Spotlight on Black History Month
At Micro Focus, our theme for Black History Month in 2021 is “Embracing the Past While Building for the Future”. We caught up with Eric Beulah, Global Business Operations Lead for Professional Services, and leader of our enABLE ERG, to learn why ERGs are an important resource and network in Micro Focus, and how we can all support Black History Month. In acknowledging Black History Month, enABLE has prepared a series of interactive employee webinars throughout the month.
One of the webinar speakers is our own Micro Focus employee Alex Deng. Alex works in our Sales organization in the UK. He will share his personal story as a refugee from Kenya, his career highlights, and how he engages and gives back to the community.
Two additional sessions with industry leaders are planned. Da’Shaun A. Joseph (aka. Boom), an engineer, speaker, and producer, will share how Emotional Intelligence (EI) is one of the most effective yet underused components of leadership. She will challenge us on how to apply it to maintain self-awareness, create trust and empathy, increase productivity, and manage conflict. In our third session, Leslie Gray, Head of Diversity and Inclusion and Chief of Staff to the CEO of Mozilla Corporation, will focus on how to navigate through the ebbs and flows in one’s career and how embracing diversity and inclusion can enhance our personal and professional lives.
Over to Eric for his thoughts:
Give us an overview of the enABLE ERG
Eric: enABLE stands for Employee Network – Accelerating Black Leadership and Excellence. By supporting the company’s diversity and inclusion goals, enABLE is committed to connecting and supporting Black and African American employees and allies within Micro Focus through awareness and education, professional development, and leadership opportunities.
Why is enABLE important to you, and why did you choose to lead the group?
Eric: I have been involved in ERGs since the start of my career and have seen the value firsthand of ERGs in various ways. Being involved with enABLE and other ERGs is important because of the impact we have on ensuring that every employee voice can be heard, representing unique and diverse points of view and interests. ERGs help to expand the circle to include new perspectives at all levels of the organization.
Everyone benefits from having a broader perspective and greater empathy. Personally, I’m happier and more engaged when I feel connected to others at work. The ERGs provide that sense of community and connection, even in a global company such as ours. Project work, problem solving, career management, and other daily realities of professional life are easier when you have strong relationships – and participation in the ERGs provides the opportunity to build on these relationships.
Why does Black History Month matter to you?
Eric: Black History Month is important to me because it is a time dedicated to reflect on, acknowledge and appreciate Black culture and the many achievements and sacrifices from brave, wise and courageous Black people, both past and present, to help build a better society. This is also a reminder of our individual challenge to be great and to inspire and educate others, not only during the month of February, but every day.
How can everyone get involved in supporting Black History Month?
Eric: Everyone should take part in building their own awareness of Black History Month and find opportunities to commit to creating more diverse and inclusive communities. Within Micro Focus, we are encouraging employees to join and participate in our webinars and visit our enABLE ERG to learn more.
Our commitment to Inclusion & Diversity at Micro Focus
We believe in the power of a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the customers and communities we serve. We value each of us and all of us every day. By embracing both diversity and inclusion, we enable the needs of our customers, drive new business, fuel innovation, and attract and engage our employees. This commitment is woven throughout Micro Focus INSPIRE, our corporate social responsibility global framework.
This blog was written by Paul Morgan, Leading Inclusion & Diversity and Employee Engagement at Micro Focus
This post was first first published on Home | Micro Focus Blog website by pmorganii. You can view it by clicking here