QueeHR Insights: Inclusion in the Wake of Roe
You know that feeling when your brain feels kind of tingly after a conversation that stretches your thinking and pushes you for deeper understanding?
Like you can almost feel the neurons firing to create new connections in your brain?
That's how I felt after yesterday's QueeHR Monthly Meetup on the topic of "Inclusion in the Wake of Roe"...
I've been struggling to navigate my personal feelings and beliefs about the SCOTUS decision while holding space for other perspectives and keeping inclusion at the center.
How do we create safety, support and inclusion for people who are reeling from having their freedoms taken away without ostracizing folks at your organizations who are...celebrating this news, and perhaps view/define freedom differently altogether? Is this even the question we should be asking?
Several people on our call yesterday who lead the HR function at their companies shared that they, too, were devastated by the news, but have large employee populations who supported the decision.
I don't think there's a silver bullet, but here are a few insights I'll share from the discussion that I'll invite you to think about/try on:
• HR leaders are TIRED. Especially folks running smaller teams who have so much falling directly on them with little support. Cut them some slack, give them some grace. They're sentient beings, too.
• Move away from binary thinking...get past pro-life vs. pro-choice, good vs. bad, right vs. wrong, and get to the deeper heart of the issue. What are we really standing for here? What do we really support?
• Be thoughtful and intentional in your handling of what you do next. As you come up with solutions, challenge yourself to make them even better. Make empathy part of your process...step outside of your own thinking and put yourself in the shoes of folks with alternative views/needs.
• A "wait and see" approach to important issues like this is likely an indication that you don't have any skin in the game. This is a ripe opportunity for allyship. Stay grounded in your mission, vision, values.
• Consider the quote, I believe originally from Jesse Williams, "equal rights for others does not mean less rights for you. It's not pie." If your belief causes other people harm, that's a good place to draw the line.
• Create a support system/find community that will support you through all of this.
Thank you to this amazing group for the robust discussion.
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