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A conversation with trevor noahCirca was proud to partner with Lattice for the Resources for Humans Virtual Conference: People Strategy in the New World of Work. Over 40,000 HR professionals joined 40+ of HR’s most respected leaders through out the day to chat and share ideas. My favorite session to join was Trevor Noah chatting with Jack Altman, CEO & Co-Founder, Lattice to provide his perspective on the state of inequality in the workplace and how companies can meaningfully evolve to better address racial representation, equality, and inclusivity. For those of you who don’t know, Trevor Noah is a comedian, and the host of the Emmy® and Peabody® Award-winning “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central.

Listening to Trevor Noah chat with Jack Altman was an amazing virtual conference experience. I collected some of my favorite takeaways from the conversation below.

  1. Companies need to acknowledge that no one knows when things will go back to normal. We are in uncertain times still with COVID cases rising in some areas and talks of vaccines still being tested. Companies should look to focus on how employees can continue to connect and engage with each other during these virtual times.
  2. Coronavirus has left society with a short fuse. We are in a world where we are not comfortable or familiar with it and it comes with a level of anxiety that not everyone is used to. This is important to remember and remind employees of the importance of taking the time mentally and physically to relieve stress and anxiety. Whether it is taking time off, seeking help, or a change of scenery everyone needs to take time for themselves.
  3. Focus on humanity. Now more than ever is the time to take a moment to connect to with everyone. When we connect with the human in everyone it naturally brings out humor which can help with overall moral.
  4. Companies needs to look after their employees and create a safe space to express feelings and concerns. Companies should focus on listening to employees during this time to ensure everyone in the company feels like they have a voice.
  5. Acknowledge the short comings that companies have inherited from society. As soon as companies realize the shortcomings and understand them, they can start to change from the inside and maybe if enough companies change from the inside the outside world may start to change.
  6. We must admit that we have been conditioned in the world we live in to think that the straight white man is the most useful for the top jobs. We need to start changing the concepts and ideas of what someone should look like in a certain position. People need to change their mindset of what is normal in society and start to see the potential in others.
  7. Everyone benefits from helping people. Many people have great ideas but not many people have the back up and money to create great ideas.

Trevor ended the conversation by noting that nothing will be solved overnight. That we all need to continue to chat and have uncomfortable discussions to move towards change. If you were not able to attend live, I highly recommend registering and accessing A Conversation with Trevor Noah on-demand.

Author

Katie Coleman
Product Marketing Manager
Circa
Katie Coleman is a Product Marketing Manager at Circa. Based on her conversations and research, Katie produces webinars and writes articles on diversity and other employment-related topics to guide employers, employees and job seekers in their professional endeavors.

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