A Guide for Socially Distanced Diversity and Inclusion
Social distancing: deliberately increasing the space between people. It’s separation, and in that way, it could very well be the enemy of inclusion. Things are changing, the world is shifting, but long-lasting good may come to the categories we identify as priorities — in the form of major systemic shifts. If you’ve been watching, reading, and staying up on the trending conversations, you’re probably thinking: Healthcare! Workers’ rights! Tenants’ rights! All high-priority topics right now, and rightfully so. But another category to prioritize, which both impacts and is impacted by the others, is diversity and inclusion.
At Praytell, we’ve been thinking about how we can not only sustain, but strengthen our company’s D&I efforts during this period of work-from-home. We asked ourselves…
- How can we ensure our virtual workplace continues to actively promote, teach, and extend diversity and inclusion?
- What advantages exist right now that could alter the D&I landscape forever if prioritized?
Here’s what we arrived at…
Understand how COVID-19 is affecting different communities.
As our systems are stretched thin, we’re going to see biases become even more prevalent. D&I efforts need to be based in an understanding of the myriad effects different communities are experiencing. Leadership informed on the changing landscape should communicate learnings company-wide. Here’s a recent internal example:
At the same time — as much as we discuss issues of bias that negatively impact communities — focus on advancing some of the opportunities presenting themselves. Forbes explains that people with disabilities may see more job opportunities, companies may hire beyond their usual geographic limitations, workers may be able to mitigate discriminatory behaviors from safer work environments, and caretakers may see a more “level playing field” in the new work-from-home landscape.
Organize a digital resource hub for your teams.
Economic inequalities have long created a lack of diversity at many professional events and conferences, but right now there’s a chance for that to shift. Many events and even typically expensive tools to develop career skills are becoming more accessible — digitally and at a discount.
Take a look at one of Praytell’s resource hub updates from the past couple months below for inspiration on how to begin creating your own.
Connect a diversity of voices in your internal communications.
Most CEOs and executives are taking care to communicate with their teams during social distancing, but it’s just as important to establish peer to peer communications channels.
When we’re all in the office together, we learn about each other — how we work and live — spontaneously. Whether it’s a water cooler chat or a “how are you” conversation in passing… It helps us form bonds, hear different perspectives and work better as a collaborative team. Here are a couple of ways to recreate that right now:
Create a channel for show-and-tell.
At Praytell, we introduced “Praytell-O-Vision” and are building out our “television programming” via Google Calendar. Employees can schedule a 30-minute slot at any open time, include the title and a quick description of their show, and then perform for and interact with whoever shows up to the Hangout link. You’ll end up with employees leading homemade dumplings cookoffs, walking through their book collections, teaching a Spanish language lesson…the list goes on.
Set up employee resource groups (ERGs).
If you’ve already formed these in your workplace, encourage them to schedule regular group video chats while people are working from home. If you don’t have formal groups, take this time to learn about their value and make a plan to establish them at your company. ERGs are not only vital to sustaining workers’ social safety nets, but also help source and spread knowledge and innovative ideas regarding the impact of the current landscape on different communities. Some common identifiers to build ERGs around include ethnicity, gender, sexuality, age, and religious affiliation.
Empower diverse voices.
Find time to give the floor to others when it comes to the ongoing need for updates and communication about the business, the wellbeing of teammates, and the future. No one person knows everything there is to know about the effects of the pandemic, so if it’s all coming from one CEO or one manager, you can’t help but wonder… Should I even trust this? What do others think? and then yell… Give me some different perspectives!
Don’t let important celebrations and moments fall to the back burner.
March was Gender Equality Month and Women’s History Month. April is Celebrate Diversity Month. May has Mental Health Awareness Month and Cinco de Mayo. June hosts Pride, Juneteenth, and National Indigenous Peoples Day. These are all opportunities to honor the diversity within an organization and moments to educate and recognize individuals in an intentional way.
Don’t procrastinate — putting plans in motion is critical during these uncertain times, when people need reasons to come together, feel seen, and experience a sense of hope amidst the absence of IRL celebrations and community. Commit to these moments — whether it means prioritizing planning earlier or delegating and looping in ERG members interested in stepping up, you’ll get even more creative in re-planning and executing digitally.
Want to learn more about Praytell? Visit our website.
By Maggie Lee & Naria Frazer
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