A lot of folks ask us if we should have term limits for DEI committees. The answer is unequivocally yes. Here’s why: Term Limits Reduce a lot of pressure It’s always difficult to know when you’re going to start something, but it’s even more difficult to know when you’re going to end something. Often times people to sign up for diversity committees feel like they’re making a lifelong commitment. They don’t need to. By putting a finite time on it, they know how long her commitment is, and they know how long they have to get things done. Term Limits Foster Equity If you have term limits, then yo ..read more

On the day that we launched Holistic, the first thing we did was set out to write an employee survey. Even as we were doing it, we publicly stated, "We don't want to just be an employee survey company," but we quickly realized that understanding employee sentiment was crucial to our success at Holistic. Over the past five years, this has been confirmed. We have conducted hundreds of employee surveys, including multiple surveys for the same clients over several years. Utilizing our service has fueled tremendous success and a deeper understanding of companies. Listening to employees has never b ..read more

Quitting jobs has always been a part of business and life. Even though the "great resignation" is technically over, quitting is still a significant aspect of the workplace and will continue indefinitely. The challenges in quitting, including the switch to a mostly remote environment during the pandemic, have made it more complicated. One notable change in recent years is that quitting over Zoom or virtually is now more acceptable since it's not an in-person interaction. In fact, millions of Americans have quit jobs without ever meeting their bosses face-to-face. This unfamiliar territory call ..read more

We had a pretty interesting moment with a client the other day in a meeting as we were talking through some challenges. For me, it was one of those “Now I remember why I do this job” type of moments, one of those moments where you have a truly interesting question to consider, and in the process of doing so, you are able to evoke your “why” – your motivation for doing what you do. Here’s the situation: This company with which we work was looking for executive sponsors for two employee resource groups (ERGs) that didn’t yet have sponsors. One of the ERGs was for people of color within the firm ..read more

The following messages have been compiled from the leadership and staff at Holistic in response to the decision by the Supreme court on June 24, 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade, thereby revoking a woman’s right to abortion. We are grateful to all of our team members who were compelled to express their opinions and emotions on this sensitive matter.  Company Response “The decision by the United States Supreme Court to overturn Roe v Wade is a travesty; it is an assault on human decency, autonomy, freedom and the future of this nation. As a business, Holistic unequivocally rejects inequity in ..read more

Holistic met Martha Kendler this past spring when we worked with her to create and co-facilitate a Neurodiversity Allyship training for CircleCI. We recently had the chance to interview and learn more from her about her accomplishments, and contributions to the DEI space. Thanks so much for chatting with us Martha! What does your professional background look like? Before I go into my professional background, I think it’s worth mentioning that I grew up in a family with twelve children and was especially close to my sister Becca who has cognitive disabilities. My relationship with her makes me ..read more

The use of employee  surveys has become ever growing in the world of business. An effective employee survey has the capacity to quantify employee engagement, and thus help corporations tailor their work environment to the needs of their staff. Holistic knows that happy employees make for better, more productive employees and we believe collecting employee sentiment is the recipe for success. This week we chatted with one of Holistic’s lead consultants, Guthrie Blechman, for their advice on how to conduct effective employee surveys. Here are their #threetips: Keep it brief and to the poi ..read more

For Holistic’s February book club, the team read Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth by Sarah Smarsh. The goal of our book club is to connect and explore the ways in which we can utilize the lessons learned from our reading to propel DEI in our work and lives. Smarsh’s memoir sparked conversations about social class, poverty, and the overarching ramifications of economic inequality. Read some of our teammates’ thoughts and reflections on the significance of Heartland below! Guthrie Blechman: “Heartland brought poor rural Americans to the center o ..read more

We’re excited to introduce Dakotah Poitra, one of our newest Associate Consultants! Learn more about her career journey and what excites her about life in this interview. Tell us about your new role at Holistic! What do you do? Who are you working with? I am celebrating my 8th week at Holistic! Since being at Holistic for almost two months, I have already learned so much and met an amazing group of co-workers and clients. At Holistic, I work as an Associate Consultant and primarily work alongside Lead Client Consultants in any supportive capacity that I can.  We’re interested in learning ..read more

As we reflected on what really mattered to us in 2021, we created a new employee benefit that mirrors our values and our commitment to making the world a more fair and equitable place. This month, we are officially launching "Holistic Gives," our new employee charitable giving program. Holistic will donate $200 on behalf of each team member to a charity or non-profit of their choosing. We will be highlighting our team members throughout the year and sharing their donation stories. Follow along throughout the year as we highlight the charities our team has selected and what “Holistic Gives” me ..read more