Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | September 5, 2022 | Worcester Business Journal 17 "When You Don't Know Where You are Going, Any Road will Get You There..." -Lewis Carroll Navigating Through Uncertain Times Strategic Planning is Essential in Building Your Business and Sustaining Long-Term Growth ROCG is the business exit and value growth expert, and our proprietary 'end-in mind' business roadmap helps owners take control of their destiny with strategies to improve profit and performance, implement change and build business value. With more than four decades of proven experience, we have a unique understanding of family-owned and privately-held small to medium-sized businesses and family owned enterprises. ROCG offers customized solutions, not cookie cutter plans... and we know how to drive the results and guide you in successfully executing the plan. We Help Business Owners: • Develop strategic plans to meet long-term goals and financial lifestyle needs • Plan out tactics - action items to successfully execute the plan • Set milestones that work towards achieving the end goal • Facilitate accountability • Guide the successful execution to meet stated goals Want to learn more? Visit our website, or to set up a no-obligation consultation. Email or call us at (617) 412-4640 today. 617-412-4640 • americas.rocg.com ROCG - Shepherd & Goldstein Consulting Group, LLC Terry Shepherd Founding Partner Terence.Shepherd@rocg.com Matthew Allison Partner In Charge of S&G's Consulting Division Matt.Allison@rocg.com In uncertain times or periods of economic slowdown, we help you develop strategies to protect profitability as a first priority. D I V E R S I T Y & I N C L U S I O N F O C U S loudly spoken expectations on what is perceived to be professional in specific environments, especially corporate spaces. As a queer and nonbinary person assigned male at birth whose gender expression is usually quite visible (I have a beard and oen wear heels and makeup), I am very cognizant as to how my appearance may impact a business opportunity," said Joshua Croke, owner of Worcester social change agency Action! by Design. "I've had clients who were executives of corporations express concern for my appearance as a barrier to the team being able to focus and engage, and I've observed measurable differences in who talks to me and about what depending on what I'm wearing. I also want to acknowledge a privilege I have to cover if I want. Despite the harmful nature of covering [conforming to a dominant group or shielding oneself from it)] I can, if I choose, pass as a white cis male, which has a lot of benefits in corporate spaces," Croke said. According to an Human Rights Campaign study, more than 53% of LGBTQ+ workers hide their identity at the workplace, oen citing a persistent feeling of being unwelcome. Despite massive changes within the business industries, there still lacks a legal and consistent protection to LGBTQ+ individuals state to state. e CROWN Act protects our most disenfranchised individuals from hair discrimination, but will it ensure Black and brown people feel safe enough to present themselves authentically at work or school without reprimands? W Joshua Croke, owner of Action! By Design Workplace hair discrimination In 2019, the personal care product maker Dove and its CROWN Coalition nonprofit in Washington, D.C. surveyed 2,000 U.S. women aged 25-64, who worked in office settings, to uncover how societal norms and corporate grooming policies impact Black women in the workplace. ese are some key points from the survey's findings: • When shown separate pictures of the same hairstyle on Black and white women, the white woman's hair was rated 25% higher for job readiness than the Black woman's hair. • Black women said they are 80% more likely to change their natural hair to meet expectations at work. • Black women were 1.5 times more likely to have been sent home or know of a Black woman who was sent home from the office because of her hair. • Black hairstyles such as locs, braids, and bantu knots, were ranked the lowest for job readiness. • Black women received formal grooming policies from their company leaders at a rate significantly higher than white women. Source: CROWN Coalition

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