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Compassion, Fairness, Integrity, and Respect. There are no four words that I have said, typed, or written, more than those in the past few years. It was August of 2018 when Erin Sehnert, Caitland Stanbro, Chris Blaz, Julia Moline, and Carlos Davila kicked off the ORR Core Values Team effort, with the goal of making sure FEMA’s Core Values are part of everything we do. Almost three and half years later, the team has made successful strides. We have always treated survivors with Compassion, Fairness, Integrity, and Respect, and we are making positive changes and progress in treating one another, and our colleagues, with those same values.
We have done this in numerous ways. From the Core Values Chronicle that goes to the almost 10,000 ORR employees, to the Naming the Behavior workshops that we’ve done in ORR Directorates and with Federal Coordinating Officers; from ensuring the Core Values are front and center in every policy document, to expanding the team, and including colleagues who don’t shy away from the hard Tough Talk Tuesdays, and are there to be leaders and demonstrate the Core Values.
That being said, this is no time to rest. There is plenty of work to do. As I leave the Field Operations Directorate, demonstrating to one another Compassion, Fairness, Integrity, and Respect will continue to be an expectation and the standard for all of Response. The ORR Core Values Team is in the supremely capable hands of Leiloni Stainsby and Chad Gorman, who are not only champions of our Core Values, but fantastic leaders who will take the effort to new levels.
Finally, take care of yourselves, your friends, your families and your colleagues. Demonstrate Compassion, Fairness, Integrity, and Respect in everything you do. And stay safe.
- John Rabin | Assistant Administrator | Response Directorate | Office of Response and Recovery
To download FEMA Core Values resources for distribution and training, go to FEMA Pub 1 - We are FEMA! Intranet Site
To subscribe to the ORR Core Values Chronicles: Signup for FEMA Email Updates (govdelivery.com)
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This month's Staff Spotlight goes out to Carla Gammon!
I nominate Carla Gammon for representing the core value “respect”, which is “the practice of acknowledging the value of the people we work with and serve. We are committed to active listening and welcoming diversity of thought, opinion, and background.” One of Carla’s favorite sayings is, “never say anything unkind about anyone." She says this not because we are taught this in kindergarten, where rumor has it we learn everything! She says it because she sees value in everyone; it doesn’t matter your position or your title, or if she agrees with you on any particular subject, she will always demonstrate R-E-S-P-E-C-T. In addition to promoting this ethos throughout the agency, she also demonstrates this in her work with the Executive Women’s Group where she mentors women throughout the Federal Government. Way to go, Carla Gammon!
– Mary Anne Lyle | Supervisory Program Analyst | Guidance Development Office | Interagency Coordination Division
Would you like to nominate a colleague who exemplifies FEMA Core Values? Email FEMA-ORR-CoreValues-Team@fema.dhs.gov for more information.
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FEMA Core Value: Respect is the practice of acknowledging the value of the people we work with and serve. We are committed to active listening and welcoming diversity of thought, opinion, and background.
“It is humankind’s duty to respect all life…” – Albert Einstein
One of the four FEMA Core Values that our Agency is based on is Respect. In my short 5 years with the agency after 10 years in the private sector, I have come to learn that FEMA and the communities we serve are an ever changing melting pot of different backgrounds, ethnicities, life and work experiences, rituals, beliefs, etc. It is easy to respect someone you admire or who encompasses similar characteristics, likes and opinions, but we must also respect and value when others may not agree or have differences of opinions. Respect is looking outside of yourself to understand and value employees and the people we serve. Respect helps you begin to understand why your colleagues and communities respond in certain situations and the setting becomes more inclusive. It helps us work towards achieving our mission and goals as well as creates a good, engaging, and productive working environment allowing everyone to contribute equitably. Ask yourself: how much would it cost you to ensure courtesy or to create a space where anyone you encounter feels like a valuable member of a group? When we collaborate, welcoming all input, we safeguard our efforts to provide the best services and workplace. Always remember in any situation, treat someone how you would want to be treated.
– Shanika McCorvey | Program Analyst | Executive Office | Public Assistance Division
Would you like to share what FEMA Core Values means to you? Email FEMA-ORR-CoreValues-Team@fema.dhs.gov for more information.
Respect: Building Inclusive Teams
FORGET “What Fits” and FOCUS on helping employees thrive
“What Fits” can exclude. The “norms”, power structures, and inequalities in society can easily become a part of our agency through hiring practices, select training and rewards for those “Who Fit”. We need to refresh our values, mission and purpose, and define “What Fits” differently.
A starting point for this process looks like; Cultivating a culture where everyone has opportunities to contribute their full potential. We need to put a magnifying glass on the systems and processes in our agency and uncover sore spots and blind spots, and then find ways to rework them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y8SA6cLUys
Why We Need To Stop Talking About Diversity Of Thought
Diversity of thought is one outcome of successful diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts, but should not be the target in itself. By focusing on diversity of thought, we may distract ourselves from the real reasons we need to be focusing on DEI initiatives, and the internal culture shifts required to move the needle in a sustainable way.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/rebekahbastian/2019/05/13/why-we-need-to-stop-talking-about-diversity-of-thought/?sh=7070e3a267c3
Culture Improvement Site Launches for Employees
FEMA remains committed to understanding your lived experience in the workplace and promoting a professional, diverse, and respectful environment. We’ve released a second edition of the "Culture Improvement Action Plan" and a SharePoint site for you to find information about what we are doing across the agency and what you can do to help improve our culture and ensure our workplace is free of harassment and discrimination.
