A New Normal | July

Shine a Light

This week we're shining the light on our awesome Comms team, who are responsible for our social media channels, podcasts, and this newsletter!

Then, we have some leadership lessons from the folk at A New Normal followed by a disappointing report regarding bias against African, Caribbean and Asian people at work.

The Comms Team

Gigi Gordon,

Comms & Creative Manager

Ryan Casey,

Comms & Project Assistant

1. What do you do at ANN? (Ryan)

I am a Comms and Projects assistant and, as with many of us at A New Normal, I wear many hats ranging from workshop facilitator, project management, and internal and external communication.

2. How has your career path led to D&I? (Gigi)

My background has always been in comms and content, but I used to work in the fashion and beauty industries. I came to A New Normal during a difficult time in my life, when my confidence was low and my work life was tough. I developed my interviewing skills through my work in journalism at the BBC and The Sunday Times, and I've loved having the opportunity to get into podcasting at A New Normal. Our podcast, Diversity on Screen, is my baby - we talk about the D&I implications of popular films, which perfectly marries my degree in English Literature with my avid interest in film.

3. Why do you work in D&I? (Ryan)

I work within D&I because it’s a very important field that has so much potential to change people’s lives. It already has in fact! I like to think that I’m using my own privilege to highlight the lack of diversity and inclusion in areas we see and experience every day. My own personal D&I interests are in mental health and disability, and being a huge pop
culture fan, I get to analyse and share amazing films and TV shows through our own podcast, Diversity On Screen.

4. What do you like about it? (Gigi)

So many things. I love working with a team of people who care about my growth and respect me while driving me forwards. My favourite part of my job is interviewing people for our social media channels. Just a handful of special moments include talking to Cheryl about crossdressing in the theatre, discussing inclusive banter with Harpreet, or our upcoming piece with Ross from Hits Radio about the power of one person.

Our People

This Week at A New Normal

The importance of vulnerability in leaders

How do you take a step up at work?

This week we spoke about leadership on our social channels, discussing the huge change that one senior team member can make to an organisation's culture.

This post tells the story of one brave leader at A New Normal and the amazing impact they had.

This infographic slideshow provides insights from our director, discussing best practices for navigating promotions and progressions at work. From the first conversation to longer-term development, the slides are filled with awesome advice for anyone who's looking to progress.

Read

D&I News

Remote and hybrid working – lessons for neurodiverse teams

This article from Dileaders provides excellent insights into working from home as a neurodivergent person. The dos and don'ts for productivity are discussed alongside video call etiquette.

Confirming the unfortunate truth we're all aware of, this report found that 'seventy-one per cent of employees from a black background reported feeling overlooked for opportunities owing to their identity; 66% from Asian backgrounds and 65% of those who identified as LGBTQ+ also had the same experience.' This report is another example of why the work we do is so important.