Category: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging

Read Neurodiversity in the workplace part 1: Why is this important?

More and more adults are getting diagnosed with ADHD, which means more and more people are managing employees with ADHD. Women, in particular, are being diagnosed later in life. Their predominantly inattentive or combined type was frequently ignored because it didn’t cause problems for other people. This is also true for those of us who identify as non-binary and trans.

As we develop greater understandings of neurodiversity, awareness is building around symptoms. These can include brains that won’t switch off, or struggling to concentrate on uninteresting tasks.

Symptoms can differ depending on people’s history, culture, age, gender, and more. They can also differ based on the type of ADHD that a person has (hyperactive, inattentive, or combined). The medical establishment previously called the inattentive form of ADHD, attention deficit disorder, or ADD.

In some countries, not everyone can afford to get an official diagnosis. Others may get stuck on a long waiting list. 

Accommodating these individuals even without medical verification, and finding ways to work with them, can lead to increased morale across the team. In addition, it can boost productivity with tasks completed more quickly and efficiently, and generate more creative ideas.

But these things only happen if you work with your employee, not force them to work in the way that you think is best.

So, what can you do to ensure you’re successful at managing employees with ADHD? Here are some tips.

Research

While research may seem like an obvious thing to do, it’s often forgotten. 

But if you have an employee struggling with a health condition you know little about —or that you only have assumptions about—researching the condition is an important step that will enable you to assist and encourage them in the right way. New studies are coming out all the time; understanding the results shows you care about your employees’ lives and want to support them.

One of the big reasons for this lack of awareness is that ADHD is often misinterpreted or misdiagnosed. Most studies have centered white boys, which means there’s little understanding of how ADHD affects adults, other genders, or POC.

Someone being a relentless fidget isn’t the only symptom of ADHD. It’s not as simple as them constantly disrupting classrooms or meetings.

Understanding the nuances that come with a condition like ADHD is really important if you want to be supportive when managing employees with ADHD.

ADHD looks and feels different for everyone, and can change over time depending on what’s happening in a person’s life.

Use the right language

Using the right terminology can be hard, especially when you’re learning new words and phrases you’ve never needed before. This dictionary is a really helpful reference.

The most important thing to remember is that it’s okay to get things wrong. Make it clear that you want to be corrected, too. This shows your employee that you’re open and willing to learn.

Don’t say phrases like, “we’re all a little ADD/ADHD”

Phrases like, “we’re all a little ADD,” or “we’re all a little OCD,” downplay the detrimental and lifelong impact these conditions can have on someone’s life. 

Yes, these conditions often operate on a scale. 

But if you haven’t lived with the condition, or don’t know someone with it, you can’t know what the impact of that condition actually is. (Which is part of why research helps, but the impact will still vary from person to person.)

It’s your job to be supportive of employees with different conditions. Using inclusive, supportive language is a big part of that. 

The language we use can reflect how we think and feel much more than we realize, so it’s important that we educate ourselves.

Listen to what they need

It’s all too easy to suggest meditation or exercise as ways for people to control, or mitigate, their brains. But it isn’t always about controlling or mitigating the fact that someone’s brain works differently.

An ADHD brain can be a superpower in the right environment. It can make someone more creative, empathetic, honest, insightful, and observant. But employees can only embrace those powers if they’re offered the right support.

So, instead of forcing them to work in a way that works for you, or the business, find a way that works for them. Let them tell you what they need; don’t make assumptions.

If you—or they—aren’t sure of what those solutions could look like, check out resources such as ADHD 2.0 and How to ADHD.

Don’t micromanage

Supervisors may be tempted to micromanage when an employee isn’t fulfilling their potential, or is feeling overwhelmed. But this can lead to further frustrations for everyone.

Micromanaging says to an employee that you don’t trust them. It’s understandable if they’re missing targets, but instead ask them what’s going on and how you can support them. Maybe they need fewer responsibilities, more responsibilities, or an alternative way of doing something.

Break tasks down

ADHD can make it challenging to get things done. Breaking tasks down can really help with this process, as it triggers the brain’s reward response, something which ADHD loves. The more often you can trigger this response, the happier it’ll be.

Imagine that you’ve got a report to put together, and your employee with ADHD is in charge of it. Instead of saying ‘project manage this report,’ break it down into each step that needs to be done. This could include planning, drafting, editing, designing, marketing, etc. Then, assign dates to each task. 

This makes it easier for you to track what’s happening. It also allows them to feel like they’ve accomplished something sooner, triggering that reward response. Plus, it will help reduce the feelings of overwhelm or intimidation that can lead to procrastination on big projects.

Tools like Trello, Milanote, or even a physical planner can be useful to help them—and you—track deadlines and progress.

Give clear (positive and negative) feedback

Most people, when they give someone feedback, only focus on the negative. Or they use a ‘compliment sandwich,’ which can be very transparent. 

Instead of either of these approaches, just be honest! 

Share what you like about what they’ve done or how they’ve done things, then suggest areas where they could improve. 

And include them in the process of identifying how they could improve. 

Give them time to go away and research ways they can improve on the identified issues. Don’t immediately expect them to have answers if they didn’t know that adhering to deadlines was an issue for them. 

There’s no harm in you both going away to do research using resources like the ones mentioned above, to find solutions that work for everyone.

Conclusion

A diverse workforce is one that can be more creative, better at solving problems, and happier to go to work every day. That can only happen if employees are provided with the right support, though. And that support comes from an understanding of the fact that everyone thinks, feels, and prefers to work in a different way.

One final way to enhance your company’s efforts around managing employees with ADHD is through employee communities. Providing additional colleague support can go a long way towards improving the lives of neurodiverse employees. If you’re looking for a way to manage your employee community efforts, we hope you’ll give Workrowd a look. We’ve put the tools and data you need to manage successful employee communities at your fingertips, including best practice resources to help team members drive impact. Drop us a note at hello@workrowd.com.

Read Managing autistic employees: Neurodiversity at work part 3

Neurodiversity in the workplace is increasingly gaining attention, as it should be. Estimates suggest that 2.21% of US adults have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Figures vary for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but they’re thought to be between 2.5% and 4.4%. Dyslexia, meanwhile, impacts 20% of the population. These are just some of the conditions which fall under neurodiversity. And those stats only refer to people with official diagnoses.

