Feeling welcome once you’ve entered the building

After attending the female-focused WomenHack Ottawa event, an article from First Round Review caught my eye:
Eight Ways to Make Your D&I Efforts Less Talk and More Walk.

The following quote jumped out at me:

“We’re over-indexing on getting underrepresented individuals in the door and under-indexing on including them once they’re here,” says Aubrey Blanche, the Global Head of Diversity & Belonging at Atlassian in a recent article for First Round Review.

The article goes on to outline her eight tips for startups looking to move past simply talking about Diversity and Inclusion (D&I), to ensure they are walking their talk.

Worth a read! 👀

It made me wonder how companies hiring to increase their gender diversity focus on inclusion once the employees are through the door. Benefits are one thing but actual flexibility, active inclusion and feeling welcome, are others.

A big part of what I’m trying to conquer with my pilot program are those feelings of isolation and exclusion mothers of young children feel once they are catapulted from their former lives into the new world of parenthood and related responsibilities.

You may be trading work events for community centre drop ins.
Boardrooms for breastfeeding ones.
Professional advancement for play dates.

Sure, it’s a temporary change (for some) but it can feel polarizing when your former life and current reality have such stark contrasts. Add to it the current lack of third spaces where the professional and parenting areas of our lives can intersect in a comfortable setting and you have a recipe for feelings of guilt, loneliness and disconnection.

Curious to know:

• What are some ways your workplace is practicing inclusion?
• Have you encountered any unique experiences you’d like to share?
• Positive examples of companies taking action and doing D&I well?
• Any other thoughts?

Please post in the comments below or contact me here!

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