Sirva’s Post

Thanks for sharing your insights Julie Colwell - a really interesting read.

As an immigrant, I know firsthand the challenges of moving to a new country and navigating cultural and language barriers. The journey of adapting to a new environment while trying to maintain one’s identity can be quite challenging, especially when it involves expressing oneself in a new language, navigating different social behaviors, and forming new friendships. That’s why having a workplace where people are kind, accepting, and truly welcoming means the world to me. Yesterday, we held our first meeting of the renewed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) committee at Q Shelter. I am honored to be part of this group alongside such inspiring colleagues! Creating a culturally safe space where every team member feels valued and heard is crucial. As a member of the CALD and LGBTQIA SB communities, I know that feeling seen and acknowledged is key to being our authentic selves. It’s essential for us to feel safe and supported to truly thrive and contribute. Yesterday, we each shared our motivations for joining the DEI committee, and it was moving to hear how our identities and life experiences shape our goals. We created a safe space within the meeting where we openly discussed what fosters a sense of belonging and what factors can lead to exclusion. This is exactly how workplaces can ensure a diverse workforce truly feels supported and valued #RUOKDay. Over the next year, I’m excited to focus on promoting flexible public holiday policy, gender-equitable remuneration, CALD awareness training, and developing a glossary of inclusive terminology. Words are powerful—they can include or exclude, uplift or diminish. They have a huge power to shape reality. To advance DE&I in the sector, Q Shelter offers a brief online course on LGBTIQ SB inclusion. This self-paced course provides a deep dive into understanding the LGBTIQ SB community and equips the participants with practical tools to foster a more inclusive environment (see link below in the comments). So grateful to have these fantastic humans as part of the DE&I team: Rhiannon West, Ashish Revankar, Floyd Stephens, Fiona Caniglia, Jodie C., Jessica Flint, and Tania Flynn.

The last two months have been a time of profound reflection, dedicated studying, and cherished moments with family. Amid the busyness of Pride Month in June and Disability Pride Month in July, we’ve experienced a whirlwind of activities and celebrations. As we move forward, we recognise that there is still so much more to achieve in driving the importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) across all channels and beyond. While Pride Month and Disability Pride Month have come to a close, our commitment to raising awareness and garnering support for the community and its allies remains steadfast. It’s crucial that we don’t limit our celebrations and advocacy to the dates marked on the DEI calendar. Let’s champion these values every single day! For those seeking training, support, and guidance to advance their DEI initiatives, D&A Services is here to assist you every step of the way. We are proud to support numerous businesses in not only highlighting the significance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion but also in paving the way forward to drive bottom-line profits and growth. By fostering a culture where employees can be their best selves every day, we see happier employees, more satisfied customers, stronger partnerships, and ultimately, increased bid wins and improved retention rates. We are now taking on new clients so Contact us today to discover how we can help you cultivate a world-class culture that will significantly enhance your business performance and overall organisational culture. Together, let’s build a more inclusive and equitable future. #DEI #Reflection #Support #Culture #Growth D&A Services International Ltd

💼 Job Shadowing at Coachella - Behind the Scenes 💼 Hey, y'all! The NAMED Advocates recently gave over 10 BIPOC-disabled folx the chance to job shadow at Coachella as participants in Goldenvoice's Accessible Pathfinders Program. It was a seriously cool hands-on experience that's all about nurturing growth and practical learning. Together, we're breaking oppressive workplace norms and crafting a safe space where diverse talents can thrive side by side, generation by generation. A is a lovely example of how diversity initiatives can kickstart innovation, knowledge sharing, and community building. DEI programs give BIPOC people with disabilities in the live event industry practical skills and insights into creating experiences that are accessible to everyone. That's EXACTLY why we need more programs like this that support BIPOC-disabled folks. Wondering why programs like this matter? Check out our blog "Why We Need More Programs for BIPOC Disabled Professionals" here: https://lnkd.in/eT4e6BX9 We must come together to demand inclusive and empowering workplaces. We are the future, and we will not settle for less. #PathfindersProgram #JobShadowing #LiveEventsIndustry #CareerDevelopment #NAMEDAdvocates #AccessiblePlus #Inclusion #Coachella2024