The actual percentages for each condition may be much higher—many people are undiagnosed, or waiting on a diagnosis. They may not even know they’re neurodivergent. More and more people are getting diagnosed as adults, when they start to struggle with everyday life.

Some people never seek a diagnosis because it’s too expensive, too time-consuming, or there’s no benefit to doing so.

But what are the benefits to businesses building and supporting neurodiversity in the workplace?

Supporting neurodiverse employees

As society becomes more accommodating toward things like mental health conditions, and building work environments and company cultures which understand and support employees who face these challenges, it’s important to not overlook those who experience the world differently. 

Phrases like “we’re all a little ADHD,” can be thrown around without considering the detrimental impact conditions like ADHD can have on someone’s wellbeing, and their experience of the working environment. 

And, if a neurodivergent employee doesn’t have a job that allows them to work in a way that suits them, it can lead to frustration, fatigue, and disengagement.

Old school management processes and businesses may prefer to treat every employee the same rather than making accommodations for neurodiversity in the workplace. It’s easier that way. And it may feel like this is working towards equality, too.

But achieving any form of equality isn’t that simple. Instead, it’s about focusing on an individual person’s needs, and not assuming everyone’s needs are the same. That means everyone requires a different management approach.

Thinking differently is a superpower

When businesses embrace diversity of any kind, it can lead to more productivity and increased creativity. 

Neurodiversity in the workplace comes with its own set of benefits. A new way of looking at something could be exactly what you need to solve a problem. The more different points of view there are in a team, the faster that group can come up with a solution that’s creative, effective, and efficient.

Diverse teams are happier and more productive, too. In fact, neurodiversity is a competitive advantage according to Harvard Business Review. 

While every neurodivergent person experiences their ADHD, autism, dyslexia, etc. differently, these conditions often come with abilities such as hyper focus, exceptional memory, heightened pattern recognition, or strength in mathematics.

When someone thinks outside of the norm, it can make them a great innovator, too. This is particularly beneficial in fast-moving industries such as technology.

But these superpowers only come out at work if someone is happy and engaged in their role. If they’re not, it can make it challenging for them to pay attention in meetings, understand instructions, or get any work done.

Noisy work environments, for example, can cause issues for people with sensory processing disorder, a condition which is common alongside ADHD and ASD. Employees with this condition may need to wear headphones to drown out the everyday, distracting, overwhelming, and sometimes pain-inducing noises that a neurotypical employee may not even notice.

Hiring processes

Despite the benefits, estimates suggest that unemployment may be as high as 80% among those who are neurodivergent. The traditional hiring process isn’t suitable for many of them meaning they either don’t make it through, or may not apply for jobs at all.

It’s not that they don’t understand the job itself. Many have masters degrees or graduated with honors. The application process simply isn’t suited to their needs. 

There are lots of skills that hiring managers traditionally see as the cornerstone of a good employee which neurodiverse employees may not have. Things like being able to network, good communication skills, and being salesy, to name a few. 

These soft skills eliminate many neurodiverse applicants before they’ve had the chance to show their knowledge. Knowledge that could help businesses to learn and grow.

Job interviews can be particularly challenging for those on the autism spectrum, who can have confidence issues because of previous job interviews, be too honest about their weaknesses, or may not be good at making eye contact. They could then score lower on interviews than neurotypical candidates, even if they’re more qualified.

Despite society’s dependence on job interviews,  there are other ways to assess someone’s talent to increase neurodiversity in the workplace, such as casual group environments, where candidates can demonstrate their skills. 

Select candidates can then go on to a two- to six-week program which will further assess their skills. Governments and nonprofits often support this initiative, and candidates are usually paid.

Businesses such as SAP and Microsoft run hiring and training programs to encourage neurodiverse talent to join their teams. And their businesses have since reaped the rewards.

Conclusion 

These are just a few of the benefits to neurodiversity in the workplace. It starts with being open to the fact that some people view and experience the world differently, and taking small steps to accommodate this. 

Businesses that embrace diverse talent – including neurodivergence, gender, race, culture, and other characteristics – are more creative, productive, and innovative. This leads to happier teams, more revenue, and faster growth. 

Really, there are no downsides other than businesses having to change their ways of thinking. It may take time, and it may cost money, but can you really afford not to?

If you’re looking to build a more inclusive workplace, you may want to check out Workrowd, a one-stop shop for employee initiatives. You can build digital communities for underrepresented employees, including those with neurodivergencies, survey and monitor employee sentiment, and much more. Visit us at workrowd.com or drop us a note at hello@workrowd.com.

Read part 2: Managing employees with ADHD

Are you interested in starting a diversity council at your organization? Creating this type of group at your business can be challenging for companies, but with the right step-by-step process, your employees can start advocating for all team members.

What Is a Diversity Council?

A diversity council is a group of employees that get together, discuss issues, and propose solutions around workplace diversity.

These council members cover a wide range of issues across gender, race, disability, socioeconomic status, and so much more.

The members strive to be a voice for all different sorts of employees. Diversity councils need to be taken seriously because of that.

Tips for Starting Your Organization’s Diversity Council

Now that we know what a diversity council is, let’s talk about what your team needs to do to start a committee like this.

1. Understand Where Your Diversity Currently Stands

Before you start a council, you’ll want to get a good understanding of where your company’s diversity currently stands. This will help you set goals as a leadership team and understand the people you need to advocate for.

You can create an anonymous survey for your employees to get a good understanding of their background or demographics. Demographics surveys don’t have to contain personal information because the purpose of these surveys is to gather information about the state of your workplace.

Here are some demographic qualities you might want to learn more about:

• Age
• Race/Ethnicity
• Gender
• Job Level
• Kids/No Kids
• Time Zone/State/Country
• Education
• Marital Status

2. Create Goals Around Diversity at Work

Once you have a clearer picture of where your diversity currently stands, you can start to create goals around how you’d like to see diversity at your company evolve.

Maybe you’d like to see a certain percentage of leadership positions filled by underrepresented groups. Or you might want to diversify where you find hires to increase candidate diversity.

Pick some goals you’d like to see addressed by the council over the next several years.

