Presenter: Hanadi Chehabeddine, Hanadi SBC
In this Spotlight, Hanadi Chehabeddine reveals the race and religion-based realities of workforce exclusion. She first shares a brief description of her own story of “rebranding her faith” upon her arrival to the U.S. and after being exposed to the media narrative to then becoming a public speaker, Human Rights award recipient and media & HR consultant. The second part of the presentation will redefine to the audience what it means to be Muslim in America and tackle widely held misconceptions that people have about Muslims: Why don’t Muslims denounce terrorism? Are women oppressed in Islam? What is Sharia Law? What does Islamophobia really about? In this segment, will describe the crossroad on which the larger community comes across Muslims’ faith practices like prayer, fasting, and other acts of worship. The third part of the presentation will offer practical tips toward a more harmonious community and workplace environment. She will share three notions that HR professionals might falsely have about Muslim employees and pinpoint the different forms of biases that may be taking place at work. She will define important steps that will lead up to a more inclusive workplace and better employee retention and productivity. will share how human resource professionals can create a faith-friendly work environment for Muslims and why this is such an important issue in our current political climate. Through her personal approach and storytelling she will create a safe space for open questions that will be answered in grounded knowledge and with grace. The audience will leave this session with practical action-items that they can implement and potential ideas that can transform their work environment.