Entries by Amanda Hammett

Inclusive leadership for a new generation with Dr. Sheila Robinson

In the wake of the murder of George Floyd, Corporate America and people around the globe reacted. Many organizations held town halls, had courageous conversations and sought opportunities to do better and to make a difference. Creating a culture of inclusion with a win/win environment takes leadership. In this segment, Dr. Sheila Robinson, founder Diversity Women Media, encourages companies to define what they are trying to accomplish and explore how they will go about creating change and investing in their people.

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Disclaimer: This transcript was created using YouTube’s translator tool and that may mean that some of the words, grammar, and typos come from a misinterpretation of the video.

The Transcript - Interview with Dr. Sheila Robinson

[00:00:00] Amanda Hammett: Welcome to wine down Wednesday. Here are your hosts, Jeffery Tobias Halter, and Amanda Hammett.

[00:00:07] Jeffery Tobias Halter: This is "Wined down Wednesday", a contemporary mid-week discussion on current workplace and marketplace issues with a focus on diversity inclusion, intersectionality, and equity, and as always enjoyed with your favorite wine down a beverage of choice.

[00:00:24] I'm Jeffrey Tobias halter. And this is my friend and colleague. Amanda Hammett.

[00:00:29] Amanda Hammett: Hi, and welcome back to wine down Wednesday. It is 2022 y'all and I am here with my best cohost ever. Jeffrey Tobias Halter.Jeffrey welcome. There's

[00:00:41] Jeffery Tobias Halter: 2022. Amanda while can you believe that you know, this is our first episode of 2022.

[00:00:49] And you know, even though it's a Wednesday and we're a couple of days past new year's, I managed to find a leftover bottle of champagne. So, so I think it's only appropriate. [00:01:00] That we pop the cork on 2022. So I am going to enjoy this in my house. Well, what are you drinking today?

[00:01:11] Amanda Hammett: I actually tricky a little Prosecco and pomegranate juice.

[00:01:15] Cheers

[00:01:15] Jeffery Tobias Halter: to you and choirs to you. Happy new year. Happy. There's nothing better than bubbles on a Wednesday afternoon. That

[00:01:23] Amanda Hammett: this is absolutely true. Hmm, good stuff. Good stuff. So what are we talking about?

[00:01:30] Jeffery Tobias Halter: Yeah, I think what we're going to do is we're going to take a look ahead at what's coming. It's 20, 22.

[00:01:37] What is the year look like? And so I picked up two ideas, that I think is gonna really be paramount both for employees and employers. And one is the concept of performance. D E N I, and that's these big commitments that companies made quite frankly, a number of years [00:02:00] ago around black lives matter and leaning into advancing women and underrepresented groups.

[00:02:05] Well, you know what? It's been two years and we're seeing a lack of progress. I think there's going to be a call for accountability and transparency and companies are going to be held. Their feet are going to be held to the fire around what have you. Absolutely. And then I think the other big one, and we've talked about this a little bit in 2021, you know, Mackenzie said allyship 14% of companies are doing allyship training, which is woefully low.

[00:02:32] Well come to find out. Allyship was the number one word by dictionary.com last year. And so it's setting this stage. That allyship is going to be a really big deal in 2022. And companies need to figure this out. Those are going to be two topics that we're going to be exploring throughout the rest of the.

[00:02:53] Yeah. What about you? What's on your mind?

[00:02:55] Amanda Hammett: So what I'm looking forward to in 2022, I am [00:03:00] seeing no end to this labor shortage. I hate to be the bearer of bad news every year. Once a year in bonuses are paid out. We always see an uptick involuntary terminations. I think this year we will see an even greater uptick in those because of the things that you just mentioned, the performative DIII and I, the lack of allyship, all of those.

[00:03:22] Pulling together. Plus, how are people treated coming through 20, 20, 20, 21? I think that's going to be a major, major issue, but my concern is, is that companies are so focused on recruiting, recruiting, new people, new people, filling all these 11 million open job openings, but they're not thinking about the employees that they have today, or the ones that they're going to bring in.

[00:03:44] So retention is, needs to be a focus, and company leadership needs to be thinking about that. But let's break this down. Millennials officially more than 50% of the workforce in the US gen Z, right behind them, [00:04:00] massive generation. And they're quickly flooding the workforce. The cultures that attracted baby boomers, gen X-ers, will be outright rejected by a millennial and gen Z.

[00:04:11] So companies need to start taking a long, hard look at what are they offering. Benefit-wise. Yeah. Are they actually asking the questions about what these employees want to get them to stay and do they need to be ready to listen to those answers? The other thing, and we say this all the time. Jeffery, how diverse is your leadership employees?

[00:04:40] Future employees, potential employees, current employees, they're watching. They're watching. So how diverse is that leadership site? How are you, what are you doing to bring up the people of color, women of color through the leadership ranks? So that. Your employee base looks like [00:05:00] your

[00:05:01] Jeffery Tobias Halter: yeah. Well, 20, 22 is certainly going to give us a lot of topics to talk about from our listeners.

[00:05:08] We're going to be exploring all of these over the years. We're going to have some amazing guest stars and authors. And so on behalf of Amanda, raise your glass, and Jeffrey, we just want to say welcome to wine down Wednesdays 20, 22.

[00:05:23] Amanda Hammett: Cheers. Thanks again for joining us for wine down, Wednesdays, it contemporary mid-week discussion on current workplace and marketplace issues with a focus on diversity inclusion, intersectionality, and equality.

[00:05:37] I'm Amanda Hammett and on behalf of myself and Jeffery Tobias Halter. Thanks so much for joining us and we'll see you in the next episode. Thank you for joining us for"Wined down Wednesday". If you liked this episode, please subscribe to receive more episodes straight to your inbox.

Disclaimer: This transcript was created using YouTube’s translator tool and that may mean that some of the words, grammar, and typos come from a misinterpretation of the video.

Setting first-time leaders up for success

Millennials are rising throughout the ranks and moving from individual contributors to front-line people managers and leadership positions. As we celebrate those promotions, Jeffery and Amanda take a look at training and how organizations prepare managers for success and how individuals can set themselves up to succeed in their new roles. Join them for a fast-paced session and lots of insights.

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Disclaimer: This transcript was created using YouTube’s translator tool and that may mean that some of the words, grammar, and typos come from a misinterpretation of the video.

The Transcript - First-Time Leaders

[00:00:00] Amanda Hammett: Welcome to wine down Wednesday. Here are your hosts, Jeffery Tobias Halter, and Amanda Hammett.

[00:00:07] Jeffery Tobias Halter: This is "Wined down Wednesday", a contemporary mid-week discussion on current workplace and marketplace issues with a focus on diversity inclusion, intersectionality, and equity, and as always enjoyed with your favorite wine down a beverage of choice.

[00:00:24] I'm Jeffrey Tobias halter. And this is my friend and colleague. Amanda Hammett.

[00:00:29] Amanda Hammett: Hi, and welcome back to wine down Wednesday. It is 2022 y'all and I am here with my best cohost ever. Jeffrey Tobias Halter.Jeffrey welcome. There's

[00:00:41] Jeffery Tobias Halter: 2022. Amanda while can you believe that you know, this is our first episode of 2022.

[00:00:49] And you know, even though it's a Wednesday and we're a couple of days past new year's, I managed to find a leftover bottle of champagne. So, so I think it's only appropriate. [00:01:00] That we pop the cork on 2022. So I am going to enjoy this in my house. Well, what are you drinking today?

[00:01:11] Amanda Hammett: I actually tricky a little Prosecco and pomegranate juice.

[00:01:15] Cheers

[00:01:15] Jeffery Tobias Halter: to you and choirs to you. Happy new year. Happy. There's nothing better than bubbles on a Wednesday afternoon. That

[00:01:23] Amanda Hammett: this is absolutely true. Hmm, good stuff. Good stuff. So what are we talking about?

[00:01:30] Jeffery Tobias Halter: Yeah, I think what we're going to do is we're going to take a look ahead at what's coming. It's 20, 22.

[00:01:37] What is the year look like? And so I picked up two ideas, that I think is gonna really be paramount both for employees and employers. And one is the concept of performance. D E N I, and that's these big commitments that companies made quite frankly, a number of years [00:02:00] ago around black lives matter and leaning into advancing women and underrepresented groups.

[00:02:05] Well, you know what? It's been two years and we're seeing a lack of progress. I think there's going to be a call for accountability and transparency and companies are going to be held. Their feet are going to be held to the fire around what have you. Absolutely. And then I think the other big one, and we've talked about this a little bit in 2021, you know, Mackenzie said allyship 14% of companies are doing allyship training, which is woefully low.

[00:02:32] Well come to find out. Allyship was the number one word by dictionary.com last year. And so it's setting this stage. That allyship is going to be a really big deal in 2022. And companies need to figure this out. Those are going to be two topics that we're going to be exploring throughout the rest of the.

[00:02:53] Yeah. What about you? What's on your mind?

[00:02:55] Amanda Hammett: So what I'm looking forward to in 2022, I am [00:03:00] seeing no end to this labor shortage. I hate to be the bearer of bad news every year. Once a year in bonuses are paid out. We always see an uptick involuntary terminations. I think this year we will see an even greater uptick in those because of the things that you just mentioned, the performative DIII and I, the lack of allyship, all of those.