3. Share Your Wish to Create a Diversity Council and Seek Participants

After you’ve done some preliminary work, it’s time to get employees involved. Reach out to all your employees for inclusion in the diversity council.

Employees from majority groups in your organization might want to become better allies and participate in the council’s efforts. These employees can be connectors and help the council’s mission extend beyond the meetings held.

You’ll want to get employees and outside experts on the council. Work with a wide variety of people to ensure that this council can effectively tackle your company’s diversity initiatives.

Work with council members to select the best leaders for the council group during its early stages.

4. Make Sure Employees Are Kept in the Loop as You Make a Decision

As you make these critical decisions that impact employees, it’s important to keep them in the loop. For example, you could let employees know:

• What you are looking for in diversity council members.
• The makeup of your diversity council when it comes to employees vs. outside experts.
• When a final council decision will be made and how you’ll let the team know.

Getting a committee like this is probably a welcome change for employees. Your team members just want to be kept in the loop so they know what’s happening.

5. Further Define Diversity Council Goals With Your Members

Once you have your members in place, it’s time to sit down with them to further define the diversity council’s goals. You can share some of the plans you came up with as a leadership team, but council members should have the final say in what they want to tackle.

Give your council members access to the goals you’ve set as an organization, and ask them to brainstorm on what they think the council should be tackling. Then, during the meeting, you can hear from multiple council members. Let members start to define their focus as a council.

6. Get an Executive Sponsor for Your Diversity Council

Once you have a group of council members in place, you’ll also want to secure an executive sponsor for your group. Having an executive sponsor for your diversity council will help your group get more traction with senior-level executives in your organization.

The truth is simple. Company leaders might not be willing to give up power or even discuss items with your diversity council long-term. Part of starting a diversity council is making sure that it has every opportunity to succeed. Executive sponsors help make sure that happens.

7. Encourage Diversity Council Members to Create Their Own Rules

Before you let your council run on their own, you’ll probably want to spend a bit of time helping the diversity council members draft the rules around being on the panel. Your council members might want to develop regulations around:

• Council terms and term limits: Is this appointment made yearly, every two years, or every three years? How many terms can be served?
• Early termination: Is there any reason an employee or outside member might be terminated early, like breaking confidentiality or posting something racist, sexist, ageist, etc., on social media?
• Deciding on initiatives: How does your council determine what project to tackle next? It’s essential to have an understanding of this before you finish your first initiative.

8. Maintain a Successful Diversity Council

With all of these policies, procedures, goals, and council members in place, you are well on your way to a fantastic diversity council experience.

From here, it’s time to let your diversity council run on its own. You can undoubtedly request regular meetings with council leaders, but it’s up to them to run the show daily.

How Does a Diversity Council Work With Employee Resource Groups?

One question we want to address is the difference between a council and employee resource group.

Councils work because they are small enough to have intimate conversations and make great recommendations. Employee resource groups work because they make various underrepresented groups at your company feel appreciated and not so alone. ERGs can have thousands of members, but that won’t work for a council.

You can certainly invite ERG leaders to be on your diversity council. In fact, this would be wise because these leaders have a lot of knowledge to transfer around what employees want from the company.

Conclusion: Starting a Diversity Council as an Organization

With all of these steps covered, you’re well-positioned to launch a thriving diversity council. We hope this article gave you some food for thought and a roadmap to creating your organization’s diversity council.

Are you ready to start planning a great diversity council? Consider using a tool like Workrowd to host groups and councils like your diversity council. Email us at hello@workrowd.com to see if we’d be suitable for your organization’s needs.

So, you’ve been asked to consider leading an employee resource group. You might be wondering about the benefits of doing this. How can being an ERG leader help you grow your career? Many employees have discussed how being in charge of an employee resource group changed their career trajectory. Today, we wanted to show you some of the many benefits you can get from leading one of your company’s groups.

1. Planning Fun Events That Bring Your Company Closer Together

One of the best parts about leading an employee resource group is that you get to plan fun networking and educational events for your organization.

Event planners have several skills that are highly relevant at work, such as creativity and communicativeness. In addition, learning how to throw events on a budget or get people to attend your events will serve you well throughout your career.

2. Learning How to Set Goals and Create a Plan to Reach Them

As an employee resource group leader, you are responsible for a lot of tasks. One of your main objectives is to connect with company leaders and ERG members to determine goals for your group. After you pick your goals, you have to create a plan to reach those targets.

Leading an employee resource group isn’t easy because sometimes the goals are a bit lofty. For example, your ultimate goal might be to increase diversity or obtain better benefits for parents. As a leader, you need to determine the best strategies to get you where you want to go.

3. Gaining Valuable Leadership Skills You Might Not Get Outside of an ERG

Let’s be honest, sometimes organizations don’t offer tons of leadership opportunities outside of an ERG. However, leading this group might be exactly what you need to showcase your leadership and excitement about your company.

ERGs are a microcosm or smaller community of your organization. Leading in an ERG will help company executives and employees understand your leadership style and what you offer the company.

4. Connecting and Working With Cool Colleagues You Never Knew About

When you choose to lead an ERG, you open yourself up to many networking opportunities. Employee resource groups attract employees from all over your company. You will get to know engineers, marketers, salespeople, HR professionals, etc.

As new people join and leave the organization, you’ll have connections with a ton of people.

ERG leaders have a profound impact on employees. As a leader, you will have a hand in making new employees feel welcome and excited about your organization.

These connections will only help you as you get other leadership positions or move to other companies.

5. Getting a Chance to Help Other People Develop Their Workplace Skills

One of the best parts about leading an employee resource group is seeing other employees develop their workplace skills. As an ERG leader, you organize events that help colleagues work on their networking and communication skills.

Your events support employees in making cross-departmental connections that will serve them as they decide how to move up the ladder in their own professional careers.

Overall, you will have a positive effect on many people in and outside of your department. The impact that you have in an ERG can have a ripple effect throughout the organization.

6. Engaging With HR and Company Leaders on Topics You Care About

If you are thinking about leading an ERG, consider all the opportunities you will get to engage with HR and company leaders on topics you care about.

