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How we celebrate Latinos at Paysafe
As the holiday celebrations continue, including Noche Buena, Ano Viejo and Ano Nuevo, which are observed by many Latino families, we take a moment to reflect on this year’s launch of our Latinos@Paysafe Diversity & Inclusion employee network – a group focused on celebrating Latin culture and heritage. We’ve spoken to colleagues and allies about Latin culture and what being Latino means to them, and how we’ve been making our workplace more Latino-friendly and celebratory of the vibrant Latin culture.
Monique Bennouna Zhar, Senior Manager, FP&A, Miami
In what ways do you feel companies could better support their Latino employees?
Having a Latinos@Paysafe program is a great way to bring awareness of the many different cultures that make up our Latino fabric and how all these different cultures are more similar than we think. Being Latino is not a one-size-fits-all but a beautiful mix. It was great to see non-Latinos attending the Latinos@Paysafe events and learning more!
Name one favourite thing about your Latino heritage.
The concept of family! Beyond your own family, everyone you meet, work with, go to school with, is friends with becomes your extended family and you will always be there to support them in every way you can. And that to me is how our Latino community learns the true concept of teamwork from a very early age!
As a people manager, what can you do to promote and support Latino professionals?
The best way to support Latino (and any other) professionals is to understand that there are different ways of working and achieving the same results; certain cultures are more assertive while others are not as much, but both do the same great job in the end. People managers need to be aware of that so they can help develop their team and support the achievement of our company’s goals.
Oscar Barriga Gallarday, Marketing Manager for Latin America, Lima, Peru
Are there any Latino personalities that inspire you?
Pope Francis. His humility, charisma and kindness about humanity stand out. He’s an example to follow.
What significance does the term Latino bring to you?
The term Latino brings to me the idea of party, colours, happiness, courage, strength, union and family.
Tell us your favourite Latin tradition(s).
Joining in parties with family and friends with a lot of food, drinks and Latin music like salsa and bachata. We always found a reason to celebrate.
Marianhela Tobón, Senior New Partner Onboarding Specialist, Houston
In what ways do you feel companies could better support their Latino employees?
Paysafe is a very diverse company and the initiative to have Latinos@Paysafe as part of our D&I Networks has been great. I cannot speak for everyone else but being an active member of this network has made me feel more included at work. I know I can reach out to any network member for support if I ever need to. Having a D&I Network is a good idea for any company out there that does not currently have one. Diversity and inclusion can affect performance, creativity, and other organizational outcomes of success and has been scientifically proven to yield better results.
Are there any Latino personalities that inspire you?
Yes, my grandfather Jaime Tobón Villegas. He dedicated most of his life to the education system in Colombia, making sure every person regardless of their socio-economic background had access to schools, colleges, and universities. He was also an economist, lawyer, politician, writer, and Mayor of my native city - Medellín. In 2003 he was presented with the highest national award Cruz De Boyacá by the president of Colombia. This award is given to the citizen that has serviced the country in an impeccable way and has worked towards creating better humanity.
Tell us your favorite Latin tradition(s).
Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) is by far my favorite Latin tradition because all the families get together and celebrate with food, music, fireworks, and even more food and music. However, being born and raised in Colombia, we celebrate Amor y Amistad (Love and Friendship) in September. It’s like the equivalent of Valentine’s Day in the USA but more dedicated to friendship. During the month we play “Amigo Secreto”, which translates to secret friend (similar to secret Santa). This is a time to get together, commemorate, play, and exchange gifts with your coworkers, friends, family and whomever else you are playing “Amigo Secreto” with.
