| | | Diversity and Inclusion | | RSG Diversity Newsletter: February/March 2021 |
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| | | We Cannot be Passive about Driving Inclusion and Embracing Diversity |
| Those who know me well know how passionate I am about fairness and equity, and the importance of listening to everyone’s opinions and ideas. Equally, I can cynically shy away from initiatives that feel like superficial gestures that are more about making people feel good or appearing to do the right thing, rather than actually driving change that matters.
We cannot be passive above driving inclusion and embracing diversity. When I was invited to join the RSG Inclusion Council, I had to ask myself if we could actually make a difference. After much reflection, I came to realise that the question itself is irrelevant. It’s not about doubting if something can change, but believing you can make a difference and passionately striving to make that change with people who also believe in the mission. The theme for RSG’s Black History Month, “Representing our people, celebrating their identity and taking action toward a more equal and just future,” embraces that exact notion.
In January, we remembered the relentless drive and passion Dr. Martin Luther King had to create change and make a difference. His words “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter,” sum up why as an organisation we must try. Embracing differences whilst acknowledging the struggles and atrocities of the past are small steps all of us can do to create an inclusive environment.
February also sees the U.K. celebrate Pride Month. I’m proud to have a fantastically creative, openly gay nephew, Josh. He talks about how his supportive parents and non-judgemental tutors, plus an environment that encouraged expression and appreciated differences, allowed his confidence to grow. With those strong foundations, he built a successful and completely one-of-a-kind drag act in his twenties. A great creative initiative, but also a successful business venture.
The last time I was speaking to Josh his understanding of these environmental factors reaffirmed the importance of building a truly inclusive culture. These things must run at our very core, influencing not only our business strategy, but our daily interactions. Small gestures or reactions might seem inconsequential, but downward disapproving glances or raised eyebrows can destroy someone’s sense of a safety and acceptance. Encouraging our team to be themselves and zero tolerance for any exclusive behaviour will help to create a genuine and sustainable culture.
Everyone has a right to be heard and respected in their personal life and in the workplace. This will only happen in an environment where as individuals, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age or ability, we feel secure and truly supported.
The positive outcome of creating an inclusive culture where people really feel and believe they can be their true selves at work is to drive a more successful and innovative culture, but also it creates an organisation that is openly more attractive to a much wider set of talent.
I am proud of the recent report which placed RSG in the top 25 companies for diversity and inclusion in the U.K. As an organisation we are improving, but our journey is far from over. The Lunar New Year/Spring Festival/Chinese New Year is celebrating the start of the year of the Ox, which is seen to be a time conducive to hard work, positivity and honesty. I wish you these things and more as we continue our work to build a welcoming and inclusive culture in 2021.
Sincerely,
Jamie O’Sullivan
Group Managing Director
Inclusion Council Member | |
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| BAME Hosts Lunar New Year Celebrations |
| Year of the Ox | 
The BAME ERG would like to welcome you to join our Lunar New Year Celebrations: Year of the Ox on Friday, Feb. 19 at 9 am GMT/5 pm APAC. This special celebration is a fantastic way for us to think positively for the year ahead. New are the hopes, resolutions, spirits and warm wishes to have a promising and fulfilling year.
CEO LexisNexis Risk Solutions Group Mark Kelsey will be opening our event. Please join us for a fun showcase about the true meaning of Year of the Ox, prizes for the best decorations and food and interesting New Year quiz on Kahoot!
Feel free to come dressed in traditional attire and showcase any decorations you may have. We are looking forward to having an exciting event, see you there!
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| Sign Up Now for the Remaining Black History Month Events |
Thus far, the AAN has hosted some amazing events to celebrate Black History Month. You can view the RSG Black History Month site to view any recordings you may have missed.
This year the African Ancestry Network (AAN) is celebrating Black History Month with the theme “Representing Our Past, Celebrating our Present Identity and Taking Action Toward a More Just and Equal Future.”
The month is not over yet and there is still time to RSVP for the remaining events. Also, please visit the RSG Black History Month site, or check the ERG calendar of events for any additional added events. |
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| Upcoming Virtual ERG Events |
Session 2: So You Want to be a Leader? How to Show Up and Be a Real Change Maker
Friday, Feb. 26, 12:30 pm PST/3:30 pm EST; Women Connected San Jose
Around the world, the most successful companies know that positive leadership is not only effective—it is absolutely necessary. According to Wharton professor Adam Grant, when it comes to the best leaders, “The most meaningful way to succeed is to help other people succeed, to advance a vision or an idea or a project that is bigger than me, that’s going to affect a lot of people.”
In this educational talk, we break down how to become a transformational leader who naturally cultivates respect and loyalty. In addition, learn how to maximize your results, increase productivity and create a booming, inspirational team culture, all with just three simple shifts in how you lead. Together, you will dive into authentic transformational leadership, creative flow and what it means to be in the trenches.
Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye, Chief Justice of California Discusses Her Journey
Monday, March 8, 11 am to noon EST; Virtual Women Connected
Virtual Women Connected is pleased to host Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye Chief Justice of California to discuss her journey. The Chief Justice is the leader of the state's third branch of government, the judicial branch. In addition to her role on the California Supreme Court, her constitutional duties include serving as chair of the Judicial Council and chair of the Commission on Judicial Appointments.
Anyone is welcome to attend!
Midday Social Hour
Wednesday, March 17, 2-3 pm EDT; Young Professionals
Utilize one hour of your ERG hours and join the Young Professionals for a midday pick-me-up social hour on March 17. We will be providing $5 (or local country equivalent) virtual Starbucks gift cards to enjoy during the social hour.