Now, this isn’t always a guarantee. Sometimes, you’ll have to work hard to get your foot in the door with HR leaders and company executives. You might need to work closely with your ERG’s executive sponsor to get the right meetings and make an impact.

On the other hand, if your organization takes ERG leaders seriously, you’ll have an awesome opportunity to make an impact at work. For example, ERG leaders can influence company culture by letting HR and company executives know what new and existing employees need to be happy at work.

So, how do you get that seat at the table? First, get results and learn how to share them with HR leaders and executives. Your executive sponsor should be able to help you with this, but you should feel empowered to take the reins as well.

For example, consider gathering data on things like employee retention based on members of your resource group. Are you helping employees find their place and stay with the organization? That’s worth noting as you share your ideas with other company leaders.

7. Leading an Employee Resource Group Directly Associates You With Positive Company Changes

As you are working to advance in your career, imagine how great having a track record of positive change would be. If you advocate for yourself and your accomplishments, leading this group can create a positive reputation for you.

Here’s the kicker: as we discussed before, company leaders won’t automatically think about you or associate your actions with changes. So you have to connect with various leaders and let your team know about what you are doing.

For example, maybe you can create a monthly newsletter that showcases all of your work on behalf of the organization. Try different approaches to getting people to understand what you do.

Conclusion: Step up by Leading an Employee Resource Group

Are you ready to take your career to the next level? Leading an employee resource group is the perfect place to start, and your company thinks you’re ready to lead! We hope that this article gave you some things to consider as you evaluate whether this move is right for you.

Do you want to show your first form of ERG leadership? Try suggesting a tool that will make creating and maintaining employee resource groups easier.

Workrowd might be the perfect partner for your organization’s resource groups. Encourage your leadership team to email us at hello@workrowd.com to see if we are right for your organization.

If you have been in an employee resource group before, you know the importance of having a committed executive sponsor. Sponsors can change the direction of an ERG, and get other company leaders to take them more seriously. Now that you are in the position to sponsor a group, we want to share some tips on how to be an effective executive sponsor.

Work With an ERG You Believe In

First, you’ll want to find an ERG you believe in. What does that even mean? Well, you’ll want to work with an employee resource group that you are passionate and excited about.

The employees who belong to this group will depend on you for advice and enthusiastic support. So try to find a group you can spend months or even years advocating for.

Connect with some leaders and members of the various ERGs at your organization before you make a decision. Employees need motivated sponsors on their side.

Attend as Many ERG Meetings as Possible

If you want to keep up with ERG news and updates, you need to attend meetings. The most effective executive sponsors take time to attend meetings and show ERG members the respect they deserve.

When you attend ERG meetings, take effective notes and strive to understand how you could best help the group. Sponsors aren’t ERG leadership. As a sponsor, your job is to understand the ERG and its goals. From there, you can share tips/advice from time to time and advocate for ERG members.

Provide a Listening Ear to ERG Members

Whether you are in a meeting or not, listening is an important part of how to be an effective executive sponsor. Are you being a good listener to ERG members? Do you take the time to understand their concerns as a group and as individuals?

Many ERGs help protect underserved communities in your organization, like people of color or working parents. Take the time to listen to concerns without jumping into help mode. You’ll be surprised what you might learn when you slow down.

Help ERG Members Advocate for Their Needs at Work

Did you know that self-advocacy is one of the most important skills that employees can learn?

After you listen to ERG members, you need to teach them to advocate for their own needs at work. Part of being an ERG sponsor is advocating, but you might not always be around to connect the dots with your company’s leadership team.

Teach your members about the importance of understanding the ERG mission and sharing that mission with other company executives.

Become an Advocate for ERG Policies and Updates

As an ERG executive sponsor, you should also be letting leaders know about the mission of the ERG.

Do you want to know how to be an effective executive sponsor? Try opening up a door at work.

For example, you could get your ERG for parents a meeting with HR to discuss benefits that would appeal to working parents.

As an executive sponsor, you are a connector. You help your team by being a supportive voice. For example, when you see an opportunity for the group to chat with a company leader, make the connection.

Challenge ERG Members to Think Outside the Box

ERG members can often be stuck playing small. Underrepresented team members might not realize all of the support they have or where to find that support.

You have to connect with ERG leaders/members and get them to think differently. If their current approach to change at work isn’t helping move things forward, maybe there’s another way to go about it.

Remind your team of this famous quote:

When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.

Alexander Graham Bell

If things have been a certain way for a while, change can feel hopeless. Your employee resource group may have given up excitement, or they may use meetings to vent in a safe space.

Find quick wins to reenergize group members and then encourage everyone to think outside of the box to make positive changes at work.

Develop ERG Members Into Successful Workplace Leaders

ERGs are great incubators of in-house talent. You’ve probably seen a ton of potential in current ERG leaders and members. As an executive sponsor, you have the ability to hone this talent.

Try these activities:

• Work with other executive sponsors to create an in-house leadership symposium to cultivate and find future workplace leaders.
• Have great ERG leaders shadow company executives and senior managers for a day/week.
• Build an in-house training program to fill open leadership positions and encourage ERG leaders to apply.
• Bring new manager-level jobs up to ERG leaders who might be interested.

When you reach out about these opportunities, you give employees a chance to see themselves taking on those larger roles. Some of your employees might not see themselves climbing the corporate ladder, but your connection can give them the confidence to do it.

Help Plan and Budget for ERG Activities

Last but not least, you can help employee resource groups plan and budget for the activities they want to host.

Help resource group leaders think outside the box and encourage them to join groups like the Global ERG Network to find unique events to hold at the company.

Once they have some ideas in mind, you can help them plan how the event will work at your organization and secure funding for the events they want to hold.

An effective executive sponsor should help groups see the bigger picture and get their events funded the right way. You can help them pick budget-friendly venues/experiences so they can take full advantage of whatever budget they are given for events.

Conclusion: Be a Supportive Voice for ERGs

At the end of the day, the executive sponsor’s role is simple: be a supportive voice for the ERG you are helping.

It can be easy to lose sight of the bigger picture, especially since your role changes depending on the company budget, ERG leaders, and how company leadership feels.

Being an executive sponsor can be challenging because you never know how your role might change over time. So roll with the punches and try to be the most supportive leader you can be.

