Firstly, we want to wish you a happy Pride Month. At 911爆料网, we believe in recognizing Pride Month with concrete actions and DEI policy that support our mission to champion diversity and inclusion in the energy and tech space.
The truth is, we are a very diverse company, and that鈥檚 how we like it! Each and every day we are learning more about how to create a space that is safe and welcoming and how to make our team members feel even more seen and valued.
With that in mind, our team recently developed a communications guide to distribute both internally and to our external vendors, guests, visitors, and those interacting with our team. We wanted to share that with you in the spirit of togetherness this Pride Month. #TogetherWeAreBetter
911爆料网 DEI Policy: Inclusive Communications
Here’s a guide for how to work with us:
- Steer clear of heteronormative language. Don鈥檛 assume people are straight, cisgender, or fit into stereotypical gender roles. Instead of using traditional binary pronouns, you can use plural gender-neutral pronouns like 鈥渢hey,鈥� 鈥渢hem,鈥� 鈥渢heir,鈥� 鈥渢heirs,鈥� and 鈥渢hemselves.鈥澛營nstead of assuming someone has a 鈥渨ife/boyfriend鈥�, you can ask about their 鈥減artner.鈥�
- 鈥淕uys鈥� does not include 鈥渆veryone鈥�. Referring to everyone as 鈥済uys鈥� assumes that the normal, default human being is male. Even if you were used to hearing it as a neutral term, 聽show that these words cause people specifically to think of males.
- Prioritize the person, not their identity. Center someone鈥檚 personhood as the most important element of who they are, rather than aspects of their identity, like race, gender, or ability-level. For example “a person with a disability” instead of “a disabled person”. Ultimately, different groups have different preferences, and people within groups have different preferences. When in doubt, it’s best to ask.
- Avoid idioms, jargons, and acronyms.聽Jargon and acronyms can exclude people who may not have your same level of knowledge about a subject and can make communication difficult. Many idioms don鈥檛 translate well from country to country, and some are rooted in negative connotations and stereotypes (鈥�,鈥� 鈥渃all a spade a spade鈥� are examples).
- Don鈥檛 trivialize mental disabilities.聽Terms like 鈥渂ipolar,鈥� 鈥淥CD鈥� and 鈥淎DD鈥� are descriptors of real psychiatric conditions. For those who live with these diagnoses, it鈥檚 insulting when people who don鈥檛 experience the world this way throw them around. Also, avoid derogatory terms that stem from the context of mental health, for example, 鈥渃razy,鈥� 鈥渕ad,鈥� 鈥渟chizo,鈥� or 鈥減sycho.鈥�
- If you aren鈥檛 sure, ask. Even if it feels a bit awkward, asking someone how they identify, how you should refer to them, and language to use or avoid with them goes a long way in making all of us feel included.
Here are some easy swaps
More inclusive |
Less inclusive |
| Folks, people, you all, y鈥檃ll, teammates | Guys (or women) when referring to people overall |
| Women | Girls (when referring to adults) |
| Workforce, personnel, workers, team |
When using gender-neutral terms, ensure that you are still recognizing that you鈥檙e speaking about a human being e.g., personnel vs. resources. |
| Chairperson, chair, moderator, discussion leader | Chairman, foreman |
| Spouses/partners | Wives, husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends |
| Parenting | Mothering, fathering |
| Typical | Normal There鈥檚 bias inherent in using one group as a standard against which others are judged. Use of the word normal as a comparison group can stigmatize people who are different and imply that they are abnormal. |
| Marginalized groups or underrepresented groups | Not all marginalized groups are minorities, and a broader term is generally inclusive of more than race and gender. |
We recognize that no one is perfect. We’re all going to make mistakes sometimes, and that’s fine – just correct yourself and move on. The goal is progress, not perfection; we encourage you to learn and grow alongside us!