***This wasn’t the post I planned to write—that one was about our brand new performance management research (which you should check out)—but this is the newsletter blurb I needed to write, given the events of last Friday.*** 

Once again, as with #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo, what was political or personal became professional last week here in the US. The Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, impacting women, their healthcare, and in some instances, their jobs and livelihoods.

To this point, the most common response by organizations has been to ensure women still have access to reproductive healthcare by offering travel stipends to places offering that healthcare. Others are going further by allowing employees to relocate without business requirements. Others are donating financially to services that support reproductive care, including abortions. And others, like Patagonia and Live Nation entertainment, are going all-in— offering to pay the bail of employees arrested for peacefully protesting.

This is not, though, the approach taken by all companies. A significant number of companies—many of whom have publicly spoken out on issues such as #BlackLivesMatter and voter restrictions—have chosen not to respond—yet.

It’s easy to understand why: Abortion is a divisive and nuanced topic within the US, and coming up with an acceptable solution for everyone will be difficult, if not impossible.

As an HR leader, you are again on the front line of helping organizations manage through “unprecedented” times. And we know how hard this is.  

No one has a playbook for this (though those links might help), but everyone has experience and perspective that can help this community. To that end, we are convening a roundtable THIS Thursday, June 29, at 12:30 PM ET to discuss how organizations are responding. This will be a highly interactive, civil session. To facilitate that, we will be limiting enrollment. Join the waitlist here if you want to participate in the conversation.

We are in times that require our best leadership, greatest patience, and significant grace. I hope you all can find those qualities in the coming weeks and months— I know I am searching for them myself.