Dive Brief:

• LinkedIn users will soon be able share a recording of the proper pronunciation of their names, the company announced in a blog post July 6. The feature will roll out globally over the next month.
• LinkedIn provided instructions on how to share the recordings, noting that it can only be done on mobile (Apple, Android) platforms. The playback of the recording will be playable on all platforms, web and mobile.
• "Correct pronunciation is not just a common courtesy — it's an important part of making a good first impression and creating an inclusive workplace," Joseph Akoni, product manager at LinkedIn, wrote in the company blog post.

Dive Insight:

Saying a person's name correctly, perhaps in a job interview or when meeting a new colleague for the first time, can have ties to inclusion, as Akoni wrote.

Diversity consultant Ruchika Tulshyan voiced similar sentiments in an article for the Harvard Business Review, pointing to research from the world of education which found that, for students of color, having their names mispronounced affected their well-being, ability to learn and also "created shame and disassociation from their culture."

Additionally, mispronunciation of names can result in "experiences of discrimination and ostracism," Columbia professor Ranjana Srinivasan told Psychology Today.

These experiences can prevent people from bringing their full selves to work. Pre-pandemic research from Emtrain on company culture found that 1 in 4 employees have felt the need to "minimize their heritage or personal identity to fit into a job." A recent update found a slight increase in that sentiment since March 15.