[00:03:22] Pulling together. Plus, how are people treated coming through 20, 20, 20, 21? I think that's going to be a major, major issue, but my concern is, is that companies are so focused on recruiting, recruiting, new people, new people, filling all these 11 million open job openings, but they're not thinking about the employees that they have today, or the ones that they're going to bring in.

[00:03:44] So retention is, needs to be a focus, and company leadership needs to be thinking about that. But let's break this down. Millennials officially more than 50% of the workforce in the US gen Z, right behind them, [00:04:00] massive generation. And they're quickly flooding the workforce. The cultures that attracted baby boomers, gen X-ers, will be outright rejected by a millennial and gen Z.

[00:04:11] So companies need to start taking a long, hard look at what are they offering. Benefit-wise. Yeah. Are they actually asking the questions about what these employees want to get them to stay and do they need to be ready to listen to those answers? The other thing, and we say this all the time. Jeffery, how diverse is your leadership employees?

[00:04:40] Future employees, potential employees, current employees, they're watching. They're watching. So how diverse is that leadership site? How are you, what are you doing to bring up the people of color, women of color through the leadership ranks? So that. Your employee base looks like [00:05:00] your

[00:05:01] Jeffery Tobias Halter: yeah. Well, 20, 22 is certainly going to give us a lot of topics to talk about from our listeners.

[00:05:08] We're going to be exploring all of these over the years. We're going to have some amazing guest stars and authors. And so on behalf of Amanda, raise your glass, and Jeffrey, we just want to say welcome to wine down Wednesdays 20, 22.

[00:05:23] Amanda Hammett: Cheers. Thanks again for joining us for wine down, Wednesdays, it contemporary mid-week discussion on current workplace and marketplace issues with a focus on diversity inclusion, intersectionality, and equality.

[00:05:37] I'm Amanda Hammett and on behalf of myself and Jeffery Tobias Halter. Thanks so much for joining us and we'll see you in the next episode. Thank you for joining us for"Wined down Wednesday". If you liked this episode, please subscribe to receive more episodes straight to your inbox.

Disclaimer: This transcript was created using YouTube’s translator tool and that may mean that some of the words, grammar, and typos come from a misinterpretation of the video.

What’s next for the workplace in 2022 with Joann Lublin

Joann S. Lublin, Pulitzer-winning journalist and the author of Power Moms: How Executive Mothers Navigate Work and Life and “Earning it: Hard-Won Lessons from Trailblazing Women at the Top of the Business World” returns to Win(e)d Down Wednesday to discuss the top two topics she’s tracking for 2022. Listen for her thoughts on employee resource groups and hybrid workplace models. Joann also shares what best-in-class companies are doing to support working parents in order to make working parenthood work. Don’t miss this timely discussion.

Share the LOVE and TWEET about this episode.

Don't miss an episode. Subscribe to Win(e)d Down Wednesday.

Disclaimer: This transcript was created using YouTube’s translator tool and that may mean that some of the words, grammar, and typos come from a misinterpretation of the video.

The Transcript - Part 2 with Joann Lublin

[00:00:00] Amanda Hammett: Welcome to wine down Wednesday. Here are your hosts, Jeffery Tobias Halter, and Amanda Hammett.

[00:00:07] Jeffery Tobias Halter: This is "Wined down Wednesday", a contemporary mid-week discussion on current workplace and marketplace issues with a focus on diversity inclusion, intersectionality, and equity, and as always enjoyed with your favorite wine down a beverage of choice.

[00:00:24] I'm Jeffrey Tobias halter. And this is my friend and colleague. Amanda Hammett.

[00:00:29] Amanda Hammett: Hi, and welcome back to wine down Wednesday. It is 2022 y'all and I am here with my best cohost ever. Jeffrey Tobias Halter.Jeffrey welcome. There's

[00:00:41] Jeffery Tobias Halter: 2022. Amanda while can you believe that you know, this is our first episode of 2022.

[00:00:49] And you know, even though it's a Wednesday and we're a couple of days past new year's, I managed to find a leftover bottle of champagne. So, so I think it's only appropriate. [00:01:00] That we pop the cork on 2022. So I am going to enjoy this in my house. Well, what are you drinking today?

[00:01:11] Amanda Hammett: I actually tricky a little Prosecco and pomegranate juice.

[00:01:15] Cheers

[00:01:15] Jeffery Tobias Halter: to you and choirs to you. Happy new year. Happy. There's nothing better than bubbles on a Wednesday afternoon. That

[00:01:23] Amanda Hammett: this is absolutely true. Hmm, good stuff. Good stuff. So what are we talking about?

[00:01:30] Jeffery Tobias Halter: Yeah, I think what we're going to do is we're going to take a look ahead at what's coming. It's 20, 22.

[00:01:37] What is the year look like? And so I picked up two ideas, that I think is gonna really be paramount both for employees and employers. And one is the concept of performance. D E N I, and that's these big commitments that companies made quite frankly, a number of years [00:02:00] ago around black lives matter and leaning into advancing women and underrepresented groups.

[00:02:05] Well, you know what? It's been two years and we're seeing a lack of progress. I think there's going to be a call for accountability and transparency and companies are going to be held. Their feet are going to be held to the fire around what have you. Absolutely. And then I think the other big one, and we've talked about this a little bit in 2021, you know, Mackenzie said allyship 14% of companies are doing allyship training, which is woefully low.

[00:02:32] Well come to find out. Allyship was the number one word by dictionary.com last year. And so it's setting this stage. That allyship is going to be a really big deal in 2022. And companies need to figure this out. Those are going to be two topics that we're going to be exploring throughout the rest of the.

[00:02:53] Yeah. What about you? What's on your mind?

[00:02:55] Amanda Hammett: So what I'm looking forward to in 2022, I am [00:03:00] seeing no end to this labor shortage. I hate to be the bearer of bad news every year. Once a year in bonuses are paid out. We always see an uptick involuntary terminations. I think this year we will see an even greater uptick in those because of the things that you just mentioned, the performative DIII and I, the lack of allyship, all of those.

[00:03:22] Pulling together. Plus, how are people treated coming through 20, 20, 20, 21? I think that's going to be a major, major issue, but my concern is, is that companies are so focused on recruiting, recruiting, new people, new people, filling all these 11 million open job openings, but they're not thinking about the employees that they have today, or the ones that they're going to bring in.

[00:03:44] So retention is, needs to be a focus, and company leadership needs to be thinking about that. But let's break this down. Millennials officially more than 50% of the workforce in the US gen Z, right behind them, [00:04:00] massive generation. And they're quickly flooding the workforce. The cultures that attracted baby boomers, gen X-ers, will be outright rejected by a millennial and gen Z.

[00:04:11] So companies need to start taking a long, hard look at what are they offering. Benefit-wise. Yeah. Are they actually asking the questions about what these employees want to get them to stay and do they need to be ready to listen to those answers? The other thing, and we say this all the time. Jeffery, how diverse is your leadership employees?

[00:04:40] Future employees, potential employees, current employees, they're watching. They're watching. So how diverse is that leadership site? How are you, what are you doing to bring up the people of color, women of color through the leadership ranks? So that. Your employee base looks like [00:05:00] your

[00:05:01] Jeffery Tobias Halter: yeah. Well, 20, 22 is certainly going to give us a lot of topics to talk about from our listeners.

[00:05:08] We're going to be exploring all of these over the years. We're going to have some amazing guest stars and authors. And so on behalf of Amanda, raise your glass, and Jeffrey, we just want to say welcome to wine down Wednesdays 20, 22.

[00:05:23] Amanda Hammett: Cheers. Thanks again for joining us for wine down, Wednesdays, it contemporary mid-week discussion on current workplace and marketplace issues with a focus on diversity inclusion, intersectionality, and equality.

[00:05:37] I'm Amanda Hammett and on behalf of myself and Jeffery Tobias Halter. Thanks so much for joining us and we'll see you in the next episode. Thank you for joining us for"Wined down Wednesday". If you liked this episode, please subscribe to receive more episodes straight to your inbox.

Disclaimer: This transcript was created using YouTube’s translator tool and that may mean that some of the words, grammar, and typos come from a misinterpretation of the video.

How can workplaces work for working parents with Joann Lublin

Joann S. Lublin, former reporter and editor at The Wall Street Journal and author of Power Moms: How Executive Mothers Navigate Work and Life and “Earning it: Hard-Won Lessons from Trailblazing Women at the Top of the Business World” joins the program to discuss the pressures of working parents and how to create workplaces that work for parents. Joann shares how the workplace is changing and how businesses can successfully retain employees with kids. She also shares her research and tips on how managers can support working parents (and all employees).

Share the LOVE and TWEET about this episode.

Don't miss an episode. Subscribe to Win(e)d Down Wednesday.

Disclaimer: This transcript was created using YouTube’s translator tool and that may mean that some of the words, grammar, and typos come from a misinterpretation of the video.

The Transcript - Interview with Joann S. Lublin

[00:00:00] Amanda Hammett: Welcome to wine down Wednesday. Here are your hosts, Jeffery Tobias Halter, and Amanda Hammett.

[00:00:07] Jeffery Tobias Halter: This is "Wined down Wednesday", a contemporary mid-week discussion on current workplace and marketplace issues with a focus on diversity inclusion, intersectionality, and equity, and as always enjoyed with your favorite wine down a beverage of choice.

[00:00:24] I'm Jeffrey Tobias halter. And this is my friend and colleague. Amanda Hammett.

