An Important Conversation on Ageism, Inclusion & Belonging

I was so glad to be a part of North Carolina Technology Association's first Diversity & Inclusion Summit! We had great conversations on the panel "Generational Mandate – Can’t We All Just Get Along & Thrive Together?" with myself, Dee McDougal of Pacific Western Bank, Ash Coleman of Credit Karma and Dionna Steed of AvidXchange, facilitated by Loren Shumate of One Source Communications.

Among the key insights that resonated with me:

"D&I needs to be integrated with business practices," from Dee McDougal. I agree. D&I is not a nice to have, it’s a must have, and also needs an empathy component. It’s not an offshoot -- it’s business critical and has to be integral to the overall business.

Ash Coleman, highlighted that “small incremental opportunities are key to keeping folks engaged,” and that a commitment to diversity needs to be woven into daily work life, not just built into OKRs to be visited once a year. Ash, I’m all with you! We need to make sure that each person can bring their authentic self to work each day so that we can leverage their true potential.

We need to develop better supports that enable managers to grow: “People leader training is important as people move into or grow within an organization. Dionna Steed. I couldn’t be more in agreement with Dionna: “Cohorts build commonalities.” This has been the founding premise behind reacHIRE. Sharing a common journey builds powerful bonds and community connection in a way that fosters loyalty, support and commitment.

Re: Ageism in the workplace, it’s interesting to note that a recent study from the Bureau of Labor Statistics ( 2019 ) revealed that the median age of the American worker is 42.2. And within 5 years, those over 55 will represent half of the entire workforce. As we adjust to new ways of working and strive for better, stronger workplaces, we can and should create opportunities to learn from each other, without regard to experience, education, background, or title. It’s the only way to grow a business built for the future.

I enjoyed this panel so much. Snaps to you all, ladies!

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