Explore the Culture Improvement site.
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Learn How to Provide Accessible Documents
To ensure full inclusion of people with disabilities, it is important to plan for, develop and provide accessible documents. The Section 508 Program is conducting weekly webinars on accessibility topics for electronic documents posted to a FEMA Website or shared with others.
Topics include: Microsoft Office, Adobe PDF documents, basic steps required to make an electronic document Section 508-conformant and accessible, and how to check your document for compliance.
To register for a webinar, please visit the Section 508 Training Calendar or contact the FEMA Accessibility Help Desk. Visit the 508 Accessibility Resource Center for additional information.
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9 Smart Strategies for Working With Difficult People
Research shows that getting along with the people you work with is vitally important -- for your company's overall productivity, and your own personal sense of happiness and fulfillment. But working closely in potentially stressful situations doesn't always bring out the best in people, so it's important to know how to address and de-escalate conflicts before they impact your quality of life -- or compromise your job.
(https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/working-with-difficult-people)
Standing Up for Your People - Showing Support When It Matters
When you stand up for people, you show that you're "on their side" when they need help. This builds long-term loyalty, trust, credibility, commitment, and morale in your team, and it gives your people a confidence boost.
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/standing-up-for-your-people.htm
Listening to understand: How to practice active listening (with examples)
What if we told you listening wasn’t as simple as, well, just listening? In fact, different types of listening go beyond learning—you can also listen to improve your relationships, deepen your connections, and build trust. In this article, we’ll walk you through the different types of listening and show you how active listening can help you listen to understand—not just respond.
Listening to Understand: How to Practice Active Listening (with Examples) • Asana
Setting Intentions for the New Year
"An intention, on the other hand, is more focused on inspiring you to be better, without implying that anything needs to be changed. It allows you to focus on your motivation and your purpose."
Senior advocate: Consider setting intentions for 2022 rather than resolutions: Senior advocate: Consider setting intentions for 2022 rather than resolutions (yahoo.com)
"Resolutions can conjure feelings of good or bad and success or failure. Whereas, intentions offer us a place of compassion, growth and grace."
Re-think your resolutions for the new year by making intentions instead: New Year's resolutions can be full of pressure. Try making intentions. (usatoday.com)
National Human Trafficking Awareness Month
Human trafficking, which includes forced labor and sexual exploitation of individuals, is a global criminal, social, and public health crisis impacting all populations — men, women, children and youth, U.S. citizens, and foreign nationals. Although human traffickers target both adults and minors, children and youth are particularly vulnerable.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has added additional layers to understanding and preventing human trafficking worldwide. across the globe. Disruptions to daily activities like attending school or working, increased economic hardships, and various COVID-19 mitigation efforts (such as stay-at-home orders) have increased the risk of trafficking, particularly among populations already vulnerable before the pandemic.
This month, learn how to recognize and prevent the signs of human trafficking and join us in taking a stand against this issue impacting children and youth in our communities. National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month | The Exchange (hhs.gov)
January 1: New Year's Day
Civilizations around the world have been celebrating the start of each new year for at least four millennia. Common traditions include attending parties, eating special New Year’s foods, making resolutions for the new year and watching fireworks displays. https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/new-years
January 11: National Human Trafficking Awareness Day
National Human Trafficking Awareness Day on January 11 raises awareness of the persistent issue of human trafficking. Though the entire month of January has already been recognized as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, this day is specifically dedicated to awareness and prevention of the illegal practice. https://nationaltoday.com/national-human-trafficking-awareness-day/
January 13: Korean American Day
On January 13, Korean American Day is celebrated to honor and highlight our friends of Korean descent who have made immeasurable contributions to this country for over a century, ever since the first immigration wave happened back in 1903. https://nationaltoday.com/korean-american-day/
January 13: FEMA's First Equity Day
As part of FEMA’s 2022-2026 Strategic Plan the agency will be hosting a Town Hall style session on Thursday, January 13, 2022 to discuss the agency’s new Strategic Plan Goal 1: Instill Equity as a Foundation of Emergency Management. This event presents an opportunity for the agency to hold FEMA’s first Equity Day.
Equity Day will bring the entire FEMA workforce together to understand what equity means for the agency, and how FEMA will advance equity through the 2022-2026 Strategic Plan. Leaders from across FEMA will engage in discussions around our ongoing and upcoming efforts to integrate equity into our workforce, practices, and communication. The workforce will hear directly from FEMA leadership about their commitment to achieving the objectives outlined in the Strategic Plan to cultivate a more diverse workforce, remove barriers to our programs, and achieve equitable outcomes for all those we serve.
