Too young? Think again...

This phrase gets passed around over and over and over - with little to no meaning: you're just too young.  What exactly does a person's age have to do with what they are able or not able to do?  Being young does not necessarily mean that you are immature.  There are actually quite a few young people that I would say are more mature than their older counterparts.

The issue with this phrase is not that I want younger people to do stuff that is meant for more mature people, but it is denying a large group of people the opportunity to prove their worthiness.  This comes in the way of denying young people key responsibility roles, all the way to rejecting them for jobs simply because they are "too young".  If they were given this chance and failed - then yes, it's fair to say they were not suitable for the position, but this has nothing to do with their age.

This doesn't just affect the youth of today but it affects the generation below them as well.  Young kids are coddled more than ever before, less trusted, and overall shut off from opportunities that they might have been able to take in earlier days.  This is working against them, not for them - the more protected they are when they are young means the more unprepared they will be when they have to enter the real world.  Mistakes are what help you learn, if they are never able to have these opportunities; they would be severely lacking in life experience by the time they reach adulthood.

What is my suggestion?  I suggest that we should start taking more chances on young people.  What's the worst that happens? They make a mistake or they fail?  Failure is an important part of learning - and if it is really that bad you can fire them/ take away the opportunity.  However, no one ever thinks about WHAT IF they SUCCEED!  Think about how much you could be adding to their life by giving them this simple chance.

This idea wasn't sparked by just one situation of someone saying "you're too young" to me or someone else I know - it is about a continuous trend I've observed these past few years.  Some of these "adults" are going so far as to suggest that young people (above 18 but under 25) should not have rights as an adult, but instead as a child.  Let's stand against this lack of trust in our youth and give them a chance instead.

Let me know what you think about this situation below!

Just say NO to plastic bags!

Christmas shopping season is among us.  Everyone is out buying gifts and toys for children, families and loved ones.  We are out shopping till we drop this season - and where exactly do all of these purchases go?  Most likely a plastic bag.

This doesn't seem like that big of a deal, that is until you get home and you realize that you have been collecting more plastic bags than gifts themselves.  They are so freely given, baggers don't even ask if you want one anymore it is just an assumption that plastic is all you have to carry your purchases out to your car/home.  These little bags just sit in our homes collecting until there are just so many we can't store them anymore.  I however, have found 2 different solutions to this problem.

• Say "NO!" to plastic bags, or any disposable packaging if possible

Before I even think of going to the store I bring along my handy recycled reusable grocery bag.  With two of them you can take home almost everything you buy and they are much sturdier.  You don't need to worry about double bagging the milk (how wasteful) and you don't have 15 little bags to take in after you get home, just one bag per hand.  It is convenient and efficient.  Plus, after you get home you don't have to find a place to stuff all those extra plastic bags.  Moreover, you don't have to worry about what it does to the environment if you were to throw them away.  No worrying  about the increasing swarm of plastic floating in the ocean harming marine life and polluting our shores.  You will no longer be contributing to the over 1 trillion plastic bags used each year with only 1 of every 200 being recycled.  If you are interested in purchasing one or learning more about why we should stop using plastic bags I have found a great link: http://www.reuseit.com/facts-and-myths/learn-more-facts-about-the-plastic-bag-pandemic.htm

Another instance to refuse plastic bags wouldn't just be at the grocery store but at the food counter.  While preparing your sandwich and a drink they get out a plastic bag to put one napkin and your sandwich.  Is it really worth it?  Although it is an automatic reflex for the employees to start putting your food in a bag, you can quickly intervene and say "oh, I don't need one".  Who knows it might inspire the guy waiting in line behind you to do the very same thing.  

Finally, as a woman I have my handbag on me at most times.  It's intended purpose was to carry things.  So, when you buy small things throughout the day do you really need all these plastic bags accumulating or could you just quickly pop it into your hand bag?  Each time you say no to a plastic bag you are saving not only the ocean from being more polluted but you are reducing the demand on the production of plastic bags.  Although small, our impact is the beginning to a global trend to save the earth.

• Recycle for the benefit of society

There are already a ton of plastic bags in your home if you have just started using reusable bags.  You don't want to throw them away because it is bad for the environment.  However, you are unable to use them all again.  You can either go to the grocery store and recycle them (which only takes certain types of plastic) or you can "upcycle" them.

If you want to help the community and be good to the environment, why don't you take those used plastic bags and start a craft project for a cause.  More specifically I am talking about helping the homeless.  A few days ago I saw a project online about these women crocheting together a plastic sleeping mat for the homeless.  Seeing that there are a lot of homeless in my community that could use some help too I decided to put my bags to use as well.  You can follow this project and gather bags to re-purpose them for a better use such as this, or you can come up with your own project on how to recycle these bags.