[00:00:29] Amanda Hammett: Hi, and welcome back to wine down Wednesday. It is 2022 y'all and I am here with my best cohost ever. Jeffrey Tobias Halter.Jeffrey welcome. There's

[00:00:41] Jeffery Tobias Halter: 2022. Amanda while can you believe that you know, this is our first episode of 2022.

[00:00:49] And you know, even though it's a Wednesday and we're a couple of days past new year's, I managed to find a leftover bottle of champagne. So, so I think it's only appropriate. [00:01:00] That we pop the cork on 2022. So I am going to enjoy this in my house. Well, what are you drinking today?

[00:01:11] Amanda Hammett: I actually tricky a little Prosecco and pomegranate juice.

[00:01:15] Cheers

[00:01:15] Jeffery Tobias Halter: to you and choirs to you. Happy new year. Happy. There's nothing better than bubbles on a Wednesday afternoon. That

[00:01:23] Amanda Hammett: this is absolutely true. Hmm, good stuff. Good stuff. So what are we talking about?

[00:01:30] Jeffery Tobias Halter: Yeah, I think what we're going to do is we're going to take a look ahead at what's coming. It's 20, 22.

[00:01:37] What is the year look like? And so I picked up two ideas, that I think is gonna really be paramount both for employees and employers. And one is the concept of performance. D E N I, and that's these big commitments that companies made quite frankly, a number of years [00:02:00] ago around black lives matter and leaning into advancing women and underrepresented groups.

[00:02:05] Well, you know what? It's been two years and we're seeing a lack of progress. I think there's going to be a call for accountability and transparency and companies are going to be held. Their feet are going to be held to the fire around what have you. Absolutely. And then I think the other big one, and we've talked about this a little bit in 2021, you know, Mackenzie said allyship 14% of companies are doing allyship training, which is woefully low.

[00:02:32] Well come to find out. Allyship was the number one word by dictionary.com last year. And so it's setting this stage. That allyship is going to be a really big deal in 2022. And companies need to figure this out. Those are going to be two topics that we're going to be exploring throughout the rest of the.

[00:02:53] Yeah. What about you? What's on your mind?

[00:02:55] Amanda Hammett: So what I'm looking forward to in 2022, I am [00:03:00] seeing no end to this labor shortage. I hate to be the bearer of bad news every year. Once a year in bonuses are paid out. We always see an uptick involuntary terminations. I think this year we will see an even greater uptick in those because of the things that you just mentioned, the performative DIII and I, the lack of allyship, all of those.

[00:03:22] Pulling together. Plus, how are people treated coming through 20, 20, 20, 21? I think that's going to be a major, major issue, but my concern is, is that companies are so focused on recruiting, recruiting, new people, new people, filling all these 11 million open job openings, but they're not thinking about the employees that they have today, or the ones that they're going to bring in.

[00:03:44] So retention is, needs to be a focus, and company leadership needs to be thinking about that. But let's break this down. Millennials officially more than 50% of the workforce in the US gen Z, right behind them, [00:04:00] massive generation. And they're quickly flooding the workforce. The cultures that attracted baby boomers, gen X-ers, will be outright rejected by a millennial and gen Z.

[00:04:11] So companies need to start taking a long, hard look at what are they offering. Benefit-wise. Yeah. Are they actually asking the questions about what these employees want to get them to stay and do they need to be ready to listen to those answers? The other thing, and we say this all the time. Jeffery, how diverse is your leadership employees?

[00:04:40] Future employees, potential employees, current employees, they're watching. They're watching. So how diverse is that leadership site? How are you, what are you doing to bring up the people of color, women of color through the leadership ranks? So that. Your employee base looks like [00:05:00] your

[00:05:01] Jeffery Tobias Halter: yeah. Well, 20, 22 is certainly going to give us a lot of topics to talk about from our listeners.

[00:05:08] We're going to be exploring all of these over the years. We're going to have some amazing guest stars and authors. And so on behalf of Amanda, raise your glass, and Jeffrey, we just want to say welcome to wine down Wednesdays 20, 22.

[00:05:23] Amanda Hammett: Cheers. Thanks again for joining us for wine down, Wednesdays, it contemporary mid-week discussion on current workplace and marketplace issues with a focus on diversity inclusion, intersectionality, and equality.

[00:05:37] I'm Amanda Hammett and on behalf of myself and Jeffery Tobias Halter. Thanks so much for joining us and we'll see you in the next episode. Thank you for joining us for"Wined down Wednesday". If you liked this episode, please subscribe to receive more episodes straight to your inbox.

Disclaimer: This transcript was created using YouTube’s translator tool and that may mean that some of the words, grammar, and typos come from a misinterpretation of the video.

Trends for 2022

Uncorking 2022. Performative DEI, transparency, allyship, and the labor shortage: With no end in sight for the labor shortage, Jeffery and Amanda discuss the topics they are tracking as we enter 2022 – from performative DEI gestures to transparency, allyship, shifting workforce demographics, and talent retention. Over bubbles, they share take-away questions, “How diverse is your leadership?”-- how diverse is your pipeline? Start the new year off with a new habit, Win(e)d Down Wednesdays.

ICYMI: Worthy cocktail tutorial: https://youtu.be/7oOkQx6sgKs

Share the LOVE and TWEET about this episode.

Don't miss an episode. Subscribe to Win(e)d Down Wednesday.

Disclaimer: This transcript was created using YouTube’s translator tool and that may mean that some of the words, grammar, and typos come from a misinterpretation of the video.

The Transcript - Trends for 2022

[00:00:00] Amanda Hammett: Welcome to wine down Wednesday. Here are your hosts, Jeffery Tobias Halter, and Amanda Hammett.

[00:00:07] Jeffery Tobias Halter: This is "Wined down Wednesday", a contemporary mid-week discussion on current workplace and marketplace issues with a focus on diversity inclusion, intersectionality, and equity, and as always enjoyed with your favorite wine down a beverage of choice.

[00:00:24] I'm Jeffrey Tobias halter. And this is my friend and colleague. Amanda Hammett.

[00:00:29] Amanda Hammett: Hi, and welcome back to wine down Wednesday. It is 2022 y'all and I am here with my best cohost ever. Jeffrey Tobias Halter.Jeffrey welcome. There's

[00:00:41] Jeffery Tobias Halter: 2022. Amanda while can you believe that you know, this is our first episode of 2022.

[00:00:49] And you know, even though it's a Wednesday and we're a couple of days past new year's, I managed to find a leftover bottle of champagne. So, so I think it's only appropriate. [00:01:00] That we pop the cork on 2022. So I am going to enjoy this in my house. Well, what are you drinking today?

[00:01:11] Amanda Hammett: I actually tricky a little Prosecco and pomegranate juice.

[00:01:15] Cheers

[00:01:15] Jeffery Tobias Halter: to you and choirs to you. Happy new year. Happy. There's nothing better than bubbles on a Wednesday afternoon. That

[00:01:23] Amanda Hammett: this is absolutely true. Hmm, good stuff. Good stuff. So what are we talking about?

[00:01:30] Jeffery Tobias Halter: Yeah, I think what we're going to do is we're going to take a look ahead at what's coming. It's 20, 22.

[00:01:37] What is the year look like? And so I picked up two ideas, that I think is gonna really be paramount both for employees and employers. And one is the concept of performance. D E N I, and that's these big commitments that companies made quite frankly, a number of years [00:02:00] ago around black lives matter and leaning into advancing women and underrepresented groups.

[00:02:05] Well, you know what? It's been two years and we're seeing a lack of progress. I think there's going to be a call for accountability and transparency and companies are going to be held. Their feet are going to be held to the fire around what have you. Absolutely. And then I think the other big one, and we've talked about this a little bit in 2021, you know, Mackenzie said allyship 14% of companies are doing allyship training, which is woefully low.

[00:02:32] Well come to find out. Allyship was the number one word by dictionary.com last year. And so it's setting this stage. That allyship is going to be a really big deal in 2022. And companies need to figure this out. Those are going to be two topics that we're going to be exploring throughout the rest of the.

[00:02:53] Yeah. What about you? What's on your mind?

[00:02:55] Amanda Hammett: So what I'm looking forward to in 2022, I am [00:03:00] seeing no end to this labor shortage. I hate to be the bearer of bad news every year. Once a year in bonuses are paid out. We always see an uptick involuntary terminations. I think this year we will see an even greater uptick in those because of the things that you just mentioned, the performative DIII and I, the lack of allyship, all of those.

[00:03:22] Pulling together. Plus, how are people treated coming through 20, 20, 20, 21? I think that's going to be a major, major issue, but my concern is, is that companies are so focused on recruiting, recruiting, new people, new people, filling all these 11 million open job openings, but they're not thinking about the employees that they have today, or the ones that they're going to bring in.

[00:03:44] So retention is, needs to be a focus, and company leadership needs to be thinking about that. But let's break this down. Millennials officially more than 50% of the workforce in the US gen Z, right behind them, [00:04:00] massive generation. And they're quickly flooding the workforce. The cultures that attracted baby boomers, gen X-ers, will be outright rejected by a millennial and gen Z.

[00:04:11] So companies need to start taking a long, hard look at what are they offering. Benefit-wise. Yeah. Are they actually asking the questions about what these employees want to get them to stay and do they need to be ready to listen to those answers? The other thing, and we say this all the time. Jeffery, how diverse is your leadership employees?

[00:04:40] Future employees, potential employees, current employees, they're watching. They're watching. So how diverse is that leadership site? How are you, what are you doing to bring up the people of color, women of color through the leadership ranks? So that. Your employee base looks like [00:05:00] your

[00:05:01] Jeffery Tobias Halter: yeah. Well, 20, 22 is certainly going to give us a lot of topics to talk about from our listeners.

