Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Thought Leadership
Transform your workplace culture and drive business results with thought pieces from HR and DEI experts and champions. Want to contribute?
National Mentor Month-The Importance of Mentorship in the Workplace
January is National Mentor Month! National Mentoring Month was established by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership, in 2002.
31 January, 2024
DE&I Year in Review
As the year draws to a close, it's an opportune moment to reflect on the strides we've made in fostering a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. The journey toward crea
31 December, 2023
Bridging the Gap: Equal Pay is Imperative for All
November 30, 2023, marks Native Women's Equal Pay. On this day, we are raising awareness and shining a light on the fact that Native American women working full-time year-round on
30 November, 2023
Child Care Support is Critical for DEI
In America today, 40% of parents say they’ve gone into debt from the high cost of child care. The lack of quality, affordable child care is forcing mothers out of the workforce, li
31 October, 2023
Hispanic Heritage Month: The Essentials
Hispanic Heritage Month is a period of celebration and recognition in the United States intended to pay tribute to the contributions, cultures, histories, and achievements of Hispa
23 September, 2023
Commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, often referred to simply as the March on Washington, was a historic civil rights demonstration on August 28, 1963, in Washington, D.C.
28 August, 2023
Disability Pride Month: Impacts and Actions
July is Disability Pride Month, an annual observance to celebrate and promote awareness, acceptance, and pride within the disability community. July coincides with the anniversary
26 July, 2023
International Women in Engineering Day
My parents tell me that when I was a toddler and I saw the moon landing, I pointed to our black and white TV and announced that I wanted to do that! Years later, when I was an engi
23 June, 2023
Mental Health Awareness Month 2023
May is recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month in the United States. It is a time to raise awareness about mental health, reduce stigma, and promote mental wellness. Mental hea
26 May, 2023
Neurodiversity in the Workplace
April is Autism Acceptance Month intended to not only help raise awareness of autism and its challenges, but also to celebrate neurodiversity and recognize the unique strengths and
24 April, 2023
How to Address Micro Aggressions Against Women
This Women’s History month, we have decided to contribute by focusing on microaggressions against women and how allies can address them appropriately and effectively in the workpla
28 March, 2023
Black History Month 2023
Black History Month started as a week-long celebration In 1926 when historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History announced the second
10 February, 2023
MLK Day 2023
Martin Luther King Jr (MLK) Day is celebrated every year on the third Monday in January, as a way to honor Dr. King’s achievements and legacy. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist
09 January, 2023
Inclusive Holiday Tips
The last time we provided inclusive holiday tips in a blog was in 2019! But so much has changed and the world is a different place. So, we thought we would write about what has cha
09 December, 2022
Embracing “All” dimensions of diversity
Often we focus on the typical diversity categories: gender, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and disability. In this piece, we want to talk about other important dimensions of d
21 November, 2022
Thought Leaders on Quiet Quitting
Quiet Quitting is not a new term when referring to employees who are not outright quitting their jobs but abandoning the idea of going above and beyond. But these days, many more o
09 October, 2022
10 Ways to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated every year from September 15 to October 15 in the United States. It is an important reminder of how much strength the U.S. draws as a
26 September, 2022
Women’s Equality Day
The 19th Amendment, passed in August of 1920, gave women the right to vote. While this was a monumental event for women in American history, many women still did not have access to
22 August, 2022
The State of DEI in SMEs
"Today, it's more difficult than ever for CEOs and HR leaders at small and medium organizations to compete for talent, customers, and investment dollars," says Sonya Sepahban, OurO
18 July, 2022
How to build an LGBTQ+ Inclusive Workplace
It is known that diverse organizations outperform competitors in not only overall revenues, profits, and employee satisfaction, but also in creating a culture that allows and encou
14 June, 2022
3 Tips for Building a Sense of Belonging in The Workplace
There is ample evidence that driving diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is important in the workplace. Since humans all have a fundamental desire for belonging, it is imperativ
17 May, 2022
7 Best Practices for a Supplier Diversity Program
What is supplier diversity? Supplier diversity refers to vendors that are at least 51% owned and operated by people from groups that are underrepresented in business. Women, people
18 April, 2022
Best Practices for Effective DEI Training
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) training is not new. However, in recent years DEI training has evolved beyond a compliance focus to the broader employee and leadership devel
16 March, 2022
How to Make a “Hybrid Workplace” Work For You
Many people in the United States and around the globe have had to adjust to an entirely new way of doing business while working from home. Those who are not working remotely due to
14 February, 2022
The Great Resignation or the Great Shift?
