#5SmartReads - May 30, 2023

Hitha on the WGA strike, nature literally healing, and how to master small talk

May 30, 2023

I can’t help but feel dejected about how DE&I initiatives have largely been treated as a fad - all the buzz in 2020 to reimagine the workforce to reflect the country, and being dismantled for how things have always been because of a tough economy.

It’s a troubling, regressive view - and an unsurprising one. And one that ignores the high ROI of DE&I programs:

““The research is very clear: increased diversity in staff leads to increased innovation, resiliency and profitability,” says Tarr. Indeed, companies in the top 25% for racial and gender diversity are more likely to have stronger financial returns, according to a 2020 report by McKinsey & Company. And in a study on group performance, UK-based work-intelligence firm Cloverpop found that diverse teams outperform individuals about 87% of the time in business decision-making. Considering employee retention, research shows that employees in diverse and inclusive companies are 5.4 times as likely to stay for a longer tenure.”

Benish’s article is detailed, brilliantly researched, and shows how things could be if we resist returning to what has always been the norm.

And if you’re in technology sales (or want to be!) and have been impacted by layoffs, my friend Esther’s platform GrowthQ is one you’ll want to sign up for.

This is such a helpful post for anyone who hates small talk 🙋‍♀️

It validated some of the things I’m already doing (initiating a conversation by asking “read any good books lately?” or “any show capturing your attention right now?”, returning the question back), and I love the advice on normalizing things not being great.

This article has a foolproof small talk formula for those who need a refresher or a brand new approach, and I want to add some of my own small talk questions that may help you this season:

  • “I do love summer. It reminds me of long bike rides, running through the sprinkler, and chasing down the ice cream truck. What’s your go-to order at an ice-cream truck?”

  • “I watch Independence Day every 4th of July weekend. Is there a movie you watch every summer?”

  • “What’s a summer memory you could relive again?”

Share your own small talk go-to questions in the comments:

With the dangerous rise of anti-Semitism, preserving the stories of Holocaust survivors (and frankly, protecting them!) has never been more important.

"The need to teach the history and the universal lessons of the Holocaust couldn't be more urgent when you think about the rise of antisemitism, the rise of extremism.

When I talk to Holocaust survivors, they are alarmed. And they are sounding the warning signs."

Museums all over the world are recording testimonies from the 50,000 living Holocaust survivors to help preserve these history lessons, with many of them available online to learn from on our own time.

And in a time when most states don’t require Holocaust education as a part of public school education and the banning of books related to the Holocaust, I’m grateful to the work of these historians to make these records available and accessible.

“This loss of income hits hard. Writers need to earn a little over $40,000 a year in WGA-covered work in order to qualify for health insurance. When you’re between jobs, residuals are supposed to help you cover that gap. Without those checks—and as someone who’s a “regular” at my hospital—I’m pretty much constantly calling the insurance company to see when my coverage expires and what I need to do to keep it (“Can I write for you, insurance adjuster!? Maybe your kid’s eighth grade graduation speech? Is that Guild-covered?!”).”

Sasha Stewart is one of the tens of thousands members of the Writers’ Guild of America that’s on strike right now, advocating for the most basic of workplace protections and wages that will allow members to qualify for health insurance.

She’s hilarious, honest, and deserves to be paid fairly for her work - especially when said work delights and entertains us all so much.

Her recap of a week on strike is worth your time, not only for the entertainment value but to shine a light on how increased profitability for streaming content has yet to be shared with those who literally make the shows.

Thank you for sharing this important story, Sasha. And please share some of those poop jokes.

Nature will heal - if we give it a chance to do so.

I shared how restoring wildlife habitats and protecting existing ones can help increase carbon capture with no extra effort. And in the case of potential river flooding, maybe give these waterways some space?

“Now, a growing number of projects are trying to work with nature, instead of trying to contain it. Levees are being removed and moved back, creating natural floodplains that are designed to fill with water when rivers run high. The idea is to take pressure off downstream levees by giving water somewhere to go farther upstream.

Floodplain restorations also create much-need wildlife habitat. But buying out and relocating landowners, whether farmers or homeowners, can be challenging. Getting necessary permits can take years, because most flood regulations are written to keep levees in place forever.”

While the regulations on levees and land buybacks delay the proposed levee setback projects, it’s reassuring to see that the interest is there AND that it works. And I’m heartened that the Biden administration’s position of “engineering with nature” includes this type of work, and the Army Corps of Engineers (the agency that oversees levees and flood protection) is actively working on these projects at a federal level.

And California isn’t waiting - a new state flood protection plan will be investing up to $30B over the next 30 years, and I hope floodplain restoration work is a part of it.

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