We need to be deliberate in our inclusion efforts. It can’t just “happen.”
Today I took a gym class. One of my first group fitness experiences since the Great Isolation. I grabbed weights, did the requisite reps, and when I returned the weights to their shelves at the end, I was surprised to see one weight was 10 pounds and the other was 12.5. I didn’t notice the difference at all.
I pondered this. How is it I didn’t notice a 25 percent difference in weight? I used the heavier weight for my dominant arm. But I thought, if I didn’t notice this difference in myself, do we also miss such things, such inequalities, around us?
In our workplaces do we treat people differently without realizing it? I favor my right arm, use it more and made it that much stronger. Have I been cheating my right arm all this time by using 10 pounds weights when it can easily do more? And as importantly, it would be nice to be balanced. What do I need to do for my left arm, to help it catch up to the right?
Let’s take a moment to reflect and see if there are any areas to which we need to pay more attention in our workplace—any improvements we can make to create a stronger, balanced, and healthy workplace culture. We need to be mindful about this— we can’t just grab weights. And then, let’s do the requisite reps.