The month of November provides us an opportunity to grow our understanding of Indigenous culture and traditions. Native Americans have played a critical role in our country’s history, but these contributions have often been overlooked.
The result? Misconceptions and ignorance continue to surround Native peoples and Native culture. We celebrate those leaders and companies who seek to learn the history of our Native neighbors, understand the systemic issues they still face, and advocate for change.
Below, you’ll find several ways to celebrate Native Americans and their culture. We’d also love to hear from you. What are some of the ways that your organization recognizes this important month? Leave us a comment below.
Women in the Workplace
While there are certainly many actions organizations need to prioritize in order to thrive, one of the biggest challenges facing companies right now is the ability to retain female leaders. Women are leaving their leadership positions in droves. “For every woman at the director level who gets promoted, two women directors are choosing to leave their company.”
But why? Here’s an overview of some of the main factors.
- They are still often overlooked for promotions leading many to seek better opportunities.
- Women often experience microaggressions in the workplace, including being mistaken for junior employees, not being heard in meetings only to have a male counterpart share the same idea and receive praise, being told they are emotional or aggressive, etc.
- They want to work somewhere with a better workplace culture, particularly somewhere with a strong focus on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging.
The message from this report is clear- companies need to hold on to the women leaders shaping the future of work. To read more about this important issue, read the entire Women in the Workplace report.
Jackie’s Thoughts
This weekend the mass shooting in Colorado Springs provided us with yet another reminder of how far we still have to go in creating a world where each of us is respected and valued regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and other protected classes.
To combat the rising tide of hatred swelling in this country, it’s going to take each and every one of us taking stand. It’s become more and more apparent that standing by in silence and not taking action has allowed for the angriest voices in the room to be the ones that are heard.
So what can be done? First, remind your team that you stand in allyship with the LGBTQIA+ community. But you also need to move past making statements and back your verbiage up with action. Donate to organizations supporting this marginalized group of Americans. Give employees paid time off to volunteer. Hire speakers to come in and talk about their lived experiences. And importantly, if you don’t have a diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiative in place, take action to do so now. We’re in this fight against hate together.
Until next time,
Jackie Kindall
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