All Things Being Equal
I’m a straight, white, male, group creative director at an agency-like company.
To some, that sentence is a trigger. To me, it’s a reminder to do better. My responsibility is to constantly learn, evolve, set examples and show up each day as an ally to our Business Resource Groups (BRGs) and work family. And, since I also happen to manage a pretty diverse team, I work each day to do better with an influential group. Real Chemistry walks the walk and allows people who believe in practicing equality in all forms to do so.
Back in My Day
Thank goodness the world is evolving. I can’t even imagine going back, even though we still need the universe at large to evolve and do better. It’s fair to say that, early in my career, I was completely unprepared and uninformed when it came to being a champion for others at work. I worried about causing too much trouble, losing my job or doing it wrong. Sometimes, I chickened out on it. Other times, I’d say something to those I felt I could trust and even anonymously called a couple people to get the scoop on how we could change things. However, my desire to celebrate diversity and inclusivity started a heck of a lot earlier than those days.
When I was young, I learned that both my father and my older brother were gay. My brother, to be fair, was hinting to people before this announcement, but they either didn’t believe him, said he was going through a phase, or flat-out ignored it. I’ve witnessed what inequality looks like, up close, and very personal, without it ever being directed at me. It drove me to become an ally, which I’ve done at PRIDE walks, speaking engagements and most recently by joining our OPAL (Out Professionals and Allies Leading) BRG to help drive creative output for the amplification of our employees who want to build a community within the community.
Helping Others Helps
DE&I has a direct impact on how we live and work. And, when it comes to the term work/life balance, I think we often miss out on the fact that it’s just that: a balance. Not just the time you spend in and out of each part of your life, but also a balance that may impact the work at hand or a commitment to your own health and needs.
Each manager is responsible for creating the right environment. They’re also responsible for making sure they do the constant work of adjusting, over whatever time they’re allowed, and working that out per employee to help guide the rest of the team members they manage. Helping others helps them, it helps you, and it helps the organization. We’re all part of a work/life balance. There’s equity in that equality. It matters.