The term “Great Resignation” has made it into Wikipedia where it’s defined as “an economic trend in which employees voluntarily resign from their jobs en masse.” It was first coine
10 January, 2022
Key Elements of an Effective Workplace DEI Policy
We all have read workplace policies. Some are inspiring, specific, and manageable, while others can feel strict, prescriptive, or unrealistic. The main goals of a Diversity, Equity
14 December, 2021
8 Tips for DEI in the Workplace
Many organizations are striving to build a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace culture, as the significant benefits of DEI are broadly shared and accepted. Meanwhile, a
15 November, 2021
How to Convince Your Boss to Invest in DEI
Talking to allies and champions of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) across a variety of organizations of different sizes and industries, we find many share a common challenge.
20 October, 2021
Building Authentic Relationships with Hispanic/Latinx Community
The Hispanic Heritage Month is here again! If you are thinking of dusting off and repeating the same celebration ideas, think again! Your employees, customers, suppliers, and all k
20 September, 2021
Five Actions To Meet NASDAQ’s Diversity Requirements
On Aug. 6, 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved Nasdaq’s Board Diversity Rule, creating a disclosure standard “designed to encourage a minimum board diversit
09 August, 2021
New realities for the Modern Workplace
OurOffice CEO, Sonya Sepahban joined Tapestry Network’s Compensation Committee Leadership Network (CCLN) as an invited guest on June 21, 2021 to discuss New Realities
24 June, 2021
The Do’s and Don’ts of Inclusive Interviewing
Many organizations understand that a diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace are critical for creating a competitive advantage in attracting and retaining talent and how the c
17 May, 2021
How to Be an Ally to Asian Americans
In the aftermath of the terrible killing spree across three Atlanta area spas, awareness of the rise in Anti Asian American hate has risen sharply. But this recent violence is the
12 April, 2021
This Women’s History Month, Commit to Be an Ally
This month is International Women’s History Month 2021, and yet women everywhere are still struggling against bias and discrimination in hiring, pay and promotions. In 2020 CNBC re
15 March, 2021
BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2021
Buy Local. Support Minority Owned Businesses. Shop at some of the great black, female, veteranand other minority owned businesses.
25 February, 2021
BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2021
Before and after Jim Crow, Black Americans have fought for America to provide its black citizens with equitable access to healthcare and economic opportunity, and to have their hum
15 February, 2021
The Experience Inequity on MLK Day 2021
These are unreal times! A year ago, we could not have dreamt of the multiple crises we are experiencing in our nation today with our health, the economy, racial justice system, cli
18 January, 2021The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Holiday Season Shopping Guide
Buy Local. Support Minority Owned Businesses. Shop at some of the great black, female, veteranand other minority owned businesses.
17 December, 2020
OLD ARCHIVE : November IBR – 11/2020
November 2020 Hello ,Your Inclusive Business Review (IBR) has a new look and feel. We aim to: Inform and delight you with a variety of news and articles through a lens of wo
16 December, 2020
A Partnership to Grow the Next Generation of DEI Professionals
OurOffice is delighted to announce our partnership with a major university to offer a first-of-its-kind fellowship program with a huge impact on workplace Diversity, Equity, and In
16 December, 2020
Exploring STEM with Generation Z
See OurOffice CEO, Sonya Sepahban, having great fun talking with Serena Ding and members of StudentPort, a community of 1500 Gen Z'ers leading 200+ student organizations worldwide!
10 December, 2020
Inclusively For CEOs and Board Members
The OurOffice team is pleased to announce a first-of-its-kind Coaching/Advisory offering for Board members and CEOs who aspire to grow and be the most authentic and inclusive versi
15 November, 2020
Six Tips for Attracting and Hiring Diverse Talent
Almost all of the core HR functions have been impacted in one way or another by the events of 2020. HR leaders have had to flex, evolve and transform to manage the workforce within
19 October, 2020
Hispanic Heritage Month
In observance of the Hispanic Heritage Month, we want to highlight this celebration's history, the controversy surrounding the descriptive name for individuals with Latin American
28 September, 2020
Leadership & Representation Done Right
OurOffice CEO, Sonya Sepahban, was on a panel by Venture Cafe on September 10th, which focused on cultivating emerging leaders, strategies and motivations for joining a board, and
10 September, 2020
The New ROI: Return On Inclusion
For years, leaders have asked about the ROI of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) in terms of the bottom line. As events of 2020 have demonstrated, to thrive and succeed, leaders ne
04 August, 2020
How to Build a Diverse and Inclusive Brand?
What is Diversity and Inclusion Branding? David Oglivy, known as the Father of Advertising, defined a brand as “the intangible sum of a product’s attributes.” Diversity and Inclusi
07 July, 2020
What Employees Can Do for Equity and Justice in Their Workplace
The world has changed overnight with the COVID pandemic and the George Floyd killing, and employees are changing too. They are demanding a lot more of their organizations now; they
23 June, 2020
What Inclusive Leaders Are Doing Right Now.
