Resources for Businesses

HOW CAN MY BUSINESS SUPPORT OPEN TO ALL?

Now that you’ve signed the Open to All business pledge, check out our Resources for Businesses page and find resources to support your employees and communicate to your customers that you are Open to All^®.

HOW DO I GET AN OPEN TO ALL WINDOW CLING?

If you’re a business committed to diversity and inclusion, sign the Open to All business pledge and join our national campaign. When you sign up, you will have access to Open to All resources including window clings you can display to show your support publicly for a tax-deductible fee of $10 per window cling. Click here to order additional window clings. Open to All is a nonprofit, and the $10 donation is to help offset the cost of printing, mailing, and our Open to All staff time.

WHAT’S THE “OPEN TO ALL” ATTRIBUTE FIELD ON YELP?

Yelp offers an “Open to All^®” attribute to its business page listings. This is a check box on the “More Business Info” section of each business’s page (alongside other check boxes such as “Accepts Credit Cards,” “Takes Reservations,” and “Gender Neutral Bathrooms”). Checking the box allows businesses to designate their business as “Open to All.”

If your business wants to indicate it is “Open to All” on Yelp, click here for a visual tutorial on activating the new attribute.

WHAT IF AN INCIDENT HAPPENS WITH ONE OF MY CUSTOMERS OR WITH ONE OF MY EMPLOYEES?

We know that being Open to All can involve an ongoing dialogue. Why? Because even the best-intentioned businesses or employees sometimes might not understand that certain interactions with customers, clients, vendors, and employees could potentially create an environment that is not welcoming to all.

When businesses declare that they are Open to All, that’s an important first step in starting that dialogue. If someone has an experience that suggests your business isn’t Open to All, engage in a conversation. Open to All also encourages customers to engage in dialogue with businesses to help them understand what a particular interaction felt like, why it felt welcoming or unwelcoming, what the business is doing well now, and how they hope a business can do better in the future.

If your business has taken the time to designate yourself as Open to All, welcome that feedback and encourage that discussion. It’s important for both parties to assume best intentions and look for constructive solutions.

WHY SHOULD OUR LAWS REQUIRE BUSINESSES THAT SERVE THE PUBLIC TO TREAT EVERYONE FAIRLY?

As a nation, we decided a long time ago that when a business opens its doors to the public, it should serve everyone on the same terms. Most businesses want to do the right thing, but there are some that will only do what’s right when the law requires it. We are all entitled to our beliefs. But that shouldn’t give businesses a license to discriminate. Nobody should be turned away from a business simply because of who they are.

WERE YOU NOT OPEN TO ALL BEFORE THIS PLEDGE?

Your business may always have supported the values of Open to All and you joined to express those values publicly to your employees, customers, community, and vendors. Or perhaps your company is on a journey to being more welcoming and this is the first step. Either way, the pledge would align with company values and policies to create a space where all can thrive.

WHY DID OUR BUSINESS SIGN THE PLEDGE?

Your employees will want your company to answer this in an authentic way that rings true for you. Most companies join Open to All because the pledge aligns with company values and policies to create a space where all can thrive. Click here for a sample email to employees sharing why a company became Open to All.

HOW CAN INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEES SUPPORT THIS EFFORT?

1. Encourage and allow discussion and dialogue from customers about our values when they see the pledge.
2. Be open to hearing different views and feedback.
3. Commit to sharing the pledge with all new employees.

HOW CAN EMPLOYEES EXPLAIN TO CUSTOMERS WHAT THE PLEDGE MEANS?

If asked what the pledge means, explain how the pledge aligns with our core values that celebrate individuality, inclusion, and treating all people with respect, dignity, and fairness to ensure our workplaces and stores are welcoming spaces for everyone. Signing the pledge is an opportunity to stand alongside other businesses to work toward greater equality and a sense of belonging for everyone.

HOW DO SHOULD EMPLOYEES RESPOND IF SOMEONE HAS AN INCIDENT OR AN ISSUE WITH OUR BUSINESS?

When businesses declare that they are Open to All, that’s an important first step in engaging in that dialogue. If a customer has an experience that suggests your business isn’t Open to All, employees should call a manager or someone who has the skills to engage the customer in a conversation. Open to All encourages customers to engage in dialogue with businesses to help them understand what a particular interaction felt like, why it felt welcoming or unwelcoming, what the business does well, and how they hope a business can do better in the future.

If your business has taken the time to designate yourself as Open to All, welcome that feedback and encourage that discussion. It’s important for both parties to assume best intentions and look for constructive solutions.

WHY SHOULD EMPLOYEES WATCH AN ANTI-BIAS VIDEO, ESPECIALLY IF THEY ALREADY SUPPORT TREATING EVERYONE FAIRLY?

This is the start of a conversation—not the end of one—and educating employees on how to tackle bias is important. We don’t expect that stores or any business that signs this pledge or any employees that takes this training will be perfect. But your business is committed to this mission and you are inviting employees to join you on this journey. If employees have questions, concerns, feedback or ideas, encourage them to come to you directly. Emphasize that you have an open-door policy, and encourage this important discussion.