Empowering the authentic self through DEI practices

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Mason Paradiso feels respected and valued at work.

“I feel my voice has weight,” said Paradiso, an employee with Imprintable Solutions, Ink, adding that that sense of belonging and being accepted for one’s authentic self goes a long way with employees. “Inclusion can create powerful bonds in the workplace.”

Paradiso made the comments at the RBJ’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Summit, which was held virtually March 16.

The theme of the summit was how to attract and retain talent to chart your company’s success. The summit examined why it is important to provide an inclusive culture in the workplace.

Paradiso was part of a panel that focused on Rochester staffers who have felt the impact of companies who are and are not committed to DEI practices. The panel was moderated by Yantee Slobert, director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs at St. John Fisher College.

The other panelists were Jess Cohen, LGBTQ+ education coordinator at Trillium Health, Aubrey Marrero, official site coordinator at ITEC Training and Education Center and Sonja Walters, project manager at ESL Federal Credit Union.

Paradiso gave a couple of examples of incidents where co-workers were supported for being themselves on the job.

One incident occurred when an intern at the company bought a Spanish vocabulary dictionary after working with someone whose first language was Spanish and wanting to try to connect better.

Another example was when a co-worker bought a prayer mat for a colleague, so the co-worker didn’t have to use a hoodie to kneel on while practicing a daily afternoon prayer.

Cohen said such examples illustrate inclusivity done right. She also said it’s important to see each employee as an individual.

“Don’t assume everyone’s experiences are identical,” she said.

Cohen spoke of a recent incident that highlighted her employer being responsive to its employees’ needs.

Trillium Health created a new, private space for employees who were nursing and named it the mother’s room.

Cohen, however, felt a better name would be the lactation room, noting the term mother was not inclusive of all who may use the space.

In response, Trillium Health immediately made the change.

“It didn’t require a lot of effort,” Cohen said. “They just accepted (the recommendation) and made it happen.”

Walters makes it a priority to be her authentic self on the job and, in return, she receives the full support of her employer.

She believes if she shares who she is and how she feels – is open and transparent – others may then be able to see a situation through a different lens.

“They may be more open to understanding different perspectives,” she said.

Marrero said it’s important to meet people where they are when it comes to DEI efforts.

“Change won’t happen unless the person on the receiving end wants to learn,” Marrero said, adding she tries to focus on the positive ways she can influence those around her.

Her employer is on board with that thinking, too, she noted, adding that employees are valued as people, not workers.

Part of that mindset comes from the manager training there, Marrero said.

During such training sessions, managers are challenged to understand how they look at a situation, she explained.

For example, a new hire who is running late may initially be seen as potentially unreliable, but that may not be the case. The employee may in fact have transportation challenges.

“We need to be asking the right questions,” Marrero said. “This is a human issue, and we need to lead from that space first.”

Slobert shared his own experience about a previous job.

He was told by his manager during his annual review that he was aloof. The observation came about after a co-worker noticed Slobert did not return a smile several months prior.

Thinking back to the time of the incident, Slobert recalled that his mother had just suffered a stroke.

Instead of noticing Slobert’s mood and asking how he was, however, the co-worker reported the matter to his superior.

That lack of direct communication is part of the problem, Slobert said.

“We need to change how we talk to each other and be human to each other,” he said, adding there should be an emphasis on forming professional relationships at work. “We need an environment to share our differences, as well as what we have in common.”

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