#MPRlife Inclusion Journey Update: Gender Pronouns and Coffee Breaks

Submitted by Rachel Dennis (she/her)We welcome, talk to and refer to a lot of people around here – in person, on the phone, on air, and in writing. They are our colleagues, candidates, vendors, sources, members, board members and guests, etc. And they don’t all go by “he” or “she.”In the last six months or so, the EQualizers Employee Resource Group has been forming and exploring the question, “How do we create a safer space for folks who are transgender and gender-nonconforming?”On Monday the EQs invited Alex Nelson from RECLAIM! to talk with us about gender identity. We covered terminology, statistics, and building sensitivity through the thoughtful use of language.One of the things about language is that there are folks out there that don’t use pronouns limited to just “he” or “she.” And we’re interacting with them whether we know it or not. One way we can create a safer space for people to be themselves is to mark ourselves as people (and as an organization) who get and respect that. Maybe it’s by offering our pronouns when we introduce ourselves which creates an opportunity for another to do the same, or by removing binary language from things like our employee handbook. For most of us, it’ll take some new language and some new habits, and Alex emphasized the effectiveness of practicing until we get the hang of it. Practice is good.On Wednesday, October 25 the EQs hosted a Traveling Coffee Break* in the lobby at HQ and started practicing with a wider group. Some of us wore nametags that volunteered the pronouns we go by or prompted colleagues to ask us about it. Some of us shared our take-aways from Monday’s training session - like trying to remember the difference between gender orientation, expression, and identity (what you know, what you show, and what you claim). And naturally, some of us focused on the coffee and delicious treats and the chance to be with colleagues away from our desks.*An MPR tradition: various employee groups or departments host coffee breaks on a semi-regular basis. They could be located anywhere in the St. Paul HQ, thus the 'traveling' moniker.  more from the Inside APMG Blog

Slice of #MPRlife: Pop Up Concert Edition

 Sometimes things like this happen when you work at MPR...  more from the Inside APMG Blog            

The CEO and the TSA: An Unlikely Moment of Gratitude

Here at APMG we're used to getting emails like this from our CEO Jon McTaggart. Those of us who've been around a while might even take them for granted. It's just part of the culture. But I'm reminded today that it's one of those things that makes us pretty unique... this culture of gratitude is demonstrated from the top-down, bottom-up, sideways, to-and-from our members, within and even beyond our communities. Read on to see what I mean:The email continues:He said, “I hear you a couple of times a year.”  Could it be that he recognizes my name from my brief “thank you” messages after the MPR on-air Member drives?Then he said two of the nicest things I’ve ever heard from a TSA agent.  “I’m a member,” he said. “Thank you for what you do.”  He was thanking me!  As he waived me through the check point, my heart swelled with pride.  I gave him my best morning smile and said, “Thank you, so much, for listening and for your membership support!”There are nearly a million listeners to Minnesota Public Radio, more than 19 million listeners to our American Public Media programs, and even more when we add our digital and social services and live programs.  This morning’s brief encounter is another proof point that…what we do really matters.I share the heartfelt gratitude of this TSA agent as a proxy for every listener and user whose lives we will touch today.  Thank You for all your great work, today and every day.    more from the Inside APMG Blog

Intern Highlight: Daniel Shin

Hi, I’m Daniel Shin, the Marketplace Morning Report Intern for the last six months (though I recently transitioned to a Production Assistant role about 3 weeks ago). This was my first public radio internship. Prior to this, I had just recently graduated from a graduate program at CSU Northridge with a Masters in Mass Communication (May 2016). Before, I was a news reporter in South Korea for about 3 years.There’s no easy way to summarize my time working on the Marketplace Morning Report team but if I had to, I’d strongly use the term “gauntlet.” Building and producing a live broadcast multiple times in one morning is a process that requires precision, quick-thinking and real critical thinking. If you don’t have those skills developed when you start this internship, you develop them. And I’m happy to say that I’m coming away from this experience with real, translatable skills.Of course, none of that is possible without the team here at MMR. The supportive and professional team of David Brancaccio and producers Nicole Childers, Justin Ho, Katie Long, Beidi Zhang, Chris Olin, and Janet Nguyen really helped me thrive and grow as a producer.I’m also continuously surprised (and pleased) by the workplace flexibility of Marketplace I’ve experienced. Recently, Marketplace Tech did their own week-long series in celebration for the 50^th anniversary of ‘Star Trek,’ one of my favorite franchises. I wanted to contribute something and even though the pitch was a bit last minute, our digital team was very open to the idea. And frankly, I’m very proud of my piece on how the number 47 played an important role in Star Trek (we are a numbers show after all!) Check it out here:http://www.marketplace.org/2016/09/07/world/star-trek-and-47-conspiracymore from the Inside APMG Blog