What should be taken from this though is that there is always many different creative solutions to helping the environment, and to get yourself and others engaged its always more fun to take a creative route.  Normal recycling is great, but it isn't something that you are excited to do everytime you use these bags.  So, what I want you to take from this is to not just recycle but make it fun, and make it powerful.  Every time I come home to my project I feel motivated to help others and I remember why I am doing all of this in the first place.  Also it makes others very curious about my projects as well, which is a talking point allowing you a platform to make others more aware of their impact on the globe.

Overall I hope now you all will say "NO!" to these wasteful plastic bags, because the more we reduce the less we need to find ways to recycle.  

Responsibly Overcoming the Language Barrier

"我告诉你。。。我什么都听不懂!"

Although this phrase seems foreign to us, it is actually quite common... it's one of misunderstanding.  We face language barriers everyday.  Maybe not with Mandarin Chinese to English, but from different languages or even to simply different accents or vocabulary your diverse work force is struggling through miscommunication after miscommunication.  According to the study "The Impact of Language Barriers on Trust Formation in Multinational Teams", by Helene Tenzer, Markus Pudelko, and Anne-Wil Harzing explains that even simple errors and misinterpretations can lead members of the team and company to believe a certain employee is incompetent.  Clearly, this shows how important we perceive language to be - something that can prove if you have knowledge in another unrelated area.  However, this is just a perception, not the truth - you could be completely illiterate and yet be a great at another unrelated skill.

Society has placed upon us the need for language, and the corporate world has stressed its importance even more.  If you are unable to present yourself in a professional well spoken manner you are perceived to be sloppy or too casual which when generalized is applied to your entire career instead of just your language abilities.

I started to realize this on a personal level that my colleagues perceived me as having less ability in my job due to my language barrier.  Instead of just presuming I could efficiently do my job correctly even though I had difficulty expressing myself in their native language they believed due to my incompetence in their language I must be incompetent in other areas such as my job duties (however unrelated).  In relation to corporate social responsibility this lead me to believe that if a company intentionally employs people who are diverse and have different language levels there should be some methods to implement to assure that all employees are able to work as a team instead of being separated by the wall of language.

I would like to provide some of my suggestions of what companies could do to be socially responsible when it comes down to their employees and their language.

Language Lessons

• This doesn't necessarily mean buying Rosetta Stone for everyone in your company that doesn't speak the language fluently, nor does it mean that you need to hire an expensive personal tutor either.  Simple lessons are helpful enough to someone working hard and trying their best to communicate with the company language.  A simple gesture of creating something like a photo dictionary of key words or a general explanation of the company lingo will help quickly improve the communication through the language barrier.

Hire Multilingual's

• Although it may be difficult to find employees who speak more than one language, if your aim is to be diverse - this is one way to alleviate tension between coworkers.  People who speak only one language have a difficult time relating to how difficult it is to learn a language fluently with all of the nuances of grammar and specific vocabulary.  This could possibly create problems when there are misunderstandings due to language as they might expect the  colleague to be more advanced in the language or might also wrongly assume that they don't understand the job if they aren't able to express themselves clearly in the language.  Multilingual would  not only understand the difficulty of learning a language but they would be able to help the non-native speaker to feel more comfortable and reassure them.
• If hiring multilingual's is too difficult, another option would be to create an incentive to learning a second language so that everyone can experience what it is like to not be able to fully communicate.  Moreover, adding a second language to the companies repertoire of skills benefits the business as well as the employees cognitive well-being.

Allow the Employee to Teach Their Language

• Sometimes a word or an idea just doesn't exist in another language.  It might be very frustrating to someone who doesn't speak the company language perfectly to express themselves when they are missing key vocabulary.  One way to avoid this unnecessary frustration is allow specific moments for the non-native speaker to teach their language as well so that the whole office can benefit and be more international.  This creates comfort for the employee as well as increases other employees interest into learning other cultures and being more accepting in general.

Avoid "Professional" Flowery Language and Speak Clearly

• Nothing stops language learning more than over-complicated unnecessarily flowery vocabulary.  Speaking clearly and explaining ideas thoroughly alleviates much of this problem.  Speaking clearly doesn't just entail enunciating your words, but it also includes avoiding complicated vocabulary and not using idioms to express ideas.
• If an employee doesn't understand a specific word, try to explain what the word means.  For example if they don't understand the word "robber" instead explain more clearly that it is someone who steals/ takes something that doesn't belong to them.  Not only will this reinforce the new word but it allows the time for the employee to understand better what you are talking about.

Use Gestures and Body Language 

• Body language experts have come to a consensus that about 50-80% of our communication is through gestures and expressions.  This is perfect for those who are managing or working with someone who has difficulty expressing themselves clearly through the company language; it helps both parties.  It helps you because you will be able to communicate more clearly if you use specific facial expressions or gestures to explain what you want or communicate a general message.  Also it helps the employee because in case they have said something they might not have meant you will be able to tell by their facial expression and non-verbal communication  that they meant something different and you can clarify to avoid miscommunication which could lead to more serious issues.