The last two months have been a time of profound reflection, dedicated studying, and cherished moments with family. Amid the busyness of Pride Month in June and Disability Pride Month in July, we’ve experienced a whirlwind of activities and celebrations. As we move forward, we recognise that there is still so much more to achieve in driving the importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) across all channels and beyond. While Pride Month and Disability Pride Month have come to a close, our commitment to raising awareness and garnering support for the community and its allies remains steadfast. It’s crucial that we don’t limit our celebrations and advocacy to the dates marked on the DEI calendar. Let’s champion these values every single day! For those seeking training, support, and guidance to advance their DEI initiatives, D&A Services is here to assist you every step of the way. We are proud to support numerous businesses in not only highlighting the significance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion but also in paving the way forward to drive bottom-line profits and growth. By fostering a culture where employees can be their best selves every day, we see happier employees, more satisfied customers, stronger partnerships, and ultimately, increased bid wins and improved retention rates. We are now taking on new clients so Contact us today to discover how we can help you cultivate a world-class culture that will significantly enhance your business performance and overall organisational culture. Together, let’s build a more inclusive and equitable future. #DEI #Reflection #Support #Culture #Growth D&A Services International Ltd Donavan Hutchinson

Congratulations, Michael Swiatek! Outthinker Networks member and CSO of Abra Group, Michael Swiatek, was featured in McKinsey & Company's article, "A Flight Plan for Everyone." Michael has been blind/low vision since birth and has taken a leadership role as an advocate for inclusion in the #airlineindustry. In the interview, he outlines the difficulties faced by passengers with disabilities and what companies can do to address them, highlighting how empathy and kindness are always part of a sound strategy. https://lnkd.in/gweZ442q

This year I stepped aside as the Global Lead for the AMS Disability ERG, (Employee Resource Group). I strongly believe that as an ERG Lead, we have to regularly review the goals we once set and the things we wanted to accomplish. For me, I realised I'd accomplished these and so much more. I'd led the ERG for nearly 2.5 years. Being part of it helped me find confidence, being the global lead shaped my career and provided opportunities. Opportunities to learn, educate, network, and collaborate with other ERGs, external partners, and stakeholders across AMS. In the past 2.5 years, we won awards. I found the Bonnie to my Clyde in the fabulous Neurodiversity lead, Stella Steigleder, who also made the decision to step aside. I see the change that has come from the passion, hard work, and commitment of the ERGs and those involved. The resources which continue to be used, the confidence of members when they speak on panels and when they share their lived experiences to educate. I see the change at AMS and the difference our ERG has and will continue to make, and with our incredible new Leads, I know this is possible. I found confidence, I found empowerment. And a role I once thought I wasn't ready to step into, turned out to be one of the highlights of my career. In fact, being the Global Lead shaped my career. Image Description: Throwback to last year when Jamie and Stellas ERGs won outstanding Disability and Neurodiversity ERG at the British Diversity Awards. They are posing the house down. Jamie is a white male with blue eyes, short dark hair and beard. He is wearing a black waistcoat and trousers, a white shirt and a dickie bow. Stella is a white female with shoulder-length dark hair, and wearing a gorgeous multicoloured blouse and black trousers. Jamie has his arm around Stella, and the two are just bursting with pride. #WednesdayWisdom #DiversityAndInclusion #DisabilityInclusion #ERGs

Featured in Forbes: Inclusively's Leadership-Driven Solutions for Workplace Inclusion. Discover how our Leadership Board is turning inclusion goals into reality! https://lnkd.in/eU_7FWRg Here are a few highlights we thought might interest you: Leadership-Driven Inclusion: We are dedicated to making disability inclusion a fundamental component of every business strategy. AI-Driven Tools: Our technology is designed to support personalized accommodation matches for employees. C-Suite Engagement: We continuously engage with top executives to foster a deeply inclusive organizational culture. Jonathan Singel, VP of Talent Acquisition at Lyft, shares the effectiveness of our collaborative approach: "When you create a safe space to discuss best practices, learnings, failures, and successes, it breaks these silos down...We have that seat at the table with the ILB which enables us to talk to others as well as learn from them." Read the full article here:  https://lnkd.in/eU_7FWRg #Inclusively #DisabilityInclusion #Leadership #DEI #CorporateCulture #Forbes #ILB