[00:05:08] We're going to be exploring all of these over the years. We're going to have some amazing guest stars and authors. And so on behalf of Amanda, raise your glass, and Jeffrey, we just want to say welcome to wine down Wednesdays 20, 22.

[00:05:23] Amanda Hammett: Cheers. Thanks again for joining us for wine down, Wednesdays, it contemporary mid-week discussion on current workplace and marketplace issues with a focus on diversity inclusion, intersectionality, and equality.

[00:05:37] I'm Amanda Hammett and on behalf of myself and Jeffery Tobias Halter. Thanks so much for joining us and we'll see you in the next episode. Thank you for joining us for"Wined down Wednesday". If you liked this episode, please subscribe to receive more episodes straight to your inbox.

Disclaimer: This transcript was created using YouTube’s translator tool and that may mean that some of the words, grammar, and typos come from a misinterpretation of the video.

Great Resignation: What can front line leaders do to drive employee retention?

Uncorking 2022. Performative DEI, transparency, allyship, and the labor shortage: With no end in sight for the labor shortage, Jeffery and Amanda discuss the topics they are tracking as we enter 2022 – from performative DEI gestures to transparency, allyship, shifting workforce demographics, and talent retention. Over bubbles, they share take-away questions, “How diverse is your leadership?”-- how diverse is your pipeline? Start the new year off with a new habit, Win(e)d Down Wednesdays.

ICYMI: Worthy cocktail tutorial: https://youtu.be/7oOkQx6sgKs

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The Transcript - Drive employee retention

Jeffery Tobias Halter: Welcome, and Amanda, what's your beverage of choice today?

Amanda Hammett: Well, today it's starting to get a little cold, so I'm going with some good old green tea today. What about you?

Jeffery Tobias Halter: Very nice. And you know, I worked there for a, for 25 years and every once in awhile, I like to enjoy an ice cold Coca-Cola with a zero sugar. In fact, now more delicious. How can you argue with that?

Jeffery Tobias Halter: Well, Hi, I'm Jeffery and we've got Amanda with us and we're going to be continuing this conversation around the great resignation and really talking about a topic. So front of mind, and that is what can frontline leaders do to help drive retention? Amanda. You've got some thoughts on this love to hear.

Amanda Hammett: Yes. I have lots of thoughts of this. I actually have a framework that I worked out years ago and that I've been using and encouraging frontline leaders to use for years. It is perfect in this scenario, because think about it, employees. They're more likely to stay, they're more likely, likely to be productive if they really liked their frontline direct manager. So what can you do as that frontline manager? Well, I've got a framework it's called the stay framework and it's four "C"s. It's really easy. It's designed to be done weekly with each individual employee. One-on-one 30 minutes. Every week and it's pretty basic.

Jeffery Tobias Halter: The first "C" is care. The mistake that most employees or employers take is that they go into these meetings and they're like, what have you done? What have we done? Where are we? Where are we? That's a mistake. The first five minutes needs to be about what's going on in their life. This is where you find out like external pressures and, and things like that.

Jeffery Tobias Halter: Then you move on to what have they completed? That's the second "C" what have they completed since the last time you guys had this session?

Jeffery Tobias Halter: The third "C" challenges. Where can you, as the leader step in and maybe run some interference, maybe clear some roadblocks, things like that.

Jeffery Tobias Halter: The fourth "C" coaching, this is where you're asking those deeper questions. You know, what, what do we need to do to move those forward? You know, what are some of the more strategic things. Stuff like that.

Jeffery Tobias Halter: And there's a bonus "C" now this one doesn't happen every week, but you know, once a quarter, especially with your younger employees, this is your career path thing. This is where you're talking about what kind of skills are they looking to develop? What's changed and maybe their idea for where they want to go in their career. And I'm telling you, this framework works, frontline leaders use it. It will help you keep those employees.

Amanda Hammett: Leaders did you like the sound of the stay conversation framework that I just explained to you a few minutes ago. Well, don't worry. You can get your own very free copy from me. Just go to AmandaHammett.com/stay that's S T A Y To download your free copy, good luck and put it to use.

Disclaimer: This transcript was created using YouTube’s translator tool and that may mean that some of the words, grammar, and typos come from a misinterpretation of the video.

Great Resignation: Empathy as a key to employee retention

Being a manager is so hard today -- and the Great Resignation has double-down on everyone’s stress and burnout levels. Hosts Jeffery Tobias Halter and Amanda Hammett discuss the role of empathy and share the EVOLVE Model as a tool to help hone your skills. This discussion is ideal for leaders at all levels of the organization. Each of us has a role to play to combat the great resignation. Prep your favorite beverage and join the conversation.

Link to the EVOLVE Model: ywomen.biz/leading-with-empathy

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The Transcript - Returning to the Office - Part II

Amanda Hammett: All right. Hey everybody. Welcome back to Win(e)d Down Wednesdays. My name is Amanda Hammett and I am so excited that you are here. I am here with my best co-host ever Jeffery Tobias Halter. How are you today?

Jeffery Tobias Halter: Hey, Amanda, I'm doing great and such a, such a great time to be talking about the Great Resignation and what we're doing, but you know, it is Win(e)d Down Wednesdays. and so we have to acknowledge, ah, what are we winding down with? So, I have my orange shirt on for those, for the listeners on the podcast obviously don't know that, but it's because, uh, my literally favorite beer in the world is Sam Adams Octoberfest. And so this is my wined down beverage of choice. It just tastes like fall. How about you?

Amanda Hammett: Tastes like fall. All right. Well, today I am drinking Banshee again, this is from the Russian River Valley and a zinfandel today. Very nice. Very nice. Yes, yes. Yes. All right. So for those of you who hopefully listened to the last episode, you got to hear Jeffery and I riffing a little bit about the Great Resignation. We talked about millennials, We talked about Gen Z, what to companies need to be doing in a general sense. But I think that there are some even more deeper conversations that need to be had specifically Jeffery, can you talk a little bit about what do individual leaders need to be doing to combat the great resignation?

Jeffery Tobias Halter: Yeah. You know, so much of it is Um, and we talked a little bit about this previously, but it's just getting so genuine with your people. And asking, how are you doing, how are you really doing? How can I support you better? And what can the company do? But I want to, uh, give our listeners a, a tool that you can use that I use in a lot of my training. And it's called the evolve tool. Obviously we want you to evolve as leaders, but it really has a place around this notion of empathy. And so, uh, the "E" stands for explore personal bias. So it's, what is my bias? When an employee asks me, I need to work from home, I need to do something different. My initial reaction is going to be no, we can't do it. So we're going to ask you to pause. You're going to go through the evolve model in a nanosecond, but hopefully this model gives you a chance to just slow down. So first explore your personal bias and what could get in the way. And then the, the "V" the first V is genuinely valued the idea or the person. So what can I say when I respond to demonstrate that I genuinely value that employee or that idea. The "O" is remain open minded. You know, it's a brave new world. It's 2021 going to be 2022, and we need to be open to all ideas. Right? The "L" is listen, and this is listen with your inner voice. And what do I mean by that? Well, for all the listeners out there, it's the little voice that just said what little voice, right? It's your conscience in your head. And so listen to that and, and think about how you could start to make that work. So you've explored biases. You you're valuing the person, the idea you're remaining, open-minded, you're listening. Then we get into how are you going to respond? Validate first, really, really critical. Don't don't dismiss this idea. Be prepared to say, Amanda, is this what you're asking? And, oh, by the way, don't be surprised if you're 180 degrees off base because she may be asking for flexibility. And you think she's asking for something special. So prepare to validate, and then they'll ask if he is engaged and, and that's a double "E" because we say engaged, but also empathize. So I hear what you're saying. Uh, is this true? The validation part, uh, and then how can we explore this? How can we talk about this jointly? And so this takes place in a nanosecond, but if you think about empathy, if you think about evolve as a pneumonic in your mind, it'll just slow you down a little bit to answer that question around, how can I meet you right where you are?

Amanda Hammett: You know, I, I love this. I love this framework. I think that this is something that would be useful for leaders at all levels, uh, you know, early in career through, you know, people that are managing high level performers. What would you expect someone who uses this for the first time? What would you think that their response, you know, for the receiver of this to, to be, would they potentially be a little shocked or taken aback or what?

Jeffery Tobias Halter: You know, at the core of empathy is genuineness. And so that's what you're trying to establish. And I won't, you know, and I, I do my work primarily around gender men and women working together. And I won't say that men are less empathetic than women, but you know, the tendency is there and I think it will surprise some people the first time you use this. You know, if you're in a command and control atmosphere where, you know, you're not used to opening up, you're not listening, um, be prepared for when Amanda asks for an exception to the rule because your personal bias is immediately going to go. We can't do that for you cause we'd have to do it for everybody. But you touched this in your, in our first section around, uh, the Great Resignation. Nine times out of 10, it's not more money. It's flexibility and its flexibility during the day. It might not even be, Hey, you want me at work this day or that day it might be. You know, for women specifically, my world just falls apart from four until six. I've got to, I've got to pick up, I've got to do all the family stuff. I've been on zoom calls for six or eight hours. I'm wiped out. I'm burned out. So, you know what, ask what they want, what you're hearing flexibility work from home when in fact it might be, no, I need two hours and, and, and. You know, and, and then my response to two leaders who don't get this is what's the alternative because I will acknowledge being a leader today. Being a manager today is so tough. You got so many things on your plate, but then ask yourself a question. What happens if I lose Amanda? Is that going to make my day and my job easier or harder? And that to me is the final test. And that's how we can find out if this works.