Be Patient With Non-native Speakers

• Patience is the key when dealing with communication problems, on both sides.  The learner needs patience when receiving feed back as well you when you are trying to teach the proper way to communicate in the company.  The language learning process is a trying one, full of mistakes and blunders.  If one can be patient through this it will give the language learner all the more confidence to try and communicate without having to fear the repercussions for making a simple mistake. This will not only speed up the language learning process but it will also build a relationship based off of trust.  It will allow you to see through the language barrier and realize that the employee doesn't lack skills - they might even do the job the best.  With patience you can see the problem for what it is - a language difference, nothing more.

With all of this taken into consideration, I hope that companies can act in a more caring and understanding way to those who are struggling to express themselves.  Your mother tongue is always going to be the most comfortable, however companies shouldn't put more discomfort and pressure than there already is on learning a language.  There is always more that can be learned and more that can be done to ensure that the corporate culture is satisfactory for all who are employed.

Corporate Diversity - the Key to Good Business?

Lanzhou, China

I am inspired to write this post because I am lucky enough to work and go to school in a place where almost no one is the same nationality as me - and even if they are, they come from the other side of the country.  I for one would never give up the opportunity to work with such a diverse and international group of people, and one of the main reasons is that it leads to better business practices.  I want to list some of the reasons I think diversity plays a large role in effective business practice as well as social responsibility.

Boston, MA, USA

Corporate Culture - Unfortunately this day and age many companies force their staff to adhere strictly to their culture instead of allowing an international culture to thrive.  It is within this international and diverse corporate culture that everyone is able to be included instead of some feeling left out or changed into the mold their boss wants them to become.  This sort of international culture can teach about the different cultures of the clients but also opens up a pathway for others to understand different backgrounds.  Not only will this enhance customer service, but it will enhance the relationship between colleagues at work as they grow to understand each other and embrace their differences.

Open Mindedness - Truly open minded people are few and far between, and there always seem to be biases no matter how much you teach people to be accepting.  I have gotten into many saddening discussions where people have unfortunately denounced an entire group of people just because they have had one bad experience.  Diversity would stop this nonsense because if there are or were any biases or social misconceptions about a certain group of people, working along side them would make everyone in the office realize that in the end everyone is human and even though we are all different; that is what makes us unique.  I think there are many places that could use a little more work place diversity just for this reason.

Sierre, Switzerland

Expanded Market Reach- International workers speak many languages and can serve customers much farther away than just your city or country. Also they would have the ability to reach untapped markets within your own community filled with many different minorities.

Paris, France

Learning Opportunities -  Forget about going to another country to learn about different people and different ways of life - you can learn directly in your own company.  One of the greatest lessons you can learn by being exposed to other cultures is that you can open up to many different solutions to solving problems.  Your own culture doesn't have to dictate the way you solve problems anymore, you open yourself up to many different opportunities due to this.

Globalization -  Overall, the world is becoming more and more globalized, it's inevitable that diversity is going to play a role in your company.  This new globalization trend is going to change not only how companies operate but it will change the world culture - so why not be ready ahead of time?

In conclusion, I think diversity is probably one of the largest keys to doing good business.  Not only will it improve working life and understanding but it is socially responsible as well.  Maybe not all diversity programs are able to accomplish what they are supposed to achieve these days, but if we work harder especially in the service industry I am sure that a global change would be readily welcomed.

Istanbul, Turkey

What exactly are you spending? Money? Think again...

The other night I was watching a very interesting video recommended by a friend called Human Extended Version Volume 1. Although this is a very powerful video and had many important messages and questions for us as human beings, there was one line that struck me the hardest.  Near the end of the video there was a man who really got me thinking about life and society in itself.  He was speaking generally about the economy but the human condition in itself.  He ever so thoughtfully posed the question: What exactly is money itself?  A seemingly basic question when you were brought up in a society who never questioned its origin - however I wanted to dive deeper.

He explained that money is not just a device we use to purchase materials, it was not simply a valuable stone, coin, or gold backed piece of paper.  In fact he realized that money was nothing more than a quantity of time.  This takes the idea of money back to the source - work.  When you work you are spending time helping others (bosses, managers, customers), and in compensation for your time they give you something called money that you can exchange with others who share their time to help you.  It seems simple, and not very important as it is just the "middle man" so to speak.  That basically by buying certain products we are giving parts of our lives away to obtain them.

Take for instance if I was working a minimum wage job at around 8 dollars an hour.  When I needed to buy a new shirt which on average from a typical shop is around 20 dollars - that means this shirt is worth around 3.8 hours of my life.  How much did you spend on your closet?  Time is not something you can earn or get back like money, so why do we treat employees as if they are only worth 2 or 3 shirts per day?