Come and meet your fellow Young Professionals across different offices!
Session 3: How to Take the Stage- Public Speaking and Presentation Skills
Friday, March 26, 12:30 pm PST/3:30 EST; Women Connected San Jose
Spiders? Fine. Flying? No problem. Public speaking? AHHHH! Just thinking about public speaking—known today as one of the greatest (and most common) fears among individuals—can make your palms sweat, tummy ache and stress increase. Most people try to avoid it whether it's a team manager, CEO or lead on a project. However, we all have the need to speak well in front of an audience at times during our lives. Everyone from the entrepreneur who is trying to sell their brand to a team lead who is presenting a company proposal, we all want to do well!
There are many ways to tackle the fear of speaking and learn to deliver a memorable speech. In this workshop, you will learn the ins and outs of public speaking from presentation, posture, pitch and even how to comprise your talk and pitch so that it's the most engaging and effective!
Positive, Passionate and Purposeful
Thursday, April 15, 11 am to noon EDT; Virtual Women Connected
Virtual Women Connected is pleased to host Shawn Sherlock. Shawn will be discussing life changing events that led to her embracing a “Positive, Passionate and Purposeful” life.
Anyone is welcome to attend! |
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| New Slate of Courageous Conversations! |
| There is a new slate of Courageous Conversations for 2021, with themes for each session. There will also be themes added with an LGBTQ and Hispanic heritage focus. Keep a look out for added conversations: |
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| RSG Signs the "Halo Code" |
The BAME ERG and Executive sponsor Bill Min (EVP & General Counsel) are excited to announce that we have adopted The Halo Code, the U.K.'s first Black hair code. No Black employee should have to change their natural or protective hairstyle in order to thrive at work. Sadly, hair discrimination within the workplace does exist, and by signing this code, we will help spread awareness that discriminating against Black and other ethnic minorities hair is not acceptable.
This will help us continue to be aware of the microagressions relating to hair and remind us to be careful not to discriminate based on hair when hiring new talent to the organization. We hope that the Halo Code will move us one step closer to a world free from discrimination, where all Black members of our community have their identities fully recognized and celebrated.
Read the full code and/or visit Halo Code Workplace to learn more. |
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| "Time to Talk" About Mental Health |
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With COVID-19 continuing to spread around the globe, and a third lockdown remaining in the U.K., it looks like things will not be easing up any time soon. As a result, we are finding that many of our colleagues are reaching out about feeling the effects of the pandemic on their mental health. We will get through this pandemic and it will end, but our mental wellbeing will be a part of our lives forever.
As many of you know, Feb. 4 was “Time to Talk Day” and from all of us with the RSG Mental Health ERG, we would encourage everyone to start a conversation with someone on the subject of mental health—good or bad, the pressure and negative effects of COVID-19, other issues and challenges affecting your life, or even share your experiences of how positive mental health can help us overcome adversity.
Coming soon, the RSG leadership team has kindly volunteered their time and thoughts to help us get the conversation started by sharing their experiences and how they have been dealing with the effects of the pandemic in a short video that we will be posting soon!
In the meantime, please remember there are many routes and options for support and to talk to someone: - All of us have access to the Employee Assistance Program (100% free and confidential).
- We all have free access to the Headspace app.
- There are some fantastic external charities such as Mind U.K.
- A full mental health program is being rolled out across RSG through 2021, building on our existing base of Mental Health First Aiders. If you want to find out more about this, please email Alison Fox.
If you have any additional questions, or would like more information on the Mental Health ERG, contact Adam Joslin. |
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| Psychological Safety Team Assessments Now Available |
Amy Edmondson, Harvard Business School professor and creator of the concept, defines Psychological Safety (PS) as the belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns or mistakes.
PS is important because inclusive, engaged and agile teams are a strategic enabler within the businesses. To develop an inclusive culture built on trust and collaboration, where every individual feels they can bring their full selves to work, we need an environment where people feel psychologically safe.
We are offering formal Psychological Safety assessments to teams of six or more, and you can request a session.
We also invite you to familiarize yourself with the survey by taking the psychological safety quiz now, or visit the PS page for additional info. |
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| PROUD Hosts "Be a Stronger LGBT+ Ally" Talk |
The PROUD ERG hosted a panel discussion on Feb. 11 on how to be a stronger ally for both LGBT+ people and people in general. Speakers Amazin LeThi, Joanne Lockwood and G Turawa talked about what allyship can look like to LGBT+ people, with the discussion opening up to include all elements of allyship, including race, mental health and remote working. The panel gave great examples of how to reach out to colleagues, friends and family during these testing times and how to actively include ALL colleagues in daily work life.
You can view the event on the PROUD Events page, the new home for all PROUD-hosted talks, and you can contact the PROUD Steering Committee via the PROUD Homepage if you want to get involved or know more about the ERG’s activities this year. |
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| Diversity Dates to Note | February - Black History Month (U.S. and Canada)
- Pride Month (Europe)
17 – Ash Wednesday
20 – World Day of Social Justice
27 – Dominican Republic Independence Day
March
- Women's History Month
- National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
- National Multiple Sclerosis Education and Awareness Month
- March 13-April 15: Deaf History Month
1 – Zero Discrimination Day
5 – Employee Appreciation Day
8 – International Women’s Day
14 – U.S. Daylight Savings Time
15 – Lent begins
17 – St. Patrick’s Day
20 – Start of Spring
20 – French Language Day
21 – International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
21 – Orthodox Sunday
25 – International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade History
27 – Passover begins
28 – Palm Sunday
28 – Lailatul Barat begins
29 – Vietnam War Veterans Day
31 – International Trans Day of Visibility
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