Amanda Hammett: Absolutely. That reminds me of a task that I frequently give my leaders. If someone were to walk into your office one day and say, I quit, would it make you happy? Or would it make you sad? And that is how I think you need to think about this because this is a very real reality for all of us, right now. Absolutely. All right. Well, wonderful. Well, this concludes today's riff session on empathy to combat the great resignation. Thanks again for joining us. And we will see you next time.

Disclaimer: This transcript was created using YouTube’s translator tool and that may mean that some of the words, grammar, and typos come from a misinterpretation of the video.

Returning to the Office – COVID, Gender, Women of Color – Part II

In Part II of Jeffery Tobias Halter and Amanda Hammett’s conversation with Tamika Curry Smith and Elba Pareja-Gallagher, two senior executives from the heart of corporate America, they continue the discussion on returning to the office in the wake of Covid. The conversation explores covering, remote work and why, for many women of color, remote work is preferable to returning to the office. Pour your favorite beverage and join the conversation.

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The Transcript - Returning to the Office - Part II

Jeffery Tobias Halter: Hi, I'm Jeffrey Tobias Halter. And I want to welcome you back to our Win(e)d Down Wednesday's episode, Winning the War for Talent in a Post Pandemic World. We're going to kick off part two of our session. Hopefully, you were able to listen to part one with our amazing guests. You it’s Win(e)d Down Wednesdays. And so we always celebrate with a beverage of our choice. And so I have a Rodney Strong cabernet that I'm enjoying today, taking advantage of this fall weather, to change things up. And so with that, I'm going to kick this over to my cohost, Amanda Hammett, real quickly, because we’ve got so much to cover.

Amanda Hammett: Oh, my gosh, we do have a lot to cover today. So before I introduce our lovely guests, I am, because it's been a week, I am drinking vodka and club soda with lots and lots of lime. So it's been that kind of week already. All right. But enough about me, let's get into our guests today. We have Tamika Curry Smith and Elba Pareja-Gallagher with us. Ladies, introduce yourselves.

Tamika Curry Smith: Elba, why don't you go first this time?

Elba Pareja-Gallagher: Hey, I am so happy to be here. I too have my drink of choice. My go-to blueberry pomegranate martini. Great to be with you to talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion as we're coming back to work. My background is I've been a UPS team member for 24 years. All in finance, lots of different roles including, including investor relations. I worked in marketing. I've worked in Miami, but more recently in January year 2021, I joined the sustainability team at UPS. So I love that work. Also, you'll see, from my background here, I founded a nonprofit organization. ShowMe50 Our goal. Our vision is to achieve 50% women in senior leadership positions. And we do that by both helping women lean into their careers, as well as influencing companies to address the inequities in talent management systems. So thank you so much. For letting me be with you today. Wonderful.

Tamika Curry Smith: Hi everyone. I'm Tamika Curry Smith, and my drink of choice is a margarita. So I'm in a lime country with Amanda. I'm so excited to be here. And in terms of my background, I have been doing diversity equity and inclusion work for over 20 years, including previously leading DEI at Deloitte, Target Corporation. Mercedes-Benz USA and Nike, Inc. I'm also president of the TCS Group, Inc, which is a firm that does human resources and DEI consulting. And in that capacity, I've worked with nonprofits, colleges, and universities, and small, medium, and large businesses to help them start and elevate their DEI efforts. I'm also a recovering accountant. I started out my career out, outdoing accounting and management consulting. And that really is part of how our approach to DEI work is, is as a business imperative that will really unlock, both people and business outcomes. So thanks for having me so excited to be here and continue the conversation.

Jeffery Tobias Halter: Tamika, Elba. Thank you so much for joining us. It's going to be a great conversation. So, for our listeners, I want to reference back, we are still examining a Future Forum study of almost 10,000 knowledge worker employees. Where 93% of knowledge workers want a flexible schedule and 76% want flexibility in where they work. But the article goes deeper and specifically talks about the challenges and barriers for women of color. And this just sits within a guiding principle that Amanda and have that we want to bring to you a lens of intersectionality. Because we know, not all women are having the same experience. And we certainly know that the challenges faced by women of color are often, far more challenging than the barriers faced by white women. And so I just want to pull out a couple of statistics from this and then get our guests to, to react to this. Flexible work is a game-changer for working women and women of color. Black respondents continue to have a higher sense of belonging when working remotely. Relative to work in the office compared to a weaker sense of belonging among white respondents. This also translates in their return to office preferences, 80% of Black, 78% Hispanic, 77% of Asian women want to flexible work experience either through hybrid or rework or remote only models. What they're actually saying is. We don't want to go back to work. We don't have to deal with the drama. And so I just want you to, to comment on what are some of these barriers that we're, most of us are totally unaware of that, that women of color face. If thinking about going back. Tamika, do you want to start?

Tamika Curry Smith: Sure. This is such an important issue, and I appreciate both of you taking this lens to this work because not to your point, not all people are the same, and not all women are the same. And when you think about women of color and, they have almost felt liberated by remote working and not having to go to the office every day and not having to cover and face the exhaustion of, continuously adapting, who they are to survive in the workplace that we know has particular ideas around, around what is professional? What does success look like? What does a leader look like? And for women of color to not have to face that has been game-changing for them. I also want you to even think about the concept of what Zoom has done or, or whatever, you know, virtual meeting platform you're using. Everyone is on the same playing field. We're all in a square. Right. So there's, there's equity and equality there. We also have the ability to, um, put thumbs up or clap in the color of our skin tone. We also can. Decide to speak up and come up microphone, or we can put something in the chat. So depending on how we feel that day, we can do that. And so there have been some innate things that come with remote working that have actually driven inclusion. And so when you talk about. The fact that women of color feel more belonging, not in the workplace. It's because that playing field is more level and a lot of the kind of noise and the politics and the weight of expectations of others is minimized when you're working remotely.

Jeffery Tobias Halter: Wow, this is fascinating Elba.

Elba Pareja-Gallagher: Yeah. And so, you know, I'll tag along just a little bit on, on how in this case, black women are feeling less than in the old way we used to work, right. There was a recent Gallup poll that said that black women were less likely than other demographics to feel that they were valued members of their team and that they were treated with respect, and that their coworkers treated everyone fairly. And so, you know, to Tamika makes some great points. I love those examples of how the technology has really enabled us to be. Working in the ways we feel comfortable actually back to our first conversation around flexibility, right? Even this offers flexibility. The fact that we can either chat or mute or be on camera or not be on camera. Right. And you can't do those kinds of things when you're in person. So, that is a plus. You know, I'm going to go back to something you asked specifically Jeff, and you said, Hey, what are the things that may be leaders aren't aware of? Well, I'll speak a little bit about the Hispanic community. I was born outside the country. I'm an immigrant. I came as an infant, which is why I have no accent, but, um, I came from Latin America. I was born in Venezuela and I think in our culture. What women face at home is that many Hispanic men are not as embracing of doing more of their share at home. And so as a Hispanic woman with a family, you may not have that support system as much at home. And so, you know, keep that in mind. And again, back to what I've talked about, communication, how are you communicating with your employees to ensure that they can feel comfortable telling you about what they need and what support they need from you? You know, I want to talk about another word, which is psychological safety. I think one thing we can do as leaders is to make sure that our own leaders and managers. Are able to communicate in a way that creates psychological safety for employees, meaning that, We listened to them that we take in their input that we acknowledge what they're contributing and that we really think through what they said, and then come back to them with follow-up and not, you know, make them feel like they're going to be embarrassed. You know, penalized for speaking their mind on any type of sensitive topic. So psychological safety, I think is important too, as we think about coming back to work, um, for, especially for women of color that are having to face these difficult situations.

Amanda Hammett: All of it, all of those things. I love it. Elba, would you mind diving a little bit deeper into psychological safety? What are the implications of a leader doing that or not doing that in the workplace for a team specifically?

Elba Pareja-Gallagher: I think it does a lot for engagement. You know, there's a huge war for talent. And we talked a little bit about what's happening in the, the talent space. Really, it's kind of like, I've heard the term great, the great resignation, right? As people are reevaluating, what they really want out of work. And so I think the benefits of, of creating a workplace of psychological safety is number one back to the data that Tamika is referencing right. You're going to save money from not having to recruit people all the time. Right. Improve your retention, attract that kind of talent. We've got to have places where people feel like they are included and, and valued as that Gallup poll said. A lot of employees don't feel that way. I'm part of another organization and other groups where we contribute our ideas around creating more love and less and fear in the workplace. And so that's another thing that creating psychological safety creates that feeling of love, right? You feel like, okay, I feel valued here. I want to come back to work here. I want to grow with this company. But it takes, it takes effort. And so as the example I gave earlier, right. Asking your employees, input, listening to them, really thinking through it and then having to come back and say, Hey, I liked what you said, this is why I did this, or I did not do this, that takes time. And so it's an investment in our people to create that environment.

Amanda Hammett: And I will just say, just to add onto this as someone who spends a lot of time studying and researching and interviewing early in career talent. So your millennials and your Gen Z's psychological safety is something they have been talking about. For a long time. However, now it is becoming front and center. It is more important of a conversation for them than ever. And so I, I thank you for even bringing it up and bringing it up in this context. I think that this experience of the pandemic has really made us reevaluate and reassess everything about what we've been doing. So thank you.