Are you ready to see how Workrowd can help you with your company’s employee resource groups? Send us a message at hello@workrowd.com to see if we are right for your team.

Providing support to working parents doesn’t stop at creating an excellent parental leave program. As back to school approaches for working parents, we have to be thoughtful about the perks we provide our employees. Keep reading for a deep dive into how you can help mothers, fathers, and other child caregivers on your staff.

Why Back to School Is Difficult for Working Parents

Back to school is a complicated time for many working parents. There is so much to do and new routines to learn. New school years typically bring new afterschool activities and experiences that kids want to be a part of. Parents want to be able to say yes to their children. Working a 9-5 while kids are getting adjusted to their new schedule isn’t always a walk in the park.

Eventually, busy parents learn to balance responsibilities and get back to normal at work, but you can probably expect the first few weeks of school to be rocky.

7 Ideas to Make Back to School Easier for Working Parents

Having employees with families is amazing. Employees have families when they feel financially and emotionally supported. It’s a great sign that your organization makes employees feel safe. So, how can you improve this experience at work? Here are some ideas to help get you started.

1. Give Employees Flexibility While They Figure Out Their New Schedule

During the first few months of the school year, flexibility should be your top priority. Consider letting employees work from home or create a hybrid work environment for employees during this time.

Encourage working parents by adjusting your late policy as parents get their children acclimated to going back to school. Working parents shouldn’t have to feel rushed if they aren’t needed for an important meeting.

You could also adjust leave policies to ensure that parents have time to pick up their kids and get them proper care. During this time company parents might have a split schedule (for example, parents might work 9 AM-3 PM and 7 PM-9 PM.)

2. Let Working Parents in Management Tell Their Story

Employees model what they see. If your team sees employees talking about their families and adjusting to their kids going back to school, it will help them own their stories.

For instance, you could start a thread in your company’s digital community space around being a working parent and what you are doing to start the school year. Shared learning is a great way to get other leaders to share their stories while making these conversations public for the entire company to see/hear.

3. Provide a Dependent Care-Focused FSA

Flexible spending accounts or FSAs are a great company perk. There are several FSA options, including medical, dependent, and home office FSAs.

If you have an FSA program, consider adding a dependent care component so that working parents can spend money on their children. Many dependent care FSA options give working parents the ability to pay for before/after school care, babysitters, daycare, summer camps, etc.

Using a flexible spending account is great because you get to contribute pre-tax dollars. This is a helpful arrangement for parents because they were already paying for childcare, now they get to pay fewer taxes because they use an FSA.

4. Create an Employee Resource Group for Working Parents

Employee resource groups are another fantastic employee perk. Working parents can learn so much from each other if they work together. ERGs create networks among your employees. For instance, an ERG for working parents might help set up a babysitting schedule, parties for kids, or any number of activities. We all need a bit of a helping hand sometimes.

5. Send Out a Fun Gift for Working Parents

Who doesn’t love a fun gift to start the school year? If you want to support your working parents, send them a useful gift to get them excited. Here are some interesting ideas your organization can use:

• Week of laundry service.
• Gift card to their favorite restaurant or delivery service.
• Basket of snacks the family can enjoy.
• School year planner to keep everyone’s activities straight.
• Date/solo night out for parents on your team.

Anything you can do to treat your parents as they are going through transitions at home is wonderful.

6. Encourage Managers to Chat With Parents About Their Current Workload

It can be challenging to mention what you need help with. Your working parents might be drowning in back-to-school activities, and their managers might never know. Instead of letting your parents suffer in silence, encourage managers to reach out proactively.

Keep tabs on when your employees’ kids go back to school. Then, right before they go back to campus, encourage managers to talk with their working parents. Ask questions like:

• What do you need from the company to balance your current workload?
• Are you in need of any financial assistance or resources to help you take care of your family right now?
• When would be a more convenient time for you to start and end work while your kids are in school?
• Are there any processes that you do manually that we could automate to save time in your day?
• What have other companies done in the past that made you feel more supported as a parent?

7. Make Sure Employees Know You Are There for Them

Above all else, your employees need to know that you are there for them. Parenting isn’t an easy task and, amazingly, your employees trust their job enough to have kids. How can you further show your team that you are there for them no matter what?

As parents get ready for back to school, send them a quick video or message showcasing your support. Make sure that you’re letting your team know about all the help and resources that are available to them. Show up before they ever need to ask you for something.

Conclusion

Back to school time shouldn’t be challenging for working parents. Companies should be willing to give a little as parents and their children adjust to new routines and schedules. Your parents need your support during this time of the year.

One of the best resources you can offer mothers and fathers is a resource group dedicated to working parents. You can use Workrowd to offer this community to your team. If you are interested in our software, send us an email at hello@workrowd.com to see if we’d be right for your team.

Becoming an ally to women and communities of color in the workplace isn’t easy, but it’s fulfilling work. There is so much to learn about, and you want to make sure that you aren’t putting the onus on underrepresented colleagues to teach you. Today, we wanted to walk through a few interesting books, movies, and podcasts you can turn to time and again. So let’s talk through what it means to be an ally along with 20+ resources to help you on your journey.

What Does It Mean to Become an Ally in the Workplace?

First, let’s walk through what it means to become an ally to women and colleagues of color in the workplace.

One of the most helpful definitions of ally comes from Merriam-Webster: “one that is associated with another as a helper: a person or group that provides assistance and support in an ongoing effort, activity, or struggle.”

It can be hard to give an exact definition to the word ‘ally’ because they change every day. Sometimes allies need to be more vocal; sometimes quiet support is appreciated. Either way, underrepresented groups at your company can find value in having great allies at work.

20+ Resources to Help You Become a Better Ally

So, where do you start if you want to become a better ally? You can start by educating yourself with books, movies, and podcasts. Then, once you’ve done some work, you might want to reach out and have conversations with staff members at your organization.

