5 Things / The Year in Good Vibes

This week I received a message from a former client: "Yippee for our marriages being codified into law!"

Some of you may know that I spent years as a wedding planner with an LGBTQ+ specialty and a speaker on inclusion in that industry. I started that business in 2004. I was so young! It's been nearly 19 years since the first legal same-sex marriage licenses were issued in Massachusetts -- and only NOW are those marriages — and interracial marriages – codified into federal law, thanks to the Respect for Marriage Act. Those marriages were allowed due to Supreme Court decisions, which could have potentially been challenged.

19 years of waiting for same-sex marriages; 55 years of waiting for interracial marriages to become officially official.

Still, I'll take it. I'll celebrate it. And here it is, in 5 Things.

I'll take progress towards equality in most forms. Progress, even with caveats, as this law has. More equity and inclusion that starts tomorrow, next year, or the year after.

In the new year, I’ll keep sharing 5 Things, and maybe one of these stories will inspire you to take the next step forward toward greater equity and inclusion.

Just start.

To cap off the year, I’m sharing what I found to be the top 5 good vibes of the year, that I predict will become more common and expected in years to come.

Here are my top 5 good vibes of the year:

1. Hybrid Work Models

   • This year brought fits and starts as organizations tried to figure out hybrid work models. It’s incredibly important as employees increasingly value flexibility and women and underrepresented people report a higher sense of belonging when working remotely. A hybrid ideal is beginning to emerge for organizations that can pull it off: remote work as an option for everyone, and requiring employees to come in for gatherings and retreats. The many folks I’ve spoken to who work this way appear to love both the flexibility and the camaraderie.

2. Companies Speaking Out Against Injustice

   • With the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision earlier this year allowing states to set their own abortion laws, many companies spoke out in support of their employees. From reimbursing travel expenses for employees who have to cross state lines to obtain an abortion to reimbursing employees’ relocation expenses, many major companies like Salesforce and Levi showed support. (This doesn’t come without backlash though – now some politicians are in retaliatory mode.) Regardless, a precedent was set and Gen Z, in particular, will expect companies to keep speaking out when there’s injustice.

3. Awareness That Diversity Means Everyone

   • Diversity is more diverse. With the rise in anti-Semitism, increasing awareness of caste discrimination, more conversations around mental health, and increasingly frequent addition of “accessibility” to DEI, there’s more awareness that diversity means everyone. And that’s a good thing because the more people who see themselves as part of the conversation, the more engagement and investment there will be in this work.

4. Diversity in Sports

   • There’s more diversity in sports…a number of races including the Boston Marathon and New York Marathon now have non-binary categories, which leads to a downstream effect of smaller races doing the same. We’re seeing more women in executive leadership in men’s professional sports franchises. And this year, a new women’s professional soccer team in LA began to play – the Angel City Football Club - with founding members such as Natalie Portman, Serena Williams, and Eva Longoria. Not only is there more diversity, but greater access to these stories with the launch of the Women’s Sports Network.

5. Four-Day Workweeks Gain Momentum

   • The four-day workweek is gaining traction. With a successful pilot program in the UK and Unilever adopting it in Australia after a successful pilot in New Zealand, this model is showing leaders that employees can be even more productive in a shorter period of time. While we haven’t seen this take off in the U.S. yet, there’s no doubt it’s coming. And when it does, you can read about it right here in 5 Things!

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5 Things / Not DEI

I had a conversation this week with a very kind senior DEI leader who wanted to help me help the company. They gave me some words to say that they thought might help get buy-in from the boss. This person encouraged me to pitch our Inclusive 360 Assessment as an “organizational improvement methodology”, not DEI. Our future work together as “change management”, not DEI.

All of this is true because our assessment examines the systems for gaps in equity and inclusion. What it delivers is a roadmap for meaningful systemic change and organizational improvement. 

Not DEI. I’ve found that a lot of the organizations I speak to aren’t quite invested enough for “organizational improvement”, beyond changing the way they hire. We deliver a lot of workshops and keynotes to help establish that readiness, but those workshops are mostly about behavior change. About people. While that’s great, I know that will only move the needle so far.

Lily Zheng recently wrote about this in HBR – To Avoid DEI Backlash, Focus on Changing Systems — Not People. Organizational improvement, change management, systemic change, whatever you want to call it. We’re here for it. 

Have you found that you've had to change your messaging around DEI to get buy-in?

Here are the good vibes I found this week:

1. A Colorado Ski Resort Is Opening a Day Care For Employees—and It Could Provide a Blueprint to Help Solve the Childcare Crisis

   • There’s a childcare shortage in the U.S., exacerbated by Covid. Many women, in particular, have chosen not to return to work because of the high cost of child care. Because of that, Steamboat Ski Resort in Colorado established an onsite day care facility for employees. Having onsite day care isn’t especially unusual – but the story provides a blueprint for establishing one through public and private partnerships. It’s a wonderful model. This matters because families shouldn’t have to choose between work and child care.