Jeffery Tobias Halter: So I want to jump in, and, and ask Tamika a question. You mentioned that term called, covering, in your statement. And I don't know that all of our listeners know what that is. Can you define that? And then give us an example and also the impact of covering on companies and what it costs them.

Tamika Curry Smith: Yes. So covering is downplaying a known, stigmatized identity in order to fit in, in the workplace. You, there are other terms you may hear things like code-switching. This is an example of covering. People may change, what they're talking about and their, their vernacular, to come to an organization, an example of covering would be right now you see my hair is curly. Covering would be wearing my hair straight all the time because my workplace thinks that, natural hair is not professional. And unfortunately, that's the truth. We see that it happens all around the country. There actually is. A law that's trying to be passed that would make, discriminating against someone due to their hair illegal because it happens every day now. So those are a couple of examples of covering and, and basically what happens is that we all covered to some degree and covering is, is, is a bit of this. Well, I won't talk about that at work, or I won't bring my full self to work because. We were almost raised not to talk about certain things in the office or don't let everyone see who we fully are, but all the data and statistics showed that women of color, people of color and even more, so women of color who then have both gender and race and ethnicity to contend with, they cover more, they cover more because they're now faced with the double whammy of what is considered, normal, when it comes to race, ethnicity, and gender. And so. The, the impact of women of color. For example, in this space is there's less of a need to cover. You know, I, if I am at home, I don't need to worry about some of those same things that I would be worrying about before we talked about, uh, what zoom allows us to do. I could even guess what I can even. Take a walking meeting and be not on camera at all and say, Hey, do you mind if we talk on the phone and, and still have a very productive meeting. So back to the point around flexibility and giving people choice, this is so important when we think about this return to work, I've heard a number of leaders say, oh, I can't wait to get back into the office. Well guess what not everybody feels that way and it, and it's incumbent upon you to understand why is that? And going back to the point we made earlier, rather than going back to normal. How do you create a new normal whereas women of color, they feel more comfortable coming into the office. And how do you create an environment that's more inclusive that has less microaggressions, where I feel the need to cover less because some of those things that I had to address and deal with before I no longer have to worry about because we're now more aware and are being more intentional in creating that environment of belonging in our companies.

Elba Pareja-Gallagher: You know what I have to step in here because this just occurred to me, this conversation that we're having right now, um, you know, you have a Hispanic woman and a Black woman, and we're really telling you what it's like. I want to ask can this type of conversation happened in the workplace? You know, I can't imagine that we have a small team meeting where, you know, there's, let's just say there's just one Black woman or maybe one Hispanic woman in the room. Would they feel comfortable having this conversation and, and saying all these things about why we preferred working from home. Why it made us feel better? Why we felt more empowered. Why we didn't like being on camera or having to cover. You know, I don't know. That's kind of like an open question, right. You know, to everybody could this happen at work and why not? And that goes back to psychological safety and creating an environment when we really could have this conversation. And that would be a breakthrough. Right. How many people could hear this directly and say, wow, I never thought of that. Right. Because I didn't have to experience that. I've never had to cover. I don't know. What do you all think? Could this happen in a conversation at work?

Tamika Curry Smith: I mean, I think that's, that's what we're trying to create as environment where we can talk about these. And now I'll bring another point that I don't know that we've addressed, is the financial component of why women of color have embraced working from home. Um, we know that women of color make 60% or less per for every dollar that a white man makes. So if you also think about it, I don't have to worry about gas. I don't have to worry about, you know, other expenses, parking, and, and other expenses that I would typically have to incur to go to a work environment. So by working from home, it actually also creates more pay equity because women of color who are already at the bottom of the financial wrong in terms of an equity perspective, are now able to keep more of that income in their pockets. And so I I think that's another example where leaders may not even be thinking about something like that, that has a real impact to the people on their teams and in their organization. That is so wonderful

Jeffery Tobias Halter: And I want to build on something Elba said, and it's really the whole purpose of this podcast. And that is, you know, my work focuses on engaging men, listen to these podcasts. Share them with your team. If you don't feel comfortable sharing with them, your team, take them to your business resource group. There is no greater time for BRGs to demonstrate their value then right now. Where leaders need to know your collective opinions. And so I hate to say this, but we're really, really close to being out of time. And so we're going to do a 30 second per person wrap up. I'm actually going to kick this to my cohost, Amanda, from the millennial expert perspective and go to the other amazing women on the call, just close out with the 30 seconds each one thing you wish companies would do around either millennials, women, women of color. What would that be? Amanda, do you want to start?

Amanda Hammett: Yeah, I mean, I will start in this has been something that has been said throughout both episodes that as millennials and Gen Zs, as senior leaders, we need to be listening to, and re evaluating our plans. We need to be taking into account everybody's at a different life stage and things that are important to us, whether it's childcare or what is my pension gonna look like. Those things need to be taken into account. Senior leaders really need to be tuning in and listening to others outside of themselves. Thank you.

Elba Pareja-Gallagher: Okay. So I'm living in my dream world. So what I would love to see it's all about executive accountability. I would love to see executives be required to hold meetings. Even an example of this right here, like you said, Jeffery is to show this podcast, right. Have a team meeting and show a communication from an outsider who can talk about a challenging, difficult subject. And then the team has a discussion about it. And that the executive leaders have these discussions. And then itfilters back all the way up to the top. Hey, we've met three times this quarter, et cetera. So really, executive accountability so that it flows downward about these issues are important.

Tamika Curry Smith: I would say, really making sure organizations are not stuck in this desire or yearning for the good old days or going back to what we used to do. I'm still hearing that as very pervasive. What got us here is not what's going to get us there. People are reevaluating, what's important to them. And competition, uh, is also recognizing that they need to change. So for organizations, if you don't If you don't change, if you don't listen, if you're not proactive, if you don't build flexibility and choice into what you offer, someone else will, and people have options now. And when you think about losing your top talent, no one wants to do that. And then also if you want to
attract talent, it's a new day. The game has changed and we all have to play by a new set of rules. So make sure those rules are flexible and inclusive to give yourself a fighting chance.

Jeffery Tobias Halter: Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. What a great segment. I want to close out with one story. I heard, I got the privilege to work with a company when Asian when Asian hate crimes were really in the headlines and they still are to some degree, uh, this organization did a panel and, and talk about. Asian Pacific leaders and the microphone was handed to a woman and asked, you know, how do you feel? And she said, look at work. I feel totally fine. I don't see any issue. This it's a great company. She said for the first time in my life, I'm worried about my children going to school and what is happening to them. And I know that same story could be told by women of color everywhere. And it's only through the stories that you start to get. I'm sorry, men to sit up and go, oh my gosh, this is a really, really big deal. So take these stories back, take them back to your organization. Host a staff meeting around these podcasts are absolutely free, uh, on behalf of Amanda, Tamika and Elba. Thank you so much for joining us on Win(e)d Down Wednesdays. And we look forward to talking to you again sometime soon. So cheers everybody.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Disclaimer: This transcript was created using YouTube’s translator tool and that may mean that some of the words, grammar, and typos come from a misinterpretation of the video.

Women of Color Returning to the Office: COVID, Gender, Inclusion – Part I

For months, the national conversation has revolved around how companies would return to the office in the wake of COVID. This week, Jeffery and Amanda talk with two senior executives from the heart of corporate America, Tamika Curry Smith and Elba Pareja-Gallagher. This episode delves into diversity, equity and inclusion, workplace flexibility, gender and the impact of COVID. Grab your favorite beverage and join the conversation.

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Disclaimer: This transcript was created using YouTube’s translator tool and that may mean that some of the words, grammar, and typos come from a misinterpretation of the video.

The Transcript - COVID, Gender, Inclusion - Part I

Amanda Hammett: Welcome to Win(e)d Down Wednesdays. This is Amanda Hammett and I am so pleased to have my two guests here today, as well as my co-host, Jeffery Tobias Halter. Jeffery, how are you doing today?

Jeffery Tobias Halter: I'm doing great, Amanda. How are you?

Amanda Hammett: Now, before we kick-off, I need to share with the audience because it is wind down Wednesday and we do like to wind down with our beverage of choice. So today my beverage, because it's been quite a week, is a Vodka and club soda with lots and lots of limes because it's been that kind of week already. What about you Jeffery?

Jeffery Tobias Halter: You gotta manage that auto-immune so that lime part is really, really important. So, I'm going to introduce our speakers in just a second. I am enjoying a Pinot Grigio from the Engelheim winery right here in Georgia. Got up, got a drink, local and stay local. So, Georgia winemakers. And now it's my pleasure to introduce two very good friends of mine. And they're gonna be our guests today. Tomika Curry Smith and Elba Pareja-Gallagher, And they're going to do self-introduction in just a moment. So Tamika, why don't you start.