Let’s begin walking through some helpful resources:

Books to Help You Become a Better Ally

First, let’s uncover some interesting books that you can lean on to become a better ally to people of color. There are so many books that can help you untangle the interesting relationships we have with race in the United States (and the world.) Here are a few books to help you get started on your journey:

1. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration In The Age Of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
2. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
3. Between The World And Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
4. White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard For White People To Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
5. How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
6. Racism Without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in America by Eduardo Bonilla-Silva
7. A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
8. The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein
9. So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
10. Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do by Jennifer L. Eberhardt

Movies/Documentaries That Can Help Your Team Support Each Other

Next, let’s walk through a few movies and documentaries to help you grapple with these issues further. If you are a visual learner, these resources are a great place to start.

1. 13th
2. Just Mercy
3. Time: The Kalief Browder Story
4. Hidden Figures
5. The Hate U Give (also a great book!)
6. On The Basis Of Sex
7. When They See Us
8. Eyes On The Prize
9. If Beale Street Could Talk
10. Selma

Podcasts You Can Listen to if You Want to Hear More Stories

Next, let’s go through a few podcasts. Podcasts are great because they act as frequently updated resources you can continue to listen in on. In addition, these podcasts often feature conversations with stellar thought leaders in the diversity and inclusion space. Listen to a few episodes with thought leaders you love or topics that interest you. Before you know it, you’ll be able to have great conversations as an ally.

1. Code Switch
2. Women at Work
3. The Diversity Gap
4. All Inclusive
5. Diversity: Beyond the Checkbox
6. Inclusion Catalyst
7. The Will To Change: Uncovering True Stories of Diversity & Inclusion

Discussions With Coworkers Can Open Your Heart

The last resource we’ll briefly mention is your coworkers. It’s important that you limit using your coworkers as a resource to protect their mental and emotional energy. Allies should get information from a variety of sources. If you are ready to have a more in-depth conversation, don’t hesitate to reach out to a friend at work.

During those conversations, listen deeply. Ask great questions and let your teammate know that you value their time and energy. It’s not easy sharing details about your experience with sexism, racism, or any -ism. Use this time with your colleagues wisely.

How Can You Act On These Ally-Building Resources?

So, now that you have all of these resources, how do you use them? Let’s walk through a few ideas to get you started.

Listen to Your Friends, Colleagues, and Experts (Really!)

First, you want to spend time listening to the people you are trying to learn from. When you hear things that contradict your reality, you might tend to interject or spend time crafting your rebuttal instead of listening deeply. This style of listening can be damaging because it puts both people on the defensive.

Instead, try getting out of your head. Listen with intent and absorb the information you are given. Summarize what you are getting from the person, and then act based on the correct summary. Listening isn’t always easy, but we have to respond based on a full set of facts.

Bring These Conversations up With Employees Who Look Like You

It can be challenging for employees to learn about diversity and inclusion from people who don’t look like them. If you want to be an ally, try starting these conversations with colleagues who share your same demographic makeup. This is especially important for allies who belong to well-represented groups.

Mentor Team Members Who Need It

Mentorship at work is essential. In fact, mentoring can be a huge positive for women and people of color. Don’t assume underrepresented groups will jump at the chance to get mentored by you, but if the situation arises, welcome it.

Host a Watch/Read/Listen-Along

Now that you have all of these resources, put some energy into hosting events with colleagues. You can easily host a watch/read/listen-along with your coworkers. Becoming an ally in the workplace is all about finding room for important conversations. Sometimes the easiest way to do that is by creating conversations through a book club or movie discussion.

Conclusion

Congratulations, you are on your way to being an amazing ally at work. Hopefully, today’s article gave you some food for thought as you consider what to learn about next.

One way to be a better workplace ally is to join an established employee resource group. If your organization needs help creating ERGs, start with a platform like Workrowd that helps you create employee communities. Do you want to know if we’re right for your organization? Send us an email at hello@workrowd.com.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are important topics for HR leaders and managers to discuss. However, there are several reasons why your leaders may have chosen to forego championing DEI at your organization. Whatever the reason, it’s in the company’s best interests to focus on empowering managers to drive these company-wide initiatives.

This article will go over a few tactics you can use to guide DEI discussions at work.

1. Focus on the Statistics

First, you’ll want to focus on statistics.

If your managers are like most, they’ll appreciate learning about any statistics you have about DEI. Numbers help managers understand the weight of the situation. How can improving diversity, equity, and inclusion drive growth at your organization?

Alternatively, seek inside statistics. For example, you could conduct a diversity, equity, and inclusion survey to see where your company stands on the issue. Managers understand the value of making their employees happy, which might encourage more managers to drive DEI.

2. Seek Inspiration From Other Organizations

Some companies are doing better than others when it comes to DEI.

Getting inspiration from other companies helps managers understand the bigger picture. As a result, these companies become a picture of diversity and something to aspire to in their own efforts.

You can help your team leaders by investing in tools like the Global ERG Network. Networks like this empower managers by giving them a community of supportive colleagues who are dealing with the same workplace DEI issues. When a manager is a member of a network like this, they can learn from the mistakes and wins of other leaders.

In addition to networking with other companies, competitors can be a great resource as well. Your managers want to be able to stand out above the competition. Show company leaders how competitors are moving DEI initiatives forward. Before you know it, more leaders will be on board.

3. Provide the Right Monetary Resources to Invest in DEI

Have you adjusted your budget to factor in DEI needs? Your goal of empowering managers will be hard to reach without the right financial investment.

For instance, let’s talk about hiring diverse employees. Prior to beginning your DEI journey, you might have spent time going to career fairs at the private schools your company executives attended.

If you are truly invested in diversity and inclusion, you have to widen your recruiting methods.

Are you providing the right monetary resources to make changes that will improve diversity at your organization?

Here are some ideas you might want to consider:

• Moving away from unpaid internships.
• Widening recruitment methods.
• Paying employee resource group leaders.
• Offering remote or hybrid work opportunities.
• Adding diverse holidays to the company holiday calendar.

4. Set SMART Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Goals

Next, you’ll want to set SMART goals.

Above all, we know that managers respond to well-defined goals. As an organization leader, it’s time to put some of your thoughts into an actionable plan that empowers managers.

What are SMART goals, exactly? SMART goals stand for:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Relevant
• Time-Bound

Each goal you set needs to follow this framework to be helpful to your team.

Here is an example of a DEI-related SMART goal:

Achieve a 20% increase in the diversity of our applicant pool in one year.

So, does this meet the SMART goal criteria?