At a time when organizations large and small are focused on making the “right” kind of public statements regarding Diversity, equity and Inclusion, many are asking what leaders at
16 June, 2020
Words Matter. Actions Matter More.
In the wake of unprecedented public reaction in recent memory to the killing of George Floyd on May 25th, many organizations have released statements of support for the Black commu
09 June, 2020
How Working Parents Will Change the Future of Work?
For a long time, employees were asked to bring their whole selves to work. Now they are bringing their work selves to their homes! This will result in a rapid humanization of work,
26 May, 2020
The Three (3) Key HR Processes COVID WiIl Transform
As bleak as much of the news has been with the pandemic, there are signs that the “post-covid” reality that businesses and HR departments are going to have to adjust to, is getting
18 May, 2020
Is the D&I Manager an Essential Role??
The short answer to the above question is, Yes, for the reasons that our “Future of Work” Mastermind group discussed at a recent Roundtable. We hope highlights of the discussion be
11 May, 2020
Ten (10) Post-Covid Trends for CEOs and Boards
Never in the history of mankind, has there been a crisis as global and long-lasting as the current one caused by the pandemic. The resulting transformational paradigm change, which
04 May, 2020
Are Frontline Managers Ready for the New Normal?
Most of us have been adjusting to the “Stay At Home” guidelines and doing our best to deal with the realities of Zoom calls and Slack channels as part of WFH (Working From Home). A
27 April, 2020
Can EAP Handle Your Employees Needs During the Crisis?
According to the Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA) 97% of large organizations (with over 5,000 employees) and close to 80% of smaller organizations offer free Em
20 April, 2020
Coronavirus and Why the Future of Work is Here to Stay?
In late February, before there were state-wide or national directives, we had a serious conversation with my team at OurOffice, Inc. (O2) about the Coronavirus. We realized that it
13 April, 2020
6 Tips for Employees Working From Home
For many people here in the United States and around the globe, the reality of the Coronavirus pandemic has started to hit home. Those lucky enough to still have their jobs, have h
07 April, 2020
How to be Inclusive in an era of Social Distancing?
Last week was a surreal week. The COVID-19 virus spread across 114 countries and was officially called a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). Students were told to pack
15 March, 2020
MARCH IS NATIONAL WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
In 1987, what started over 100 years ago with a March 8th “International Women’s Day” and was later expanded into “National Women’s Week,” finally became “National Women’s Hi
10 March, 2020
Why Celebrate Black History Month
The US celebrates seven so-called Special Emphasis Months (see below) “designed for the purpose of providing cultural awareness to everyone,” as the Equal Employment Opportunity Co
03 February, 2020
What would MLK dream of today?
“I Have a Dream,” he said over fifty years ago. And yet today Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would still be dreaming of that day when this nation will “live out the true meaning of its
20 January, 2020
Holiday Inclusion Tips
This is a time of the year when we each tend to get busy with our own version of the holidays. So we are sharing a few tips with you for an inclusive and even happier holiday seaso
22 December, 2019
Why employee surveys are not enough!
Why employee surveys are not enough – The latest buzz words at HR conferences this year are employee experience, and more specifically, “employee voice” as experts and respec
19 November, 2019
It’s all about intentional acts of inclusion!
They say “Diversity is a Fact, Inclusion is an Act.” Think about it. We typically have a list of actions, when we focus on increasing sales, expanding margins, building a culture o
31 October, 2019
Lack of Diversity is Risky Business according to Business Risk Professionals
After spending two days last week at the Diversity and Inclusion Institute’s (DII) Conference of Business Insurance professionals, I came away with a new and powerful lens for look
10 September, 2019
Want to Close the STEM Talent Gap?
An aging workforce, shrinking immigration, and decline in STEM interest have been contributing to a widening gap between the demand and supply of STEM workforce in the US. In the m
26 August, 2019
Announcing Three (3) New Additions to OurOffice Team
Los Angeles, CA. Aug 1, 2019 — As we continue to attract visionary leaders and top talent at OurOffice, I’m delighted to share the addition of three new members, who
01 August, 2019
D&I Tech Pioneer, OurOffice, Announces Partnership with Kaizen Human Capital
Los Angeles, CA. July 2, 2019 — OurOffice CEO, and former NASA engineer, Sonya Sepahban, announced a strategic partnership with Kaizen Human Capital, a boutique human capital
02 July, 2019
What’s wrong with the definition of “belonging” and why it matters
At a recent Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Roundtable hosted by a major university in Michigan, we learned something very important. This has led us to change our definition of
24 June, 2019
Women Business Owners Join Forces to Help Hold Companies Accountable on Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives
Washington, D.C., May 16, 2019 – Shaara Roman, workplace culture expert and founder of The Silverene Group, a management consultancy in Arlington, Va., today announced a new partne
16 May, 2019
The American Dream is at Stake
The “American Dream” is evoked often in the social and political rhetoric of the day. My own story is a story of living that dream (more on that later). But the Tech industry’s equ
06 May, 2019
Paid Family Leave: What’s the Right Model?
