Diversity and Inclusion training on the job

1. Learning Diversity
and Inclusion on
the Job
I L A N A K E A R N S
August 2020

2. Best Diversity & Inclusion training I
ever received was not from a class but
while on the job... not to mention I was
born in Riga, Latvia and became a
naturalized citizen in 2nd grade

3. During my days at IHG,
I obtained a deep
cultural understanding
of how to deal with
people across a wide
variety of cultures,
while working across a
wide array of sr mgmt +
frontline team
members.

4. I learned the nuances of
international travel and how
even today, your ethnicity +
religion can determine if you
can obtain a visa or not to visit
certain countries...and never
plan a trip to China during
their New Year...or plan an all-
hands meeting after 9:00 AM
on a Thursday with China 12
hours ahead.

5. I planned my share of meetings + events,
always securing space with natural
sunlight to help our international team
members acclimate quickly to current
time zone. My favorite event venue is
the Atlanta Botanical Gardens...and I
never book conference rooms without a
window!

6. During my days at FOCUS Brands,
I learned why regionalizing brand
standards was critical to success.
For example, while meat maybe a
standard commodity across the
board for QSR Restaurants, special
consideration must be made based
on demographics of each market
like ordering halal meat for
Dearborn, MI.