• Specific: This goal asks us to increase the diversity of our applicant pool. It could be clearer on what type of diversity the company is looking for, but it’s pretty specific.
• Measurable: At the end of a year, we should be able to measure the diversity of our applicant pool against last year’s number.
• Attainable: Goal attainability can be hard to determine. This goal should be attainable if an organization looked at their numbers and put proper resources behind this goal.
• Relevant: If you are interested in improving diversity, this is relevant.
• Time-Bound: We have one year to make this goal a reality, so it’s time-bound.

Other SMART DEI Goals:

Now that we know what a SMART goal looks like, let’s walk through some other potential SMART DEI goals.

• Create 3 employee resource groups for underrepresented populations in our organization by the end of the quarter.
• Improve the score of question #4 in our annual inclusion survey by 10% next year.
• Try out 3 new recruiting methods during our next seasonal hiring push and compare results against our typical methods.
• Improve our careers page to feature voices from five different underrepresented groups in the next three months.

5. Feature a DEI Speaker at Your Next Managers’ Retreat

Sometimes empowering managers is as simple as getting an amazing speaker to connect with your team.

You can do a quick search on LinkedIn to find a wide array of DEI speakers and educators. During your next managers’ retreat, host a speaker who can connect with your team.

After the DEI leader speaks with your managers, try to incorporate some of the techniques they shared. For example, you could encourage your managers to take notes and implement at least one suggestion per department.

6. Use the Right Incentives

Who doesn’t love a good incentive for moving the needle forward on a project? Certainly, it would be ideal if company leaders could make these decisions on their own. You might not find this to be the case, though.

Departmental and company-wide incentives could help you take your DEI initiatives to the next level.

For example, you could award extra vacation days to the department that embraces DEI most successfully (create some SMART goals around this.) You could also provide a team bonding event to the department with the biggest positive change in DEI survey results (announce this after you’ve collected results.)

7. Show That Your Current Focus on DEI Means Something to You

Lastly, we have to talk about focus.

Are you known to bounce around from idea to idea? Can employees trust you when you put your focus on something?

If not, they may be struggling to believe your newfound focus on DEI.

Don’t give up. Focus on proving your dedication. You need to focus on DEI even when you think no one is watching or listening.

For instance, you can start moving forward with goals as a company executive. Get some momentum going and report on your work. Hopefully, other company leaders will join you as they see how much the work means to you.

Conclusion: Empower Managers With the Right Resources

So, you are ready to start empowering managers! Diversity and inclusion work isn’t easy, but we know that you have the tools to do the job well. To sum up today’s blog, put in the work. Company managers will soon follow suit if they see you do it first.

August is Black Business Month. As we celebrate this occasion and consider Black businesses that we can frequent, it might be time to revamp (or start) your vendor diversity program. Organizations need to look at the vendors they support to ensure that money earned gives back to businesses that need it most. So, how can we make that happen at work?

What Is Vendor Diversity?

As organizations grow, investing in up-and-coming startups and businesses is key.

Vendor diversity programs give companies a framework to follow when they decide who to support. Vendor diversity doesn’t force employees to use certain vendors. Instead, companies give guidance on how to diversify supply chains. By providing foundational information and resources, organizations can spend their money in more diverse places.

Instead of seeing championing vendor diversity as something you have to do, company leaders should see it as something they get to do.

Why Is Vendor Diversity Important?

Most large businesses wouldn’t be where they are today if open-minded companies or individuals hadn’t taken a chance on them during the early days. We can’t lose sight of the value of shopping and investing small.

We live in a world where Google gives us the top result, and that’s usually all the research we need to do.

Vendor diversity initiatives encourage us to think deeper, do more research, and potentially find an organization in our community or led by people from underrepresented backgrounds to support.

The Benefits of a Vendor Diversity Program

First, let’s cover some of the benefits of a vendor diversity program. These benefits can help you sell the goal of starting this program at your company.

Diverse Vendors Can Help You Find Solutions You Might Never Have Considered

Organizations run by people from underrepresented backgrounds typically start because their leaders saw a gap in the market that wasn’t satisfied by the big players.

Diverse teams are proven to boost innovation and financial results. Imagine what you could accomplish by investing in groups that understand that diversity is the building block of their organization.

If you are looking for creative solutions to problems you’ve been having, it’s best to work with a diverse group of vendors. Small companies have less red tape, so they can pivot and create solutions quicker than tried and true companies with hundreds of employees.

There are downsides to working with a small team, like lack of people power or money. On the other hand, these organizations are much more open to customer feedback and input. With your help, these companies can afford to make investments in what matters to customers.

Vendor Diversity Creates Awesome PR Opportunities

Vendor diversity creates some stellar opportunities to get your brand seen by more people. You are coming onboard when the company is small. These opportunities will only grow as their organization does.

Let’s face it, we all want to put our name next to giants in the industry. Companies like Walmart, Johnson & Johnson, and Google all have public supplier diversity or inclusion policies. By leaning into your supplier inclusion policy as a company, you can market your business as one that values competition and supports small companies.

Another PR opportunity you might have with small businesses is the opportunity to do case studies or get your logo featured on vendor websites. As their company grows, these early case studies can make all the difference to their company and yours. Your organization might even become the face of your vendor’s product or service.

Supply Chain Diversity Drives Competition in the Industry

We’ve become homogenous in the business world. Companies are constantly getting bought, sold, and dissolved. New industry players shake things up and provide some competition to older products on the market.

Your vendor might eventually join a bigger company, but not before disrupting the industry a bit. New industry players with the right funding can make other companies more willing to innovate or change their businesses practices.

Once you are done working with a newer vendor on the scene, you might be shocked at how the industry has changed. Companies need competition to drive them to innovate.

How to Encourage Employees to Diversify Vendors

So now that you know the benefits of vendor diversity, how do you make it a reality at your organization? Of course, understanding the perks and making it happen are two different things. Here are some basic principles that will make your program successful:

Make It Easy

Google is easy.

Typing “best t-shirt vendor” into Google takes a few seconds, and you get pages of results. The first page is full of ads (vendors who can obviously afford to put money into advertising.) After that, the search results highlight organizations that have put a lot of energy into ranking highly for this keyword.