A quarter century after the US Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) passed, paying employees for the leave that the FMLA grants them, finally appears to be rising in our country’s s
28 April, 2019
Mary Barra Will Lead the Auto Industry’s First Majority-Female Board
GM CEO, Mary Barra, has not only shattered the glass ceiling through her own career, she has also been quietly cracking it open for others, while also managing a challenging period
18 April, 2019
Yale Law Women Report Shows Even Best Firms Can Improve Ranks
When Walmart informed their top 100 law firms back in June 2005 that they would end or limit their relationship if they “failed to demonstrate a meaningful interest in the importan
16 April, 2019
Here’s How to Triple the Number of Women Managers in Any Company
Source: Valentina Zarya, Fortune, March 6, 2018 It’s that time of year again! International Woman’s Day is a holiday during which people and companies around the world celebrate wo
06 March, 2019
The Key to Getting Much Richer Is All About How You Treat Women
Source: Frances Schwartzkopff, Bloomberg, May 15, 2018 Governments interested in generating much more economic growth need to get more women into the workforce. The proof lies in t
15 February, 2019
Finally, Evidence That Diversity Improves Financial Performance
Source: Paul Gompers and Silpa Kovvali, HBR, July, 2018 When managers and scholars talk about diversity’s impact on organizations and teams, they’re usually referring to the effect
01 January, 2019
Women key to overcoming innovation and talent gap, says OneKC for Women
Source: Elyssa Bezner, Startland News, October 30, 2018 OneKC for Women designed its November event for men, said Rania Anderson. “Winning at Work” is a chance for male business ow
15 December, 2018
Intel hits diversity targets for U.S. workforce 2 years ahead of goal
Source: Dean Takahashi, VentureBeat, October 29, 2018 Intel announced it has achieved full representation of women and underrepresented minorities in its U.S. workforce two years a
29 October, 2018
PR Agencies Need to Be More Diverse and Inclusive. Here’s How to Start.
Source: Angela Chitkara, HBR, April 12, 2018 Over the last year, there has been no shortage of avoidable PR nightmares for leading corporate brands. In January, fashion retailer H&
11 September, 2018
Closing the gender gap in some science fields may take over 100 years
Source: Kyle Plantz, ScienceNews, April 20, 2018 If you’re a female computer scientist, you may not see an equal number of men and women working in your field in this century — or
20 August, 2018
4 Ways to Shake Up HR and Remain Relevant With Employees and Consumers
Source: Jeff Smith, Helen Rosenthorn, AdWeek, April 13, 2018 In today’s cluttered and always-on world, greater relevance with customers is what wins the battle for brand supremacy.
12 July, 2018
Female founders face VC funding cliff
Source: Kia Kokalitcheva, Axios, May 15, 2018 It’s well known that startups founded by women struggle to raise venture capital, but even the rare exceptions struggle to keep
15 May, 2018
On Equal Pay Day 2018, There’s a Troubling Trend Behind the Shrinking Gender Pay Gap
Source: Claire Zillman, Fortune, April 10, 2018 Tuesday, April 10 marks Equal Pay Day in the United States—a day that signifies how far into the new calendar year women have to wor
10 April, 2018
Intel’s 2017 Diversity Report: Progress Is Slowest With African American Employees
Source: Grace Donnelly, Fortune, March 30, 2018 Intel released its 2017 annual report on diversity this week, showing that the company is ahead of its overall workforce goals, but
30 March, 2018
New Numbers Show the Gender Pay Gap Is Real
Source: Claire Suddath, Bloomberg, March 28, 2018 There’s an essential, frustrating truth about the gender pay gap: You can size it up or down depending on what you’d like to measu
28 March, 2018
As ‘Black Panther’ Shows, Inclusion Pays at Box Office
Source: Associated Press, VOA News, February 19, 2018 A lavish, headline-grabbing premiere. Lightning word-of-mouth stoked by glowing reviews. Packed movie theaters with sold-out s
19 February, 2018
Business Leaders Pledge for Change at 2018 MAKERS Conference
Source: Ashley Schlag, Oath, February 7, 2018 Powerful executives took the MAKERS stage to raise their voices and drive future action Female storytelling platform and feminist medi
07 February, 2018