Using time to buy products makes me ask why certain people's time is worth much more than others.  If this is how we are to value each other in society how is it that someone who scrubs the floor all day is worth exponentially less than the boss who manages all of the housekeepers?  I do understand that certain positions need more or less experience, education, and skill to obtain and thus should be compensated greater amounts, but how many times more is too much?

When it comes to being socially responsible I want to ensure equality among those who spend their lives working for what seems to be very unequal wages and thus also must unequally spend their lives continually working for the basics instead of the luxuries.  For instance in a relatively moderate company such as a hotel the general manager typically makes over 2 times more than their hourly employees such as front desk workers or bellboys.  If you were to take this to a larger extreme such as a large shopping outlet like JCPenny, the CEO was making more than 1795 times more money than their workers for the same amount of time (David Herris Gershon, retrieved from  http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/10/27/1251041/-JC-Penney-CEO-Makes-1-795-More-Than-Workers-Largest-Gap-in-U-S-as-Company-Loses-73-Value).

Overall, to be socially responsible one must think of what money really represents before deciding what employees deserve to earn.  Of course different jobs require different amounts of compensation but the effects of a wage 1000 times higher than employees can send not only the wrong message to the customers but it undervalues the lives of the employees since to earn this money they are giving up their time.  Awareness is always the start to making changes.

Be Inspirational

Being part of this responsibility pact is not about sitting back and being quiet about what you believe.  You need to step out there and deliver your points, and hopefully inspire some like-minded souls to travel down a similar path of social responsibility.  I am still on my journey of working towards being inspirational in terms of the responsibility pledge. However, I am glad to have found inspiration to blog about it from one fellow colleague of mine, a blogger named Caterina Solang.

We speak different languages, we have different backgrounds, we don't even write about the same topics.  The only similarity between us is that we are both inspired by HER passion for blogging.  Yes, you read correctly - she has the ability to inspire herself through passion as well.

After talking with her for a few hours I was starting to feel more and more enthusiasm for blogging - even though I had never even tried before.  Just the way she goes about her blogging and talks about it to different people sparks intense interest in each of us willing to lend an ear.  I was so interested into why she was tremendously excited all the time about the blogging world that I even decided it was a good idea to join myself - and I am very thankful for that.  She has inspired me and I am sure many others while she was simply just being herself and doing what she loves.

We need more people to inspire in the world, and more people who we can look up to.  That is why I have compiled a list of how to be  inspirational - especially when spreading the message of being socially responsible and green.  The more people who have this spark ignited within them will cause a greater trend of positive change.  So, without further adieu:

How to Be Inspirational

Follow your own path.

1. Be yourself - the thing that truly inspires people is the fact that we notice that you are actually a real person.  The fact that "it" really can be done!  Its very motivating to know that others who have gone before you have succeeded.
2. Speak up - Although you might be doing everything right, you aren't being heard.  Unless you speak up about what you are doing and why it is worthwhile no one will have the opportunity to be inspired by your story.
3. Do the right thing - This doesn't mean do what people tell you is right, but instead do what you know is right.  Change is almost always greeted with opposition - so don't be afraid to face the critics.

Overall, although the main aim is to inspire others to follow your new responsible lead - the main thing I want from this small list is that you all learn to be inspired by yourself.  Just as Caterina has been able to keep up her amazing blog not for others nor for praise, but for her true love of literature; I hope that you can inspire yourself to keep on being green and socially responsible no matter the criticism or difficulty.  Take your own path - and see how far it goes, and if all else fails you can still look back and inspire yourself to continue and who knows who will want to tag along on the way.

One Man...

How would you define humanity if all it contained was one man?  What would this one man's power become?

Be conscientious of our precious world - and make a difference!

The reality is that one man alone cannot do much for the world - but luckily for us in 2015 there are 7 billion people on this earth that can be inspired by just one man to make a change.  This is what I want you as a reader to realize - that with your solitary action to make a change that you will inspire others to make a difference.  It might be a slow process, maybe only one person joins for years but in the end if you have just one follower that means already you have the power of 2 just by one action and support.

This blog is meant for those of us who are wishing to make a difference by creating personal social responsibility plans. Our solitary actions can influence others to make the same sort of change.  It doesn't even need to be radical, just a small change such as reducing food waste.  Each step we take the world is thanking us.

I know it is hard in the modern day to be conscientiousness of the world, its people, and the way we work together ... but if there is one thing that is important for the future of man its that we need to learn to be more conscientious of these types of decisions we make.  In this blog we will start small and move forward as we learn more together.

This will be the catalyst for our change in responsible behaviors.  I look forward to writing more posts on this subject and feel free to message me if you have any articles you would like to see.

Wishing everyone the best in our new socially responsible endeavor,
Rachel