January 17: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Each year on the third Monday of January we observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and reflect on the work that still needs to be done for racial equality. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was designed to honor the activist and minister assassinated in 1968, whose accomplishments have continued to inspire generations of Americans. King was the first modern private citizen to be honored with a federal holiday and it wasn’t until 2000 that every state in the Union finally observed Martin Luther King Jr. Day. https://www.history.com/news/martin-luther-king-jr-day-controversial-origins-of-the-holiday
January 18: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Commemoration
In commemoration of MLK Day, the FEMA African American Employee Resource Group (FERG), National Service Alumni FERG, and Office of Equal Rights will host an event on Tuesday, January 18, 2022, from 2:00-3:00pm Eastern. This year’s theme is “The Urgency of Creating a Beloved Community: Advancing Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity in FEMA.”
All FEMA employees are invited to attend. Reservist employees are encouraged to attend; however, attendance is voluntary, and compensation is not authorized.
If you require a reasonable accommodation or would like to submit a question for the panelists in advance please contact the Office of Equal Rights Disability Unit at FEMA-reasonable accommodation@fema.dhs.gov.
January 26: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Intersectionality Workshop
The FEMA Hispanic/Latinx Resource Group is hosting a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Intersectionality Workshop. This session will explain the concept of intersectionality and offer reflective and analytical tools for staff to build their understanding. The event will take place on January 26 at 10:00am Central/11:00am Eastern time. For registration to attend, send an email to FEMA-Hispanic-Resource-Group@fema.dhs.gov.
January 27: International Holocaust Remembrance Day
The United Nations General Assembly designated January 27—the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau—as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this annual day of commemoration, the UN urges every member state to honor the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and millions of other victims of Nazism and to develop educational programs to help prevent future genocides. International Holocaust Remembrance Day — United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (ushmm.org)
Next Month (February): Equity in Action
Join us on Wednesday, February 16, 2022 as the Oglala Lakota Emergency Management Team share how equity drove their COVID-19 Response. This 2-hour panel discussion will share the tribe’s equity best practices as they served their 49,000 members. The tribe was able to streamline their assistance process, prioritize tribal elders, children and those with additional needs and provide employment opportunities that did not exist prior to COVID 19. This discussion and resulting best practices will serve as a resource for the future of equitable disaster assistance.
Time: 12:00 – 2:00 pm MDT (11:00am - 1:00pm PDT, 1:00 - 3:00pm CDT, 2:00 - 4:00pm EDT)
Zoom: TBD
Women's Forum
Women's History Month (WHM) March 2022 Planning Engagement Committee meeting on Friday, January 14 at 2:00 pm EST.
Send an email to fema-womens-forum@fema.dhs.gov for more information.
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Seasoned Employee Resource Group (SERG)
SERG will hold its next meeting on January 25 at 2pm EST. We will be planning out our year ahead and polling our members about issues/topics they would like to see the SERG address in the coming months. For information about how to join, send an email to FEMA-SERG@fema.dhs.gov
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Hispanic-Latino Resource Group (FHERG)
The FHERG is hosting a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Intersectionality workshop. This session will explain the concept of intersectionality and offer reflective and analytical tools for staff to build their understanding. The lead facilitator is Bianca Kapadia who works in the Region 6 Texas Recovery Office and has facilitated similar workshops across the Agency.
The event will take place on January 26 at 10:00am Central/11:00am Eastern time.
Contact FEMA-Hispanic-Resource-Group@fema.dhs.gov for more information.
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FEMA is committed to maintaining a workforce that reflects our Nation’s rich diversity and capitalizes on the varied cultural, professional, and ethnic backgrounds of our workforce and those we serve. The commitment to diversity and inclusion requires creating sustainable programs and initiatives to ensure the retention of a diverse and inclusive workforce.
In addition to the programs sponsored by the Office of the Chief Component Human Capital Officer (OCCHCO), the Office of Equal Rights (OER), and the Inclusive Diversity Council (IDC), FEMA formalized the policies and procedures for FEMA Employee Resource Groups (FERGs).
FERGs are voluntary, employee-led groups that serve as a resource for FEMA employees to foster a diverse, inclusive workplace aligned with FEMA’s mission and values. FERGs will assist with recruitment and outreach events; organize networking and mentoring opportunities; and host commemorative, cultural, educational, and social events. FERGs offer a valuable mechanism to foster innovation, facilitate communication between employees and senior leaders, and provide employee development opportunities.
The successful implementation of FERGs require the active support of senior leaders. Each FERG must be sponsored by a Senior Executive Service member and two co-sponsors to manage FERG activities. All employees are encouraged to participate in a FERG to help FEMA achieve its diversity and inclusion goals.
For a list of all FERGS, visit:
https://usfema.sharepoint.com/teams/OCCHCOHCI/DIEE/IDC/FERG/Pages/default.aspx
The ORR Core Values Team appreciates your participation and feedback. We want our content to be concise, interesting, and useful. Please send your comments, ideas, and content to the ORR Core Values Team inbox at: FEMA-ORR-CoreValues-Team@fema.dhs.gov
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