‘I’ll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror’ ☀ Great conversation today about our leadership lesson ‘You can only improve by reflecting honestly on your current performance’ with members of the PurpleSpace #disability employee network leadership community in Australia and New Zealand. We covered a lot of ground…target setting, data, prioritisation, collaboration, benchmarking and leadership lessons from the music of Taylor Swift (the sun/mirror quote at the top of the post) 👩🎤 As humans, it can be difficult for us to reflect on our own performance: 💡It can be daunting to recognise and articulate the areas where we want to do better, especially when we work in high-performing teams and organisations. 💡 We may worry that sharing our views that we haven’t performed well will impact adversely on other peoples’ perceptions of our ‘brand'. 💡Or perhaps we don’t reflect on what we could improve because our colleagues tell us we’re doing a great job. 💡Or we don’t make the time, especially when the pace is fast and we’re doing ERG work voluntarily, on top of a busy day job. The best disability ERG/Network leaders know that we are forever learning and that improving the reach and impact of a network means honestly assessing their own leadership performance, identifying ways to improve and taking action. Super excited by what the ANZ Disability Employee Network community is building. Bodes well as we build our global network of networks in the run up to our first ever Global Disability ERG Summit on 15 October (with the support of Financial Times, Merck and Motability Operations Ltd). https://lnkd.in/dkb9-4vG Thanks for your leadership John Fardoulis Trudi Anderson Zoë Field Ed Collett Alycia Hatt Bronwyn Carson Katherine Alderson #EmployeeResourceGroups #DisabilityInclusion #Leadership #LifeLessons #TaylorSwift

Today marks exactly one year since I began my 社会人（career/working class) life at one of the branches of SONY, Sony-Taiyo as a Corporate communication & Corporate Social Responsibility Officer. And today I was appointed to an additional duty as Employee Safety &Health Commissioner to serve for two years. There is so much to reflect on from my one year work experience. From a fresh university graduate with no official work experience, a transitioned to corporate Japan, where all aspect of my work has to be done in Japanese. When I took the conscious decision to look for work in Japan a few years ago, there were two main reasons.First, as a woman with a physical disability, I needed to be self-sufficient and independent in all aspects of my life. And as a fresh graduate with a desire to work in an international organization but lacking the required 5-10 years of job experience, I faced the dilemma of prioritizing financial independence before pursuing the big dreams. It was an easy decision to make! Because my greatest fear in life as a disabled person is complete dependency on others for my basic needs and everyday help. I have to say that this past year has been both challenging and fulfilling. Challenging due to unique language barriers and the nature of my work as a Corporate Communication and Corporate Social Responsibility officer, which requires me to interact and communicate with a broad range of individual from the public and private sectors both internally and externally via various communication channels.However, I have considered these hurdles and areas of weakness as opportunities to grow and acquire extra strengths, never viewing language barriers or my disability as a reason for bad performance. Fulfilling because the nature of my work related to corporate social responsibility (CSR) allows me to explore other areas of International Relations .Even if my work is not specifically related to conflict resolution or peacebuilding, it challenges me to explore other areas of international concern such as human rights: I have the opportunity to conduct lectures at public institutions and local schools on topics such as disability rights, diversity, and inclusion. Look out for an upcoming Professor! Lessons learned from this one year: - Be willing to challenge yourself and step outside of your comfort zone. - Recognize your strengths and weaknesses and work on turning them into strengths. - It's okay if your first job isn't in your field of interest; most people never find work in their profession for years, and some go on to discover new passions and flourish. - Remain fully present wherever God has placed you, and discover a reason to remain there, whether for a short or long period of time. - Invest in personal growth and development. - develop a personal roadmap for your career and life in general,short term and long term goals. Like Comment Share