Microinequities are those small, commonplace things we do or say that make people feel less-than, uncomfortable or hurt.  Because the impact of each act on its own appears minor, microinequities often go unnoticed by everyone except the target – and therefore can be difficult to address. As the name suggests, microinequities may seem small; but compounded over time, they can have a profound impact on the target’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being.  Here are some tips for addressing microinequities.

We all have bias and although having bias doesn’t make us good or bad, we do have a responsibility to manage the effect of bias on our decisions and actions.

Respect is a prerequisite for a healthy, inclusive and professional workplace where all employees feel appreciated, valued and safe. We can help create a culture of respect by thinking inclusively with our heads, supporting respect and inclusion with our hearts, and acting respectfully with our hands.

This short, interactive microlearning explores how important empathy is in a hybrid workplace.

Over the past decade or so, empathy has gained notoriety as an important leadership competency. It’s important to keep in mind that empathy means something specific and depending on the situation is not always the best response. This article explores the difference between sympathy, empathy, and compassion – and understanding different situations may call for different reactions or responses.

Research shows that most people tend to feel greater empathy for people that are most like themselves and may feel less empathy for those outside their family, community, ethnicity, or race – suggesting that addressing the connections between empathy and inclusion in DEI strategies could lead to more favorable outcomes.

We’ve all heard presentations about the importance of DEI. In this powerful talk, Carin Taylor shares why belonging should be the focus of any DEI strategy and the most important piece of the DEI discussion. She outlines the key ingredients needed to belong and how to create them. Leverage the discussion guide to host a conversation with your team after watching the Ted Talk.

This workbook was designed to help anyone in the organization support inclusion and belonging through bite-sized practical actions.

Belonging can be achieved one person at a time by making an effort to support and connect with others and making sure everybody feels like they’re part of a community at work. Every day is filled with personal interactions that provide excellent opportunities to cultivate a sense of belonging.

By infusing DEI conversation into our daily interactions, we can become more aware and over time change our behaviors and contribute to a culture of inclusion. You will find five questions that are designed to inspire dialogue on the topic of inclusion and the behaviors that help foster a culture of respect.

As diversity practitioners we are in a constant and never ending search for diversity champions – those in our organization who have the power, the influence and quite frankly the budgets to help drive our vision of inclusion. I might argue that the search is actually not the hard part. Every individual is a diversity champion in the making.

Quick tips and how-tos to help you navigate diversity challenges and opportunities

The presence and visibility of a movement can often lead us to believe that progress is inevitable. But building power and changing the system requires more than conversations and retweets, says Rashad Robinson, the president of Color Of Change. To create material change in the racist systems that enable and perpetuate violence against Black communities, Robinson shares how we can translate the energy of global protests into specific demands, actions, and laws — and hold those in power accountable to them.

In this powerful talk, psychologist Jennifer L. Eberhardt explores how our biases unfairly target Black people at all levels of society — from schools and social media to policing and criminal justice — and discusses how creating points of friction can help us actively interrupt and address this troubling problem. 

A more equal world starts with you. Citing a formative moment from her own life, equity advocate Nita Mosby Tyler highlights why showing up and fighting for others who face injustices beyond your own lived experience leads to a fairer, more just future for all.

Quick tips and how-tos to help you navigate diversity challenges and opportunities

A quick, fun and engaging way to test your multicultural knowledge, learn a few fun facts about other countries, cultures and religions and prompt discussion around cultural awareness.  You can use these questions as part of your daily trivia contest as a way to keep employees connected and engaged in a fun and interactive way.

During this time of social distance and remote working it is critical that we maintain a culture of belonging to reduce feelings of isolation in our workplaces.  Here you can find a list of ice-breaker questions that you can use at the start of your meetings to engage employees and provide them the opportunity to dialogue with colleagues.

The Inclusive Leadership Personal Development Plan is a tool designed to help individuals identify inclusive leadership competency strengths and opportunities for development. The tool identifies key competencies associated with the concept of leading inclusively and provides a thought process for building competency in each area.

As inclusive leaders, it is our responsibility to provide vision, guidance, and motivation so ALL individuals can leverage their unique skills, talents, and individuality in pursuit of common goals. What does that really mean?

This short 12-question assessment is based on our Inclusive Leader Competency Model and provides an opportunity for you to reflect on your own behaviors and identify opportunities to improve your inclusive leadership competency.

As a way to contribute to your own positive work environment, make these tips part of your regular practice.

Working for an organization that supports workplace wellbeing can be the difference between just coming to work and loving to come to work.  And, creating a positive work culture involves diversity, inclusion and belonging, learn how.

Looking to get ahead in your career? Start by being respectful to your coworkers, says leadership researcher Christine Porath. In this science-backed talk, she shares surprising insights about the costs of rudeness and shows how little acts of respect can boost your professional success — and your company’s bottom line.

Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice — and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

It’s seems increasingly difficult to navigate social norms these days. We may find ourselves in a situation where we said or did something that unintentionally hurt or offended someone.  Here are some tips for respectfully responding to feedback that your words or actions were hurtful or offensive.

When someone says or does something offensive or hurtful, we can either give that person feedback or stay quiet. While it’s impossible to completely control the situation, the way we deliver the message can mitigate some of the risk and lead to productive outcomes. Here you’ll find tips about how you can provide feedback in a way that is respectful and can be heard.

Like any strategy, the success of your diversity and inclusion strategy is dependent on setting the right goals.  Listen to this talk with your diversity and inclusion team and use the facilitated discussion and action planning worksheet to apply these concepts to your own goal-setting process.

In this short video a group of hiring managers discuss the concept of cultural fit and how focusing on criteria when assessing candidates enables them to mitigate the impact of bias on their hiring decisions. The discussion guide can be used to further explore the concepts and practice applying them to real workplace situations.

The Intent versus Impact Exercise is an interactive exercise designed to help participants explore the unintended impact of their words, actions and decisions.