Wow it’s hot! If you’re in Europe right now I hope you are keeping cool.
We’ve been thinking a lot lately at Bird about diversity and wellbeing. We are working to ensure the resources and tools we share are as diverse as possible. This is a little challenging as many of the most prominent speakers and thinkers on wellbeing and resilience (Brené Brown, Kristin Neff, Rick Carson, Pema Chodron, Rick Hanson, Glennon Doyle Melton, Danielle LaPorte) are all white and mostly women. I love all of their work, and love sharing their thoughts and tools, but I am also aware of the need for Bird to share a diverse number of voices and stories of stress, overwhelm and self-care. We are consciously working on it, and I have a request for you in relation to this at the end of the email.
We’ve been thinking about this topic both for ourselves, and for the organisations we serve…
The main reason it’s important for not-for-profit organisations to think about diversity and wellbeing in the workplace is because a huge part of wellbeing is around feeling accepted and celebrated for who you are. The not-for-profit sector is amazing for diversity and inclusion, but it’s always worth keeping an eye on whether your workplace is one where individuals can show up as their whole selves. It’s important to keep an ear on whether culture is making it difficult for some people to honour their needs and boundaries.
The second reason for looking at diversity and wellbeing in the workplace, is around physical health. According to Mercer, policies and procedures often provide health advice based on the needs of white males of a certain age. One example of this is in relation to the signs of a heart attack. We have all been educated to look for a pain up and down your left arm as a sign, and a feeling of impending doom. However, for women the signs are different and much more subtle. Work place policies and procedures must understand that different groups have different physical health needs, and must address this accordingly.
Diversity and inclusion is a huge piece in it’s own right, but it’s really worth considering from the wellbeing perspective. How can we feel engaged, supported and recognised if we don’t feel able to truly be ourselves? And how can we feel engaged, supported and recognised if the policies designed to support us don’t identify our specific needs?
At Bird we are hoping to expand our knowledge and understanding of diversity and wellbeing, and we hoped we could begin by making a request. Do you know of materials and resources that share different voices on resilience and wellbeing? We would love to hear.
With love, Hannah and Team Bird
Photo by Plush Design Studio on Unsplash