Open to All® Releases New Toolkit for Businesses That Want to Be More Welcoming and Inclusive
Open to All® is a national coalition that believes, when we work together, we have the power to change things for the better. Despite the challenges facing businesses big and small in 2020, we’re seeing owners, employees, and customers across the nation prioritizing the greater good. From patrons supporting local businesses that have implemented best practice health standards to protect employees from COVID-19, to corporate leaders who are calling on their colleagues to invest meaningfully in diversity, equity, and inclusion — we’re changing the way America does business.
We also know that change doesn’t come easily and that businesses across the country are struggling.
That’s why we have partnered with Yelp and Ralph Lauren to develop a new toolkit to support businesses — no matter their size or industry — to take the next step in creating an inclusive community where everyone is welcome.
Ralph Lauren is a proud member of Open to All® and our Leadership Circle of corporate leaders in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we are proud to partner with them to offer a new resource to businesses. Ralph Lauren launched the Respect & Inclusion training for their global employees in 2018 to provide an education on unconscious bias and how to mitigate bias to contribute to a culture of inclusion and belonging for their employees and customers. The training has been an integral part of onboarding new employees and keeping Ralph Lauren working towards that Open to All® vision. That’s why we’ve partnered to offer a training video to businesses that have taken the business pledge and support businesses that, despite unprecedented challenges, are committing to do the crucial work and having these important conversations.
Unlearning bias resources like this sixty-minute training video can provide crucial insight and understanding into implicit and explicit biases we all have that can profoundly impact the way employees and customers interact. In examining those biases thoughtfully and carefully, these trainings can support employees and owners who want to be more welcoming and inclusive.
If your business would like to access the training video, sign the business pledge and Open to All® will email you the password.
We are also thrilled to partner with Yelp, an Open to All® leader from the beginning, to share this resource with over 500,000 businesses that have activated the Open to All® attribute on their Yelp profile pages. In 2018, Yelp joined Open to All® and launched the Open to All® attribute, encouraging business owners to take the business pledge and make the commitment to create welcoming and inclusive spaces for customers, employees, and communities. Learn more from Yelp:
In this toolkit, businesses will find resources to let employees and customers know that the business is committed to maintaining a welcoming and safe environment. The toolkit includes templates to share with customers and employees to communicate that the business is part of this growing, nationwide campaign, including:
- outreach language for customers and employees;
- social media assets and graphics so businesses can share their support with customers online and at any physical locations;
- links to helpful resources and trainings; and,
- a 60-minute unlearning bias training video for employees that Open to All® created in partnership with Ralph Lauren.
At Open to All®, we believe we all have something to contribute. We believe we can all learn from each other. We believe that when we work together, when we value our employees, when we care for our customers and each other, we all thrive. Together, we are sending a clear message that, despite unprecedented challenges, we can and will achieve the vision of being truly Open to All®.
