Business owners and employers: are your Covid-19 response policies creating a disparate impact for a substantial portion of your workforce? What types of remedies are win-win, in that they meet employment law requirements, increase employee satisfaction and productivity, and reduce the risk of employer/employee conflicts while increasing diversity and inclusiveness? My guest, Simone Sloan, Rph , MBA, business coach and Diversity and Inclusion Consultant, and I will explore these issues. A must see for businesses navigating the pandemic.
About Simone Sloan, Rph, MBA:
www.simonesloan.com
www.linkedin.com/in/simonesloan
By Segment
00:46 – 15:10 – Eric Sarver introduces Simone Sloan. Her mantra is, “voice, power, and confidence” Sloan is the co-author of Achieving Results: Business Insights and Awareness to Create. She explains how she puts a focus on emotional intelligence when consulting and tries to change the way that businesses engage with their employees. When the pandemic caused a national shut down, businesses did not always consider the impact it had on the personal lives of employees. Many feared for their safety, did not have the necessary ppe, and women began to slip into traditional gender roles. Sloan encourages you to look at who is in control and understand that bias is not always covert. Some policies may be neutral on their face but negatively impact women and marginalized communities. With so many people working from home there is a great deal of pressure to work more. This makes balancing work and home life more challenging.
17:38 – 28:36 – Covid has put a strain on business and many are now operating in survival mode and has led to a less holistic approach to management. Some women want to scale back because of the burden of additional work or a realization that their work environment is toxic. Sloan coaches business to find ways to support their employees by creating an empathetic and healthier work environment. Sloan believes that in order to do this businesses must begin with reprioritizing what new success looks like when working from home. The two key services that Sloan provides for employers is to create a safe space for “courageous conversation” and providing recommendations for solutions from a human and business perspective. As more people are working from home she sees that people are falling into more isolated work patterns which makes it more challenging for employers to see the impact of working from home
30:53 – 44:16 – When there are not people in higher positions that can represent people within the lower echelon. There are certain benefits that are not afforded to them and without proper advocacy they do not receive proper treatment. There is an implicit bias that can have an impact on the way that working women are perceived. Sloan gave the example of mothers who are on zoom calls and have their children in frame. Employers and coworkers may ask themselves, “Is she serious about her job?” With greater diversity in thought will create more understanding and even more opportunities.
46:34 – 56:57 – In a WSJ article they looked across industries and studied how women were received in their professional environments. The insights shared by women of color were forgotten instantaneously. Listening is important when trying to make a business more sustainable and flexible. Sloan encourages her clients to provide a safe space for employers so that employees can shine a light on patterns within their work environment without fear of retaliation. Her presence as a neutral party has made employees feel safer when initiating this dialogue.
About Employment Law Today
Helping Business With Employment Law Issues.
For many business owners, it can be overwhelming to keep up and comply with the federal and state labor and employment laws that govern how they run their business. With the COVID-19 pandemic, there are new laws and regulations regarding hiring, firing, and workplace practices and protocols — all of which can increase business owners’ anxieties about regaining traction or thriving again. On my weekly show, we will be discussing the most common employment law related questions and challenges that business owners have been facing in these uncertain times.
The show will have three main goals: (1) to inform businesses about employment law updates, (2) to inspire businesses by giving them the tools to move forward, and (3) to demonstrate how some business owners have overcome their employment law problems, walked through the challenges imposed by this pandemic, and have taken steps to regain traction during the reopening phases of this pandemic.
Our guests will include professionals who advise businesses from an H.R., legal, and financial perspective, along with thriving business owners who will share their experiences and insights into running a successful company while complying with labor and employment law mandates during COVID-19.