Cube Crawl 2016 @Marketplace Los Angeles

Submitted by Jeni HatfieldMap by Kristina LopezCity Planners included: Jeni Hatfield, Raghu Manavalan, Kristina Lopez, Arjuna Soriano, Katie Long and Donna Tam  If there is one thing us Angelinos agree on, it’s that we don’t agree on which local neighborhood is best. In all fairness, there are a lot. Los Angeles is known for its sprawling, quilt-like patches of neighborhoods—each with its own vibe. And where you eat, play and live is taken very seriously.One afternoon here at the LA office, a casual conversation began among coworkers as we jokingly compared the cubicle sprawl of the office to the sprawl of the city’s neighborhoods. And much like actual LA, it can be tough and daunting (thanks, traffic!) to leave your own neighborhood. If you have not paid a visit to the Downtown LA office shared by Marketplace and Dinner Party Download, picture a complicated maze of corridors and cube areas. With some recent seating changes, it can be confusing to staff as well as guests.A few jokes and one Slack channel later, and a full-fledged conversation imagining our office space as city neighborhoods took on a life of its own. A healthy debate ensued. Deep analysis and inspired arguments filled the Slack channel for naming areas of the office after real life neighborhoods based on our own internal geography and vibes. This is public radio, after all. The result? A carefully planned office map – complete with “metro stops” at each major seating section. Plus the ability to say: “Oh, that reporter sits over in Highland Park! Just walk through Koreatown and hang a right in Silverlake.”To inaugurate our new office neighborhoods, we took another page from the city and decided to host a public Cube Crawl. Each area brought some treats representing their neighborhood, and we gathered at 9:45 AM one Monday morning at the Studio City/North Hollywood stop to begin. Everyone received their official Marketplace tote bag and started sampling the goodies as we followed the map. And the neighborhoods did not disappoint. From candy sushi to represent Studio City’s sushi row and tamales in Culver City to trendy La Croix at LA’s original hipster neighborhood of Silverlake. Along the way we placed an official city sign in each area and had fun visiting each other’s neighborhoods.Talks of a Fall Cube Crawl are already in the works. And if any local residents want to change the name of their neighborhood, they can always take it up with the “Zoning Commission” on Slack.

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Intern Highlight Two-For-One: Jackie Lawyer and Afua Paintsil

submitted by Sarah EldredMinnesota Public Radio's 50^th anniversary is right around the corner. Just a few months ago, Ali Lozoff was chosen to organize this benchmark year with celebrations, events and programs. Interns Jackie Lawyer and Afua Paintsil were hired to jump-start this enormous project.Jackie Lawyer is beginning her sophomore year at the University of Pennsylvania in just a few days. She applied for the internship because she “thought that the skills learned and practiced here would be applicable to an undertaking I have waiting for me when I head back to school.”“I'm learning a lot about the specifics of the archival process, which, before this internship, really only extended as far as the fact that fingerprints and pictures are not friends.” On a more serious note, “I've managed to absorb that way of holding one's self for when I actually exit my college student bubble and enter the real world. The project itself has allowed me to view the company's history in photos, and I can assure you the saying ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ is definitely an average--some of them get your brain going and produce far more than a thousand words, and others just leave you with no words whatsoever.”Just recently, Jackie and Afua showcased the culmination of their summer’s work. They oversaw a multi-day review of all the photos spanning 50 years which was open to the company to enjoy and comment. “Hearing all the stories behind all the pictures I've become so familiar with over the past month or so has been so much fun and I'm so glad to have helped create a space for people to relive the moments captured in these pictures,” said Lawyer.Paintsil had this to say about the photo review, “This past week has been very memorable just because I didn’t imagine our work would bring so much joy to employees. There was such a great energy in the room, everyone was just so happy to look through old photos or connect with people they don’t always see because they’re in different areas, it was like a class reunion.”Aside from the new skills she gained during the past few months, Afua treasured the time she had with Ali, “[she is] a great boss to have because she wants this to be more than an internship, but also a mentorship, so in the last few weeks she’s set up informational meetings for us and that’s been a great learning opportunity for me.”Both Lawyer and Paintsil had wonderful things to say about working with Margaret Bresnahan, Digital Media Coordinator in Broadcast Operations. Margaret agrees, “Jackie and Afua are whip smart and working with them has been a real treat. I look forward to the day they return to APMG to run the place as our COAs (Chief Officers of Awesome).”At the suggestion of CEO Jon McTaggart, Lozoff was thrilled to have two interns rather than one, as originally planned. “[Jackie and Afua] were able to tackle the immense job of sorting through 50 years of documents and photographs to ready them for selection for the [commemorative] book. If they weren’t working together on the project, the task and being cooped up in the archives may have caused one of them to go a little stir crazy.”Interns are integral to APMG and so are great managers. Ali not only provided guidance in the archival process, but also designed additional learning opportunities. She explained: “Throughout the summer Jackie and Afua were able to work with and meet with a wide assortment of MPR staffers, affording them a glimpse into the working life of MPR. Since they are up close and personal with documents and images from the very founding days of the organization, it’s been great for them to see how this place functions day to day and has grown into what it is. Thanks to everyone who has taken time with them and explained how their individual roles contribute to MPR, and how they chose the career path they did.”And to reiterate the importance of being open to new experiences, Lozoff had this to say about her two interns, “As far as Jackie and Afua go – I couldn’t imagine selecting better candidates for this position. They are smart, self-sufficient, problem-solvers with positive attitudes and a curiosity about all things MPR. They’ve taken advantage of Slack channels, ticket offers, Church lunch, and social meet-ups to integrate themselves into #MPRLife in the short time they’ve been here. It’s been a delight. I only hope they are taking lessons from beyond the archives back to school with them.”more from the Inside APMG Blog 

Intern Highlight: Greta Hallberg

Summer's winding down... and so is the work of some our talented summer interns. But before they're off on their next adventures, we'd like to share a few of their experiences.