Tamika Curry Smith: Sure. Well, thank you for having me, Jeffery and Amanda. It's a pleasure to be here. I will start with my drink of choice going with the line theme that Amanda started. This is a margarita, and it is definitely one of my faves and I agree it's been quite a week as well. So I’m right there with you. In terms of my background, I am a diversity equity and inclusion practitioner who's been doing this work for over 20 years. I previously led. DEI at Deloitte, Target Corporation, Mercedes-Benz USA and Nike, Inc. And I also have done DEI consulting with dozens of organizations, everything from nonprofits to colleges and universities to small, medium and large businesses. As a part of my consulting work, one of the things that I'm doing right now is working with Goldman Sachs and their private equity group. And I consult with the portfolio companies that are part of their group that they're focusing on to try to have them go public and grow and, and spin off and really helping them who are early in their journey as a company in general, helping them infuse DEI into their DNA from the very beginning. I think we say that all the time, but when you work with earlier stage companies and startups, you really are able to get on the ground floor and help them from that. I'm a little bit of a, I call myself a recovering accountant. I started out my career at Deloitte doing accounting and management consulting. And I just mentioned that because my business back on really does impact the way I approach DEI work. As not just the right thing to do, but also as a business imperative that drives people and business outcomes. So once again, thanks for having me here. Really excited for the conversation. Awesome. Thank you.

Jeffery Tobias Halter: Elba, go ahead, please

Elba Pareja-Gallagher: Hey everybody. I'm so excited to be here. I have a drink of choice. Here it is. Any guesses? Kinda it's a blueberry martini, actually a blueberry pomegranate martini, which is what gives it kind of that pink color. So, anyway, thank you. I like to say it's not just about wine down Wednesday, but sometimes I need those Monday, Tuesday, Thursday. But Hey, thank you again for having me. I am Elba Pareja Gallagher. I think I've been in DEI my entire life actually. I think I was born talking about diversity, equity and inclusion. I've spent the last 24 years working at UPS, mostly in finance until I found my charm in sustainability. So my more recent role is as director of stakeholder engagement at the sustainability group at UPS. So it's a thrilling place to bring my business acumen experience. While I was there, I've worked throughout the organization. I worked in Asia, I've worked in Miami. I've held numerous roles, investor relations. Primarily, what I loved was when I was the chair of the Hispanic inclusion group or the business resource group. Fantastic opportunity. And in about 2015, I launched this non-profit that you see in the background here on that side, showme50.org. My true passion, trying to achieve 50% women in senior level positions, across all organizations, all organizations, all institutions. We need more women leading and we're workingreally hard to teach women and men just like Jeffery, right? Engaging men, not only to improve women's talents and our skills and abilities, but really the other half of the equation is having organizations improve their talent management systems to be more transparent, more fair, more inclusive. So, yeah, that's what keeps me busy. Two full-time jobs really.

Amanda Hammett: Wow. I'm impressed ladies. This is my first time meeting both of you. Jeffery brought and mentioned that you guys were old friends and I'm just, I'm blown away and I'm just thrilled to be here with you. And I cannot wait. This is going to be the first of two episodes. So come back and see us for the next one because we have even more to share. In part two. But let's get into part one. So let's talk a little bit about returning to work. That is the big conversation everyone is having it. There have been numerous studies that have come out, talking about what employees want. A recent one was actually put out by the Future Forum. They did a study of 10,000 knowledge workers. Now, what that study showed was that 93% of employees were looking for flexibility in when and how they worked. But also I think this surprises nobody -- more than half of employees are open to a job change. So ladies. Let's talk about this, Tamika, why don't you go first? What is going to make this transition back to work easier? Or what is some of the companies that you're working with? What are they doing to make this easier?

Tamika Curry Smith: Yeah, I mean, it's such an important question and one that I think a lot of companies are still trying to figure out. It's a bit of a, you know, flying the plane while you're building it. And I will say the trends that I'm seeing is that one, this phased in approach. So, although I think we all left the workplace due to COVID in a bit of a dramatic way where it was like the offices are closed, don't come in, that the thought about coming back is how do we have more of a phased in approach? How do we help people get their feet wet again? Some people are already going into the offices, kind of on an ad hoc basis and they almost need people to pilot it and see, does it work? And how do you check in and how do you make sure that people are safe and secure and that they're physically distancing and all those kinds of things. So I think part of it is making sure that you test the waters before you just jump in. The other thing, and I think you hit the nail on the head -- flexibility. And what I'm seeing is a bit of what I call freedom within a framework. So there's a framework around what that return to work looks like, but employees have freedom and choice, and that requires an approach that is not one size fits all. And so I think organizations are really trying to figure out how, I mean, this, this is to me like the diversity and inclusion at its best is how do you appreciate the diversity of everyone'experiences, but also create an approach that's inclusive and mindful of everyone's experiences. And so, you know, really thinking about things like for some of the framework items, team meetings will still be virtual because you may have people that are in different locations and you don't want to go right back to our old behavior, which was to sometimes be exclusive to people who weren't physically in a location. So making sure that we keep that virtual aspect of it. Thinking abou days in the office are flexible except with an asterix. So there may be times when due to an important meeting or due to decisions that need to be made or an effort that requires cross-functional collaboration, we do need people in the office at a particular time. I think the other thing that is not always talked about, but it's critical in this is technology. How can organizations leverage technology to make this hybrid workplace work? So how do you keep track of where your employees are in and when, and if there is a feeling around collaboration, can you provide some kind of scheduling system, perhaps where people are able to say, here are the days I intend to come in and maybe then I can go look at that system and say, oh, Amanda and Jeffery are going to be in on Tuesday. Maybe I'll go in on Tuesday as well. So I think there are a number of technology solutions that are being considered to make the logistics part of this work as well.

Amanda Hammett: Perfect. Elba, what about you? I mean, what is it going to look like at UPS? I mean, obviously you guys have an interesting workforce in that you have your knowledge workers, but you also have people out there, you know, handling packages to the end user, but you also have them, you know, sorting and getting them all through the massive system you must have. What is that going to look like? Elba Pareja-Gallagher: Yeah. It's challenging. Well just think about just the COVID environment when we first started. Right. We are all essential workers at UPS, certainly our frontline employees. Right. They're out delivering what you needed when you needed it. So what I'd like to focus on is what I know best, which is around the corporate setting. Right? And what are we going to do around bringing employees back? So I think Tamika’s comments are right on. It is going to be an experiment, it's going to have to be staggered. It's going to have to be flexible in every way that we know flexibility is, you know, I like to think also bring in the concepts around innovation and how we innovate and that we can't just have linear thinking. I liked in the article where they talked about embracing nonlinear work methods and work days. Right? So also I like to think about career when you're progressing a career, you always thought that you had to go up right in a linear format, but we talk about career ladders and how you can move around in all different directions and still achieve a goal. And so I think that's what's going to be key with working, coming back to work, coming back into the office is how can we navigate a non linear way? So it requires flexibility in all forms. Some days you might work one way, some days, you might work another way. I think what's key is communication from our senior levels and ensuring that people feel comfortable, that they understand and that they know that things can be flexible. When there's no communication or unclear communication, then employees tend to jump to conclusions. And I think that could be part of the issue of why there's a lot of anxiety, including my own of the thought of having to go back to the way things used to be. If we know that our leadership understands things are going to be different and we are going to be more flexible, I think that helps allay a lot of the fears. Another thing I really enjoyed in the article, it talked about curated collisions. And how can we as leaders help our employees find those both physical locations and even
on zoom or through other technology. As Tamika mentioned that we can curate people to come together for specific collaborations that we take on. So I think that's important and also recognizing that we have bursts of activities and so on sometimes, you know, some days, some weeks we may need a lot of in-person interactions and some not. Right. And so we're going to go in some waves and we just have to be ready for that, but it is going to be challenging no matter where we work, big company or small company adjusting. And I think we've got to enter it. with an open mind and a positive attitude and just kind of just show up and let's see how it goes. I think we all are willing to be flexible.

Jeffery Tobias Halter: Yeah. And I want to build on that, you know, I love the non-linear thinking and the flexibility part, I would love to get your opinions as experts in the industry. Right? As you think about, is there a best practice out there that you've seen a company doing? What does that look like? Because what I'm finding is this is such a complex challenge right.? Leaders really don't know what to do from one day to the next. You've got policies around flexibility, but then there's always this manager discretion element to that. I thought the article was interesting. It was kind of contradictory to say, you know, people want flexibility, but they also enjoy a structure of coming together. And so what's a manager to do. And so I just love real quickly, one best practice maybe you've seen from a company in your studies around what they're doing now, Elba, would you like to start.

Elba Pareja-Gallagher: Sure. I think a best practice is for the highest level leaders to meet in small groups with their teams that's happening at UPS. And it's working fantastically where, you know, a senior executive leader is holding, not really focus group meetings, but just a meeting to engage with the frontline and find out how they're feeling about the coming back to work policy and just listening. So listening sessions at the senior level, I think that's a best practice. Very effective. Wonderful.

Jeffery Tobias Halter: Thank you. Tamika

Tamika Curry Smith: Yeah. I would also add a data-driven approach. So I've seen organizations that are. Literally mapping out their workforce and they're seeing where is everyone physically located? How close are they to an official office? Can they leverage, for example, we work or other types of flexible workspaces to provide for collaboration. And they're really taking that data-driven approach to understand where the critical mass of people are and how they can manage that. And I think the listening part is so important, but even more than listening is how do you prepare and equip your managers who are trying to navigate through this? And so I think there really has to be a focus on almost training and level-setting managers around flexible work arrangements, around inclusive leadership and how to think about that because I think the worst thing organizations can do, and I've heard some use this term. Well, we just want to go back to normal. No, there's no going back to how we were before. You have to co-create a new normal based upon management expectations, what employees need and what will help the organization thrive. And I think understanding each of those pieces of the puzzle is important to develop a plan that works for everyone.

