people who are different from you, builds momentum that can be world-changing, and life-changing.

If you find yourself stuck because of comparisonitis or anything else, reply to this email. Seriously. I read every response and I’ll get back to you ASAP. Oh, and as much as I hate to admit it, external validation helps…so if you listen to the 5 Things in 15 Minutes podcast, will you do me a favor, rate, and review?

Here are the good vibes I found this week:

1. Championing Authenticity and Equity: Inside and Outside of Yelp

   • Yelp is doing some great, simple, and free things to create an inclusive culture for a fully remote workforce. YelpMates is a cross-department buddy program focused on socialization and fun, with a pair of buddies highlighted in the monthly internal Belonging Newsletter. This program was informally started by one employee, later adopted by the entire company, and now hundreds of employees have participated. That employee is now the company’s inaugural Culture Champion Award winner, which will now be a quarterly award. I love this because it’s a great, replicable model that encourages people to connect across differences, including differences in location and time zone – and employees are rewarded for being inclusive and caring about one another.

2. Walmart to Cover Fertility Treatments Under Insurance Plan

   • I have to say that I’m increasingly impressed with Walmart. As of November 1, the company will provide family-building coverage as an employee benefit. Employees on the Walmart health plan (and their spouse, partner, or adult child) even at the retail level, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation, can get coverage up to $20,000 in fertility benefits. Full-time employees can access an additional $20,000 towards surrogacy and adoption processes which can cost tens of thousands of dollars. This matters because family building can be complicated and expensive, and these procedures may be out of reach for front-line and LGBTQ+ employees, in particular.

3. How Employers Can Set Formerly Incarcerated Workers Up for Success

   • Formerly incarcerated people can be a vital talent source if cared for and supported by employers. In this Harvard Business Review story, I learned that instead of HR professionals, Nehemiah Manufacturing uses social workers. JBM Manufacturing has a life coach and U.S. Rubber Recycling has a psychiatric rehabilitation counselor available for employees. These programs go above and beyond traditional Employee Assistance Programs and matter, in particular, because BIPOC folks were disproportionately imprisoned during the war on drugs, and are more likely to have criminal records.

4. The Who Says Gender-Affirming Care Is Essential to Transgender Health

   • The World Health Organization (WHO) has updated the guidelines for the health of transgender people to establish that gender-affirming care, including self-identification, is fundamental to well-being. These new guidelines intend to ensure access to health resources including hormonal treatments and surgery and stress the importance of access to care. This matters because there are increasing attacks on transgender rights – the conservative movement in the US to legislate away access to gender-affirming care for minors, lack of self-identification in many countries, and even criminalization in some.

5. CVS Drops Prices on Its Tampons and Will Pay the ‘Pink Tax’

   • CVS is lowering the prices of its store-brand period products and is paying sales tax on those products in 12 U.S. states that tax those products. There are other states that tax those products but laws prevent CVS from paying those taxes. This is an incredibly equitable thing for CVS to do because period products can get expensive, especially with inflation, and especially for the many folks who have to choose between buying period products and food.

5 things / Unilever

The most inspiring thing I learned this week is that Unilever (the company that owns Ben & Jerry's, Dove, and more) now has an equal number of male and female leaders, in every office around the world. They achieved this goal a year ahead of schedule. I believe if a company as large as Unilever, with 14,000 managers, can achieve this goal, any other organization can.

I also learned...

• The Air Force has lifted its ban on beards and turbans, making this branch of the armed forces more inclusive of its Sikh members. The Army lifted this ban a few years ago.
  

• Netflix offers its workers an astonishing 52 weeks of paid parental leave. Salaried employees who are new parents of any gender, can take up to a year off at full pay following the birth or adoption of their child.
  

• Beginning on Sunday, March 8 (International Women's Day), Yelp will allow users to search a business by whether it's women owned. There are currently 1000 businesses who are already set up this way. To update yours, you can simply check the box in your Yelp business profile.
  

• Microsoft is telling salaried employees to work from home to minimize coronavirus exposure. Hourly shift workers who drive shuttle buses, work in the cafe, and more, and will see their hours cut - but Microsoft will continue to pay their full wages.
  

One final thing: do you like podcasts? I was interviewed on The Belonging Factor podcast last week and you can take a listen here. 

Wishing you a wonderful week, and, as always, you can catch more of my good news every weekday on LinkedIn and Twitter. Thanks for all you do to build a more inclusive world.

5 things / open to all

I hope you've been enjoying the summer. I took time off to spend with my son and we had some great camping trips, beach outings, and water park adventures. It's my favorite time of year. 

Here are some really interesting LGBTQ wedding/travel updates you might enjoy:

 

• If you are a business with a storefront, whether you work for a venue, florist, etc, use Yelp to send a signal that your business is Open to All. Simply log in to your Yelp account (and if you don't have one, this is good time to do it) and check the box Open to All (also check the box gender neutral restrooms if that applies).

• The New York Times has an interesting piece, "A Gay Wedding Is Just a Wedding" that I'd encourage you to read. It talks about many of the trends we've uncovered over 14 years in business. The article isn't written for wedding professionals, however - and you should know that while yes, a gay wedding is just a wedding, couples are using LGBT-specific search terms in google to find vendors. Your SEO still matters.

• The heartwarming story of the month comes from the UK, where a gay man and lesbian who met in the air force and pretended to be a straight couple for years, had a double wedding to their same-sex partners. It's a great story!

• Finally, have you shared our LGBTQ engaged and newlywed survey with your couples yet? Please pass along the link so we can continue to provide you with the most up to date data that will only help your business!