Now that awards season is over, you’re likely familiar with the titles of and possibly the actors who stared in the nominated and winning films. “Hidden Figures” , a film based on the true story of three African American Mathematicians who worked at NASA during the Space Race, was one such film. “Fences” , the big screen version of the 1987, Pulitzer Prize winning play by ... Read Full Article
Is My Bias Showing? (Moving from Woke-ish to Woke)
That part of my career spent in HR has been filled with new learning about people. All kinds of people. One thing I have come to learn is that there is a huge difference between understanding something about another person's experience and feeling what they feel. I can't know how they feel about certain things because I am not them. I do not have the experiences that they have ... Read Full Article
Celebrate Black History (Peacefully) #RalphBunche
Fine, Be a Bigot
It's not often our parents suggest we are anything less than authentic but from time to time back in my teenage years, my mom would tell me, "Heather, you may be the devil's spawn but for God's sake, quit acting like it!" She was, of course, suggesting that I present a kinder, more gentler me. Perhaps she hoped if I acted like a nicer person, I would eventually become one. I ... Read Full Article
Diversity Double Dutch, Jump In
At the close of 2014 I wrote a reflective piece about how one of my childhood dreams inspired me take the annual performance review seriously. As a child, I longed for the ability to jump Double Dutch with such precision and expertise that I could remake Frankie Smith’s “Double Dutch Bus” and embark on the first worldwide jump-rap concert tour. Despite my mother’s, sister’s, ... Read Full Article
Celebrate Black History: #MuhammadAli
Diversity and Inclusion – Time For HR To Step Up Its Game
With all the emphasis on fake news recently, it is good to see that when someone posts something that doesn't sound quite right, someone else does the research and adds information to the post. I ran into this last week when someone posted something from 2013 regarding Barilla pasta, and it was quickly researched and updated. The short story - the Barilla CEO stated, in 2013, ... Read Full Article
It’s Not About Where You Pee! (Bathroom Laws)
Over 15 years ago, there was guy who cross-dressed at my job. On occasion, he would use whichever bathroom he wanted, depending on the day, his mood, and his outfit. There were complaints. We (the HR team) talked about how to handle it and so we executed this plan which involved having meetings with 5-10 employees at a time. We told them we needed to update our records and they ... Read Full Article