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A CASE FOR EMBRACING INTERSECTIONALITY AT WORK In today's rapidly evolving world, the need for inclusive spaces and progressive dialogues has never been more critical. The ERG model tends to overlook vast opportunities for synergy. At the heart of our exploration of intersectionality lies a fundamental question: how can we break free from the confines of siloed thinking? GET PHLUID aims to shed light on this challenge and advocate for more holistic and intersectional ERG strategies with three key questions. 1. What would happen if ERGs were successful in developing strategies, programming, and ways of working that enabled intersectionality across teams? • Genuine inclusion and a sense of belonging would permeate organizational culture, fostering an environment where every individual's unique identity is acknowledged and valued. • More accurate and collectively shared understandings of the corporate ethos, enriching interpersonal connections, and fostering a deeper sense of unity among employees. • Increased relatability to and understanding of a company’s consumer base. • Increased organizational bandwidth and efficiency. • Diverse perspectives leveraged to tackle challenges and seize opportunities. 2. What are the obstacles that prevent intersectional ERG efforts from occurring? • Limited time and bandwidth pose significant barriers, making it difficult for employees to engage fully in intersectional initiatives alongside their existing responsibilities. • Issues of representation arise, where diverse voices and perspectives might not be adequately heard or included within ERGs, hindering the breadth of intersectional discussions. • A lack of education and awareness about intersectionality further obstructs progress, as employees may not possess the necessary knowledge or understanding to engage in meaningful conversations. • Insufficient time and space allocated for planning and strategizing limit ERGs' capacity to develop intersectional approaches. 3. What issues resonate across multiple affinity groups that could create opportunities for co-sponsorship and collaboration? ERGs can work collaboratively on shared issue areas to advance intersectional goals. Key areas for intersectional initiatives include: • addressing issues related to excellence and access, delving into concepts such as perfectionism, unconscious bias, and code switching that affect individuals across various identities. • skill building and learning initiatives, encompassing areas such as career advocacy, mentorship, and community organizing, to empower individuals from different backgrounds. • mental health and caregiving, which often intersect with various identity factors. This issues-oriented approach can be used to create spaces more effectively where every individual feels seen, heard, and supported across the full spectrum of their identities. Learn more and join the conversation www.getphluid.com #leadership #inclusion #future Rob Smith The Phluid Project

Takeaways from Pride 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈 Three A's…Authenticity, Abundance, and Assertion This time of year provides just enough proximity to Pride Month for us to remember its strengths and challenges. Our team at GET PHLUID took the opportunity to sit with all we learned during Pride 2023 and to share our insights. 1. Authenticity Authentic support of the LGBTQ+ community helps mitigate backlash on all sides – even from detractors. When a brand is perceived by detractors as inauthentic, they will call it out as pandering to the LGBTQ+ community. Similarly, the community itself will recognize inauthenticity and call it out as tokenizing. Authenticity must be demonstrated and earned. Issues instead of Influencers: Do not rely on influencers who focus more on their own visibility than the visibility of issues affecting their community. Identify a meaningful connection to the community that relates to your business and brand and engage partners who can help you elevate and address that underlying issue. The partners should have subject matter expertise, ideally with experience as close as possible to the issue. Walk First, Then Run: Hastily entering a conversation without adequate listening and learning is reckless. The community can’t (and won’t) extend room for error – the stakes are too high. Detractors will claim it’s the overzealousness of a few executives – placing responsibility with select individuals instead of recognizing progressive organizational culture and widely-embraced values. Take your time, iterate, engage partners, and learn. Don’t be afraid to do something big, but don’t do it out of nowhere. Slow is better than fast – what matters is that your efforts are genuine, meaningful, and informed by the community. 2. Abundance We as humans often view recognition, affirmation and even love as finite. Scarcity mentality is insidious and quick to overcome a consumer’s posture about a brand, meaning that if a consumer doesn’t see themselves in your marketing campaigns, they might think you don’t value them. To say this another way, inclusion of one group could be perceived as erasure of another. One way to ensure your LGBTQ+ inclusion efforts are resilient over time is to show ongoing support for other communities and issues that complement and expand the full picture of your consumer base. “More is more” when it comes to helping everyone feel seen and valued. 3. Assertion Supporting Pride means asserting that LGBTQ+ lives matter to your company. Focus your Pride campaigns on issues that you are equipped to stand by no matter what. Do not waver. There are so many issues affecting the community, sometimes it is better to pick one you support unflinchingly rather than to select the latest issue of the day. Our team is fully committed to bring voice to these insights, supporting our corporate partners with authentic engagement year round To learn more, please visit www.GETPhluid.com #marketing #lgbtq #leadership Rob Smith #ceo