You can quickly go to Google and get all the results you’ll ever need for any vendor you will ever want. A quick Google search doesn’t help you find the most diverse vendors, though. Google is based on SEO (search engine optimization.) The companies you are trying to find with a vendor diversity program may not understand this process.

So, how do you make it easier for employees? Create a database. You can use an internal tool like Google Sheets to start creating a shared database the entire company can use. As you find diverse vendors, add them to the database. You can even create a section for employees to review vendors they know and love.

Discuss the Benefits

Next, you’ll want to go over the benefits of prioritizing vendor diversity. Talk through the powerful innovation, PR, and competition benefits companies can realize when they invest in small organizations.

Think back to when your organization was starting. How did your company benefit from investments? How did your customers benefit from working with you? You probably have a story or two that you can share with anyone skeptical about vendor diversity.

Provide Incentives

Last but not least, you’ll want to provide incentives. Encourage people to put more thought into vendor diversity. Consider providing a bonus or award to the departments that focus most on vendor diversity. Everyone likes recognition for the work they put in.

If you notice any person putting a lot of effort into vendor diversity, consider giving them a shout-out in the next company meeting. Ask employees who do a good job at diversifying vendors to speak about their experience with company leaders.

Conclusion: Vendor Diversity Is Within Reach

Companies that care about vendor diversity can seek out companies that fit the criteria they are looking for. With a little patience and the right framework, you’ll find all the vendors you need to diversify your company’s supply chain. Vendor diversity might take a bit more work than using Google, but you won’t regret the time you take to look for the right businesses.

For many organizations, increased vaccine adoption means that returning to the office is on the horizon. If your organization is thinking about going back to some form of office life, it’s important to consider equity in your decision. Office reopenings shouldn’t be the reason employees consider resigning or searching for other work.

As an organization leader, now is the time to consider what employees are facing to make the right decision for your team members.

Office Reopening Concerns

Office reopenings have employees thinking about The Great Resignation and moving on from their current employment. What are some of the major concerns people have when it comes to getting back to the office? Here are some starters:

Working From Home Is Nice

Let’s face it: being able to work from home has some nice perks. Many people have gotten used to working at home in their own offices, and giving up that freedom isn’t easy for some employees.

Working from home allows employees to avoid things like water cooler chat, which will be a part of going back to work. After so long, there are many small things that could give employees anxiety about returning to the office.

COVID Fears

Contrary to popular belief, we are still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. As the Delta variant has caused another surge in cases while vaccination rates are suffering in many places, it’s become increasingly clear that returning to the office won’t be as easy as we’d hoped.

While you may be keen to get back to the office, empathy for employees is essential during this time.

As an organization leader, you have to be aware of what Covid looks like in your city. Some states and countries have been harder hit than others. Take time to consider how you can ease fears and bring people back to the office with those feelings in mind.

The Future of Work Is Here

Another big concern is that organizations are trying to return to normal without thinking through the workplace they want to have. The future of work is here, and employees have a precise idea of what they will and won’t put up with.

As an organization leader, you may consider other work arrangements like a hybrid or permanent remote work setup. You’ll also want to consider what kind of bonding is required to do a job well. For instance, you might want to move to asynchronous communication for most of your time.

Overall, employees are calling on companies to be intentional about this return to the office.

What Role Does Equity Play At Work?

As organizations grow, equity becomes essential. Many organizations stop at equality, but that doesn’t really address the whole picture.

This image from the Interaction Institute for Social Change helps give more color to the term equity. Equity isn’t about giving the same resources to everyone. Instead, organizations that value equity realize that different groups need different resources to be on a level playing field.

Why You Should Prioritize Equity in Your Office Reopenings

As you are thinking through your office reopenings, you must consider the role of equity in how you choose to show up for your employees.

Office Reopenings Can Put Undue Stress on Employees

The current pandemic has hit employees differently.

When we think about the diversity of people who are employed, some of those individuals are bound to be dealing with things we can’t even begin to comprehend.

For example, you might have employees with weakened immune systems, social anxiety, and other (sometimes) invisible conditions on your roster.

According to the American Psychological Association, Americans aren’t sure about what life will look like once we return to the office. In fact, 49% said that adjusting back to in-person life made them uneasy.

Remote Work Can Improve Workplace Diversity

While remote work can cause some issues with face-to-face communication, there are many positives to working from home.

Remote work allowed some to go to work when they wouldn’t have otherwise been able to.

• Many introverts probably enjoyed working from home because it offered a change of pace that played into their strengths and skillsets.
• Working from home was welcome for many people of color who could avoid some of the microaggressions and racism experienced when working in the office.

Based on the number of employees who have quit in the last few months, it’s clear that flexibility is required and other voices need to be heard when deciding to open up the office.

COVID Has Put a Lot of Things Outside of Our Control

Let’s be clear: many of your employees are struggling.

Covid has created a global pandemic that has taken more than a year of our lives (and there’s no sign that it’s stopping now.)

Vulnerable communities like women (especially women with children), people of color, and people with disabilities have been hard hit by the pandemic.

With so much out of our control, your staff wants to control what they can. Give them more equity in the decisions you are making around returning to work post-COVID.

What Companies Need to Consider With Office Reopenings

There are so many things employers should think about when it comes to getting back in the office. Here are just a few of them:

• Do you have the resources to come back safely?
• Are your office policies written and agreed upon by your employees?
• Do you have any plans in case you need to close the office down again?
• Do you need to go back to a fully in-office team? Can you mix it up and provide room for a hybrid workforce?
• What is giving you the impression that you need to return to the office now? Are you jumping to conclusions?

It’s important to evaluate the reasons why we are doing what we are doing. Your staff are your people. It’s your job to take care of them and ensure their best interests are served when returning to the office.

Conclusion: Creating an Equitable Workforce When Reopening Offices

Getting back to the office is going to require a lot of work from human resources professionals. It’s challenging, because dealing with pandemic policies is probably not what any HR leader wants to do. Hopefully this article gives you some food for thought as you are thinking about reopening the office.

Equity starts by building bridges and encouraging open conversation. Employee communities can be the perfect place to have those conversations. Check out Workrowd and email us at hello@workrowd.com to see if we’d be right for your organization.