Amanda Hammett: Oh, wow. I have so many things that I want to ask you, and this might be like a month-long session now. So, let's as we wrap up this first session, because again, we are going to go into a part two right after this, could we talk a little bit specifically about how you see any additional challenges coming up as we co-create this new normal for women specifically?

Tamika Curry Smith: Yeah. I mean, I can start and I'm sure Elba will have some amazing points to make it, you know, this has been such a, I would say in some ways a blessing and a curse, it is provided, I think flexibility to many people and women as well, but it's also, as we know, from all the data has resulted in more women leaving the workforce than we've seen in decades. And in some cases erasing the gains that we've made from a DEI perspective, specifically around gender. And so I think I go back to that, it's not one size fits all. You really have to understand the needs of your female employees. And so really understanding that having those listening sessions that Elba mentioned earlier, and then taking a look at your benefits offerings. And what additional support can you provide around things like childcare, around backup? Like I said, I'm seeing many organizations now offering things like backup childcare or a stipend that employees can use. They are being less, less adamant about the times that people work. So, and I can attest to this. I have an almost 11 year old son and he starts school, you know, in the fall as many of us do. So I'm already thinking about how do we, how do I take breaks in the day to drop him off and pick him up and in a way that, that now is acceptable and okay. And actually embrace and understood as opposed to frowned upon, because I may be taking a break in the middle of the day.

Amanda Hammett: Absolutely great points, great points. Elba.

Elba Pareja-Gallagher: And I would say let's reflect back when COVID first started. I was just the other day I was thinking, I think it was March 16th when it was like, they told us go home. And that those immediate times women especially were under so much pressure. School was still in. They were trying to figure out, you know, what are we going to do with our children and what we were. Recommended to do is make sure we're talking to our employees, right. Just like Tomika said, right? Keep those communication lines open to understand what are the needs of different employees, but especially women McKinsey and company annually comes out with their women in the workplace study. It's coming in September and they do a lot of great work around the data and also giving us advice on how to work with women. And so I nwould encourage all of us to be on the lookout for that coming out in September and really taking a look at what we can do to support the women and the different ways that they're having to navigate their life. You know, how can we help them work, work into their life instead of the other way around? Also think about on-ramp programs. Another great way to engage women and not lose all the gains that we've had through the years in terms of advancing into leadership roles is to recognize that if women do need to take some time away for whatever reason do we provide a way for them to come back? So an on-ramp program enables you to stay in touch with women who may be, need to go to a part-time role or even take some type of leave of absence, but then engaging them in such a way that they will be able to come back and more easily flow into the traffic of the workplace. So think about an on-ramp approach. Wonderful.

Jeffery Tobias Halter: Gosh such amazing ideas. I mean, and our time is always so short. And so we kind of got to put a bow in this and, and wrap it up. But, you know, what you're starting to talk about is really going to be the key focus of part two of this, which is this notion of intersectionality where, you know what, no two women's experience is the same through COVID. We talked about mothers, we've talked about, you know, more mature women or, or women with no children or men. Specifically, we're going to talk about that intersectionality and the article about women of color. And the significant challenges beyond what we've already talked about, that women of color are facing. So on behalf of Amanda and Tamika and Elba, I want to thank you for joining us. Join us for mod two, and catch up with this real soon, on Win(e)d Down Wednesdays So thanks for joining us.

Cheers.

Cheers.

Cheers.

Disclaimer: This transcript was created using YouTube’s translator tool and that may mean that some of the words, grammar, and typos come from a misinterpretation of the video.

Great Resignation: What Gen Z and Millennials want employers to know

Another 4 million workers left the workforce for the 5th month in a row, Jeffery Tobias Halter and Amanda Hammett catch up on the business and personal impact of the “The Great Resignation”. While there isn’t one reason employees are leaving, business leaders are grappling with how to retain and attract talent. In the episode your hosts outline the perfect storm of voluntary turnover, social justice and burn out as several of the causes and why it will take more than enhanced perks to stem the tide.

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Disclaimer: This transcript was created using YouTube’s translator tool and that may mean that some of the words, grammar, and typos come from a misinterpretation of the video.

The Transcript - The Great Resignation

Jeffery Tobias Halter: Hi, I'm Jeffery Tobias Halter. Welcome to Win(e)d Down Wednesdays. We're going to be examining the Great Resignation today. This is such a hot topic, and there are so many areas that you can look at that it's impacting both the business world and people's lives. And so I'm here with my co-host, Amanda Hammett, and Amanda, what is your wined down beverage of choice today?

Amanda Hammett: All right today, I am drinking a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Banshee, out in Napa Valley. So cheers.

Jeffery Tobias Halter: Very nice, enjoy that. And, uh, and I'm going the seasonal route. I actually have a Pumpkin Spice Latte, that I'm enjoying today as part of the seasonal flare

Amanda Hammett: Who is the millennial here?

Jeffery Tobias Halter: That's pretty funny. So anyways, so the Great Resignation, you know, we wanna, give our listeners really a couple of things today, uh, talking about. What can companies do? I think one of them is acknowledging the issue and then, you know, talking about, uh, what are the answers? Uh, I've got some data that I'll just throw out there that I think is so critical about the current state of this. This came out of a business insider headline, another 4 million workers quit for the fifth month in a row, an average of 3.4 million workers per month quit during the first half of 2021. This is unprecedented in the last 20 years. And so, you know, we're going to explore this from, from age Millennials, Boomers, Gen Z. We're going to look at the impact of COVID. And so go ahead and kick us off what are your, what are your thoughts around this?
and really, you know, what are, what are the employers need to be doing?

Amanda Hammett:You know, Jeffery, I, I'm not going to say I told you so, but I did at the very beginning of COVID say this is going to be a perfect storm. Whenever cyclically, the US is coming out of a recession, we always have a massive amount of voluntary turnover. So those are the people that are quitting their jobs of their own volition. And, I said, it's going to be a perfect storm between, you know, seeing how they were treated with COVID seeing how they were treated, uh, with all the rise of the social justice issues. And just, being burned out from just 2020, this is going to be a perfect storm. And it has been a perfect storm in every company is clamoring figuring out how do we hold on to people? How do we bring in new people? And it's actually creating, I think, a bigger problem within companies because they are they're causing it themselves internally. So one of the things that I'm seeing specifically, not just with my Gen Z's and millennials, but with my Gen X-ers and with my boomers is that company culture is tightening the ropes. They're trying to control a lot when they really need to be saying, Hey, we're individuals, we're people first. We need to be treating our employees as people, and that is something I think that's been missing. It's been really bottom line focused when we really need to focus on the people. That's something across the board generationally, but from our millennials, my Gen Z's, they are really looking at diversity, actually great places to work just put out a study that came out today, in fact, and it says the top five things that Gen Z is looking for in a workforce.

Amanda Hammett:Number one, Diversity. Diversity at all levels. They're looking at these things. When you're trying to recruit young employees, they are looking for diversity, diverse slates at all levels. So not just the people that they're going to be working with directly, but the people throughout the entire company. And I think that COVID and 2020 did not do us any favors. As far as diverse slates were concerned throughout leadership.

Amanda Hammett:Yeah.

Jeffery Tobias Halter: Can you talk about the other, uh, two or three top ones?

Amanda Hammett:Yeah.

Amanda Hammett: So the other two or three top ones, where of course flexibility was one and then, um, you know, being able to learn and move up and not just having a very linear career path.

Jeffery Tobias Halter: And you know, and I think it's interesting and I'd love your perspective because you also work in, uh, you spend a lot of time in tech. You spend a lot of time in startups. you know, we think this is a, we think this is a big company issue when in fact it's everywhere. And it's not just food service, uh, it's truck drivers. We need a hundred thousand truck drivers. We've got a supply chain issue. Well, it's not just the ports. There's no truck drivers. We've got construction issues. We need general laborers. Uh, we need IT professionals. Uh, you know, what are your Uh, leaders talking about doing a, when you talk to them, cause you talked to some of the smartest people in the biz and how are they solving this?

Amanda Hammett:That's a great question, there is a lot of hand wringing going on. You know, we don't understand where we're offering more money. We're going out with more perks. And I keep explaining, it's not a perk. It's not about beer taps in there, you know, kitchen or bean bag chairs, or even more money, even though the money is nice. Um, but it's also about, and this is something we're going to check check-in on in the next riffing session is empathy. Those frontline leaders developing them to actually communicate human to human with those early in career employees or, or everybody treat everybody as a human, not as a number. And that is something that we need to develop in within our company cultures. Yeah.

Jeffery Tobias Halter: And I think that's so important. It just, you know, and it's something as simple and yet it's so hard, right? It's it's the once a week asking your employees, how are you doing? How are you really doing? I mean, you know, I'm going, gonna use my self first-person and I'm embarrassed to acknowledge this. Um, I worked in the field, but I had an admin in the, in the company headquarters three. I worked, uh, she supported me for three years. I never knew the name of her husband or her children. It was just kind of, we put our head down, we worked, she supported me. She supported about eight of us. And we never thought about this. We never thought to check in. And just the simple question, how are you doing? I think leaders need to add this at a macro basis and say, how are you really doing and what's going on? Because you know, for, for boomers, it might be aging parents. Plus COVID for millennials. It may be school aged kids, you know, we're going through yet another surge. Our school is going to be opened. Our school is going to be closed. Um, you know,this is just mind-boggling.

Disclaimer: This transcript was created using YouTube’s translator tool and that may mean that some of the words, grammar, and typos come from a misinterpretation of the video.