In her own words, here's Marketplace intern Greta Hallberg:

“I just graduated from Miami University (Ohio) with a degree in Journalism and Economics. Marketplace is kind of the perfect mashup of my majors, and I love politics so I knew I wanted to be in DC. I’ve always been a huge public radio fan—I grew up in Wayzata, a suburb of Minneapolis, where the public radio culture is top notch. I’ve always been attracted to telling stories in sound and interning here has been a great opportunity to do so.”

“So here’s kind of a cool picture from when I was out in the field gathering some audio for the Marketplace poll stories. We went into a suburban barber shop to interview some people about how they feel about the economy. The owner had a kid and his buddy helping out in the shop and they ended up playing with some of the audio equipment. Hands down one of my favorite days on the job!”

And from her colleague Kimberly Adams:

“Greta fits right in with us political nerds in the DC Bureau. She keeps us on top of the campaign schedules in this crazy political season, and brings lots of fresh angles to our coverage. We never worry about sending her out into the field to gather tape for a story, and she regularly helps us find great sources on tight deadlines. I’m excited to see what Greta does next!”

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MPR is my friend...

There's something special about working for an organization that inspires this...

Making Space for Real Lives at Work

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"We want employees to feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to work."

This is the latest in a long line of inclusion phrases trending in the Diversity & Inclusion field. In plain language, it means something like "We don't discriminate. In fact, we actually accept people's differences. No, really!"

A lot of folks take issue with this sentiment. First of all, it assumes that bringing your whole self to work is a good idea. (I mean, there are parts of my self even I don't like! Why bring them to work?) Setting that debate aside, I suspect most people don't really want to bring their whole selves anywhere. We have different Selves for different situations, and that's okay, thank-you-very-much. It's why we're not all wearing pajamas right now.

Secondly, most of us don't get to choose who we work with. We're surrounded by people we don't know, or don't know well, or know but wish we didn't. And then there's the power dynamic. Naturally, work isn't always going to feel like a safe place to show one's Self - particularly one's vulnerabilities.

I can count the number of times I've cried at work on one hand. Only once have I not felt completely mortified.That moment was Tuesday afternoon, June 14, 2016, when our staff gathered to talk about the tragic shootings in Orlando and how they were personally affected. For me, this gathering brought the effects of Orlando's violence into sharper relief. It was painful, humbling and hopeful. I am grateful for the brave colleagues who shared their personal stories.

That day I was reminded that we can't *not* bring our whole selves to work. We can hide certain parts, but that's living a lie. If that's not compelling, just think of how much energy is wasted pretending! That's why it's important to work somewhere that gets it - or is at least trying. By the way, even though (and maybe because) I work in human resources, I'm the first to acknowledge that this organization doesn't always get it. But I think if your workplace says it values inclusion and wants you to "bring your whole self to work," that's a call to action for everyone. It's up to all of us to create that culture, one vulnerable moment at a time.

Thanks to MPR employee Annie Anderson for sharing her personal take on our employee gathering below. She also wrote about the Orlando shootings for MPR News.

I returned to work on the Monday after the Pulse nightclub shootings in Orlando with a heavy heart. I wasn't sure how I was going to get through my workday. My manager, per usual, was outstanding and told me to do what I needed throughout the day to get through it - whether that meant leaving early or diving deep into my work.I knew I had colleagues feeling similarly and I was really hoping we could come together in some way. To do or say what, I didn't know, but to be together to honor the victims and hold space for ourselves.Late that afternoon I had an idea of how this could maybe happen, so I walked down to find the executive sponsor of our LGBTQ Employee Resource Group to pitch my idea. She was away from her desk and I was leaving in an hour. I popped into her colleague's office to see if we could get momentum going. My idea was to provide some sweet treat to employees as they walked into work the next day with a message of acknowledgement that some may have heavy hearts and that APM/MPR recognizes that. Simple really, but I felt it could be incredibly meaningful. But I also knew that if it didn't happen on Tuesday that it shouldn't happen at all.APM can move really fast on a good idea. Tuesday afternoon we had a gathering in our forum space for all employees to acknowledge the hate in Orlando by breaking bread with one another. The bread came from a wide variety of bakeries from around town, many of them representing breads from their home countries. Our COO had sent an email earlier in the day inviting everyone and simply holding space for people to feel what they were feeling. At the gathering, people were able to speak, eat, hug or listen. It was moving. It was cathartic. And it mattered that the organization I work for took this kind of care.