Although many organizations have developed strategies to improve staff diversity and inclusion, they often still fall short. Take it from Purl Ball.

Purl, the title character of Pixar’s new short, is a fuzzy pink ball of yarn headed for her first day at B.R.O. Capital. After she arrives, she quickly realizes that she isn’t like any of the other employees: white, sports-loving men clad in expensive suits. After they gawk and ignore her, Purl refashions herself into a knitted business suit and becomes one of the guys.

“As with any Pixar production, the film is cute, but it also tackles two long-running complaints about male-dominated industries like tech and venture capital: They’re still way behind in terms of hiring diverse teams and publicly reporting those figures, two things HR managers say are key to preventing toxic or alienating work cultures,” writes Emily Canal on Inc.

Purl also highlights the failure of employers to properly onboard new hires and orient them in the organization’s culture. “This is the kind of HR failure that can do a lot of damage in the first few days when a new employee wants and needs to integrate into a team,” Canal says.

To make your office more welcoming from day one, ensure that your onboarding process  anticipates new employees’ needs, gives them a comfortable place to land, and connects them to their new colleagues.

How to Help Attendees with Families

https://twitter.com/meetingsnet/status/1095769092731080704

For people with families, attending meetings is not always easy, nor possible. A Twitter thread posed by Dr. Darren Saunders, a cancer biologist and professor of medicine in Sydney, asked users about effective ideas to support attendees with children. The result was a conversation that showcases ways to meet these attendees’ specific needs.

“While there are high-tech solutions for breastfeeding mothers, including Mamava privacy pods, several people on the thread suggested that any private space for nursing will do—but a preferred amenity is a secure refrigerator for storing breast milk,” says Hannah Kinnersley in a post on MeetingsNet.

Another popular suggestion: free conference registration for a babysitter to help with an attendees’ children onsite.

“The number of contributions to the thread makes it clear that this is a hot topic for attendees at academic conferences” Kinnersley says.

Other Links of Note

Launching a new website? The Wild Apricot blog compared 10 of the best website builders for nonprofits.

Reward members with a summer camp program. Nonprofit Hub explains whether it’s right for your organization.

How you speak in meetings can affect the quality of the conversation. Jeffrey Cufaude from Idea Architects breaks down how to talk with respect.