May 03, 2018 : "Do not do unto others as you would that they should do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same." George Bernard Shaw wrote that over 100 years ago. Patrice Jimerson told me much the same thing during an inspiring conversation about inclusion and diversity.
"Treat others as you would want to be treated; that's so old, it's just myopic." Not everybody wants to be regarded and treated in exactly the same way, regardless of gender, culture, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.
Recognizing that fact, and incorporating it into a workplace environment, is just one challenge facing diversity professionals. And there are such things as diversity professionals. Jimerson is senior program manager of diversity and inclusion at Appirio, a technology consultancy which has long insisted that worker experience and customer experience go hand in hand. Not only does Jimerson hold certificates in diversity management and studies from Cornell and Georgetown, but her parents were also diversity professionals, her mother in academia and her father as a consultant. "I grew up talking and hearing about diversity and inclusion," he told me.
