PURPOSEFUL HUSTLE BLOG

Another year is upon us, and that prompts many people to create New Year’s Resolutions (or goals, or objectives) for the year ahead. Even though we’re really just turning the page of the calendar, the psychological effects of the New Year are real. People feel like they have a clean slate, and a chance to head in a new direction. This phenomenon is known as the fresh start effect. This concept claims that “people are better at tackling their goals when they start on so-called temporal landmarks.” A temporal landmark might be the first day of the year, the first of the quarter, or a Monday morning. There is some debate about whether the fresh start effect is a help or a hindrance, but one thing’s for certain: the effect is real. There’s a reason gym attendance increases by 20 percent at the beginning of a new year! How can you use the fresh start effect to create momentum around your work’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices? Try the following 4 steps:

When it comes to workplace inclusion, one group that is often overlooked is people with disabilities. This encompasses a wide range of people who experience varying degrees of disability, both mental and physical. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, “In 2021, persons with a disability accounted for 11.9 percent of the civilian noninstitutional population.” However, that number increases to 26 percent if we expand our definition of disability, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. No matter which statistic you choose, people with disabilities account for a large slice of the population. Unfortunately, population size does not necessarily mean power. People with disabilities are much more likely to experience unemployment than those without a disability, and they are often subjected to workplace discrimination. Since December third is International Day of People with Disabilities, let’s shine a spotlight on this community, and discuss how to celebrate and empower people with disabilities in your workplace.

Imagine you’re training to run a marathon. A personal trainer has determined your exercise schedule, and a dietician has advised you on which foods to eat and which to avoid. You have the best pair of shoes on the market, a sweat-wicking running shirt, and a custom water bottle. After months of following a training and diet regime, you’re set up for success. Now, imagine you don’t have any of those things. Instead, you’ve been dropped off at the starting line wearing your street clothes and casual shoes. You don’t have any training under your belt, and you haven’t even been given a map of the course! What are the chances you’ll actually succeed? This analogy illustrates the distinct advantages and disadvantages certain people experience in the workplace. Some are simply setup for success far better than others, whether they realize it or not. And those advantages are often perpetuated by company leaders (again, whether they realize it or not).

The plain truth is that most workplaces in the United States have not been set up to be diverse and inclusive. For decades, the default image of a business person has been a certain archetype (white, male, married to a woman, neurotypical…the list goes on), and it takes intentional and persistent effort to dismantle those norms.