Whether it's greenwashing, or kindwashing. If you are saying one thing but doing another, it's a lie.
Are you a liar?
Are you actually adding to the problem?
Are you part of the problem?
Equity-washing!
Last week was International Woman’s Day; I am yet to find an event I can go to that is representative and inclusive of female inequality. They all sit in a place of privilege, eating cupcakes and cheering Happy IWD whilst real life-limiting inequality isn’t part of the discussion. No one is talking about abortion being illegal in more countries than it is legal, with many women and girls dying as a consequence. Your organisation may have an office in one of these countries, they may do business in one of these countries? A colleague may be affected by this discriminatory law? If your organisation does and celebrated IWD, declaring the number of privileged females sitting in power positions, but has done absolutely nothing to improve life-limiting and lifedamaging equality, that is equity-washing.
Awareness days and protest days aren’t something to jump on for content marketing, or a tick box in your CSR, or ESG.
Social justice campaigns are there to protect the people affected by atrocities of their inequality.
If you are using them you are adding to the problem, you are making it worse and you are the problem.
Inequality gaps are widening!
Cupcakes don’t improve the real world problems of inequality.
Whether it’s Pride Month, Black History Month, International Day of Persons with Disability, World Mental Health Day, Cancer Awareness Week etc. If you are not taking action to improve the situations you are ‘celebrating’ then stop!
Action matters.
So many organisations talk about Cancer Awareness but have toxic work environments and cultures that increase the risk of cancer and then the sick leave policy discriminates employees with cancer.
Then there’s those that say they support children affected by food poverty whilst not paying the real living wage!
Be honest. Don’t use and abuse. Don’t make the problem worse.
The focus should not be on the celebration of a day, or week, or month.
It should be about what you can do, everyday, to make a difference.
What are the values of your organisation?
What social justice and inequality issues are you or can you actively support, make an impact in, and are passionate about creating a real change.
Tell us about that, every day.
No business or individual can do everything. But we can all do something, and do that something justice.
If you are actively involved with children’s mental health, share that, every day, share what you are doing and the impact it is making.
That we will respect.
Eating cupcakes and celebrating a different cause every day, is not respectful.
It’s unkind.
Lead with your values, lead with your action, lead with your impact. And don’t forget to be inclusive and representative; seeing is believing.
As we move into this new financial year, think about your business, and what it realistically has the power to change and work at creating that change, then you can celebrate, celebrate the difference you have truly made with the people you have supported.
www.kindcurrency.co.uk