2. Brown University Bans Caste Discrimination Throughout Campus in a First for the Ivy League

   • An increasing number of colleges are adding caste to their non-discrimination policies. Earlier this year, the entire University of California system added the protection, and recently, Brown University became the first Ivy League school to do the same. The caste system is a hierarchical system that originated in India but carries over to other societies, and to this today affects societal rank and opportunity. This matters because caste is a hidden form of oppression.

3. Ava DuVernay Becomes the First Black Woman on a Ben & Jerry's Pint with New Caramel Flavor

   • Ava DuVernay, Oscar-nominated filmmaker of films such as the must-watch “13th” (on Netflix) is the first Black woman to earn a spot on a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Beginning in January, she’ll be the star of the new flavor Lights! Caramel! Action! Proceeds from sales will benefit her nonprofit which promotes equity in the entertainment industry. This matters because it shows little Black girls more possibilities for them.

4. A Hundred UK Companies Sign Up for Four-Day Week with No Loss of Pay

   • A hundred companies in the UK have officially committed to a four-day workweek going forward, affecting 2,600 employees. This is a small fragment of the UK workforce but sets an important precedent for work-life balance. The program asks employees to accomplish all of their work in 4 days instead of 5, without working overtime, and with no loss of pay. Four-day workweek pilots and studies have proven an increase in productivity and well-being – and this matters to many employees who value balance and flexibility.

5. Anti-racism: When You Picture Doctors Without Borders, What Do You See? 

   • Doctors Without Borders admitted that their marketing and fundraising materials have historically shown white doctors assisting Black people, perpetuating the myth of white saviorism. Materials even cropped out images of parents, showing doctors helping children as if they were powerless victims. It’s also not true – 80% of Doctors Without Borders colleagues are hired from the companies in which they work. Without any public pressure, Doctors Without Borders took responsibility for perpetuating myths and stereotypes and committed to doing better. This matters because it’s never too late to take responsibility for racism and commit to being an antiracist. (h/t to Lisa Ong for the share)

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5 Things / 360

A new study from Boston College and the Society of Human Resources Management tells us that 65% of organizations believe DEI is important, yet 63% give little to no resources to DEI. This doesn’t surprise me. In my conversations with organizations, I find many who see DEI as an HR or L&D initiative. In other words, recruitment, and training. There are many DEI actions that can be taken that cost minimal external resources, such as policy changes and building inclusion nudges into process documentation. 

I’m a big believer in the 360 approach – beyond HR and L&D, which is why I wrote Inclusive 360 and built our assessment tool. Here’s a beautiful example of how an organization (this one with A LOT of resources!) can become Inclusive 360.

Last month, the David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center in New York reopened after major redesigns. The building was built on land formerly known as San Juan Hill, a low-income Black and Hispanic neighborhood with 7,000 families. That neighborhood was razed years ago as part of a racist “urban renewal” initiative. To correct historic wrongs, 42% of construction contracts for this massive redesign went to minority and women-owned businesses. They launched a robust training program, helping three dozen new construction workers get union cards. Lincoln Center itself increased its leadership diversity, with about 50% of leaders who are women and BIPOC. Finally, the debut concert for the reopening was a pay-what-you-can show called “San Juan Hill” celebrating the music and culture of the old neighborhood. All of this matters because it shows a 360 approach to equity and inclusion. A holistic approach is what’s necessary for true equity.

More good vibes I found this week:

2. Gay Racer Zach Herrin Made His Nascar Debut This Weekend

• For the first time, an out gay man competed as a NASCAR racer. Zach Herrin made his debut on Friday, hosting a fundraiser for Phoenix Pride in advance of the race. This matters because NASCAR traditionally attracts a more conservative audience, and Herrin is unafraid to be out and proud, with car sponsors who fully embrace him.

3. Fortune 500 Companies Tie Executive Compensations to ESG Performance

• 73% of S&P 500 companies now tie executive compensation to environmental, social, and governance goals. DEI falls into the “social” pillar. The specifics of how pay is linked to ESG performance are vague, but still, this matters because it gives leaders some incentive to hopefully bring more commitment to and engagement with DEI initiatives. No progress sticks without accountability.

4 & 5. Several Major Companies Expand Workplace and Workweek Flexibility

• Having trouble hiring? Consider a four-day workweek. The hospitality temp firm Qwick set a four-day workweek and saw job applications increase by 230%.

• Unilever’s four-day workweek pilot in New Zealand was a big success, with a drop of 34% in absenteeism and stress over the 18-month period. The program is now expanding to Australia. In the program, employees can choose which day they don’t work while retaining 100% of their salaries and commit to doing 100% of their work in those four days. 

• Flexibility is top of mind for Hilton as well…the company is now allowing hourly frontline workers to work at multiple locations. Employees can now easily pick up shifts and switch locations even within the same week, even clear across the country. 

• This matters because flexibility can promote greater employee well-being, which can lead to greater employee loyalty.

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