As we rededicate ourselves to sharing the Power of Welcome with our Guests and Team Members, having an inclusive company that respects and values diversity will continue to be critical to our long term success.

It is one of our core beliefs that with the engagement of our entire team, the sky is the limit. So, we are continually working to create an environment that fosters success through questioning assumptions, soliciting opinions and taking a proactive approach to problems.

This means encouraging diverse ideas and the people who have them. It means showing respect to all Team Members at every level of the company. And it means valuing the unique perspective that each person brings to the team.

Our Diversity and Inclusion philosophy
We believe in celebrating the differences that make a good company great and leveraging individual strengths to create an innovative, inclusive and unified team. This philosophy guides everything we do to create an environment of inclusion at Brinker.

A new tool just for U!
With that in mind, the Brinker Diversity & Inclusion team is proud to announce the upcoming launch of our new Brinker Diversity & Inclusion Web site.  This site will serve as a virtual resource center where Team Members, potential Team Members, community partners, supplier partners and Guests can learn more about our philosophy and commitment to Diversity & Inclusion and how to get involved.

Q: What is National Disability Employment Awareness Month?

A: Congress designated October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) to increase awareness of the contributions and skills of American workers with disabilities. There are also various national programs that highlight specific employment barriers throughout the month.

This effort to educate the American public began in 1945, when Congress enacted a law declaring the first week in October each year "National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week." In 1962, the word "physically" was removed to acknowledge individuals with all types of disabilities. In 1988, Congress expanded the week to a month and changed the name to "National Disability Employment Awareness Month."

Q: How many people with disabilities are there in the United States?

A: According to the U. S. Census Bureau, about 49.7 million Americans have a disability, with one in three families having at least one family member with a disability; two-thirds of these individuals have are severely disabled.

Brinker has a proud history of supporting organizations that help people with disabilities gain employment, both within our restaurants and across the communities we serve. Brinker is actively involved with the Marriott Foundation’s Building Bridges…From School to Work, an organization that helps high school graduates with slight to moderate cognitive disabilities find employment in the areas of their personal interests.

Brinker proudly celebrates National Disability Employment Awareness Month in recognition of the contributions people with disabilities have made to our teams and communities we serve.

Each year, from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, the United States celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month to recognize the economic, cultural, and social contributions of the more than 44.3 million Latinos residing in the U.S. The dates of Hispanic Heritage Month were selected to include the Independence Day celebrations of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico and Chile, and to incorporate Oct. 12 – Día de la Raza – a holiday celebrated throughout Latin America to observe the colonization, exploration and multicultural heritage of the Americas. Source: www.nclr.org (National Council La Raza)

Originally called Hispanic Heritage Week when it began in 1968 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, the event was expanded to a month in 1988 by President Ronald Reagan.

“Hispanic Heritage Month reminds us to celebrate and embrace the Latino culture and the trailblazers who have paved the way for respect and inclusion, both within our company and across the communities we serve” said Mark King, Director of Diversity & Inclusion.

Hispanics are an ethnically and racially diverse population. In 2005, the Latino population on the U.S. mainland was composed of Mexican Americans (64 percent), Puerto Ricans (10 percent), Cubans (3 percent), Salvadorans (3 percent) and Dominicans (3 percent). The remainder are of other Central American, South American or other Hispanic or Latino origins (17 percent). Source: www.nclr.org

The U.S. Census Bureau projects the population will grow to 60 million by 2020, and by 2050, Hispanics will make up 25 percent of the total U.S. population.

Hispanics are also growing in purchasing power, with current annual spending of more than $863 billion. In our industry, Hispanics are also leading the way. According to a study conducted in 2006 by Advo Inc., Hispanics spend an average of $71 a week eating out or having food delivered, while non-Hispanics spend only $59. In fact, Chili’s is currently exploring marketing opportunities to target this important demographic. In the meantime, Chili’s has Spanish language menus available for use upon requests.

Throughout the coming year, we will feature other nationally recognized months such as National Disability Employment Awareness month in October. Also watch for Diversity & Inclusion postings on break room bulletin boards, etc. with informative “factoids” that support the month’s recognition.

Join us as we celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month for the many social, cultural and economic contributions Latinos have made to our country, our industry and to the Brinker team.

For the second year in a row, Brinker International has been recognized by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation as a "Best Place to Work" for 2008. The Human Rights Campaign, with over 700,000 members, is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GBLT) equality.

Brinker scored a perfect 100 on their Corporate Equality Index survey, which means we will also receive prominent recognition in their annual "Buying for Equality 2008" guide downloaded annually by over 250,000 people. In 2007, only 140 companies nationwide received this recognition (including Brinker).
 
This valuable external recognition reinforces the hospitality all of you demonstrate to create an environment of inclusion for our current GLBT Team Members, potential future Team Members, and Guests with an annual estimated spending power of $641 billion.

Brinker has the opportunity to host the professional (local) chapter members of the National Association of Black Accountants.  This is a regular business meeting for NABA, and we have been given time on the agenda to share our approach to Diversity & Inclusion here at Brinker. David Doyle will provide the senior leadership welcome. 

The expected NABA attendance is 60 to 75 people, which offers great networking & branding opportunities for us.  And of course, we'll be extending our finest hospitality to our visitors with food and fun.

The Brinker trophy case is teeming with treasures after the addition of the latest recognition from Black Professionals magazine as one of their 2007 top 100 companies for Blacks in Corporate America.

Selection was based on the following criteria:

• Diverse representation on the board and senior executive levels
• Demonstrated workforce and supplier diversity program initiatives
• Solid community outreach activities in diverse communities

Previous Brinker awards include:

• Fortune’s Top Companies for Women (2005)
• Fortune’s Most Admired Companies (2006)
• Fortune’s Top 30 Companies for Minorities (2005 & 2006)
• HRC Corporate Equality Index Leader (2006 & 2007)

Other companies receiving this recognition include: Darden, Starbucks, Sodexho, Target, Starbucks and Coca-Cola. For more info, please visit Black Professionals at www.bpmag.com.

Brinker has a strong commitment to diversity, and last Monday, June 11, during a press conference, the Dallas/Ft. Worth Minority Business Council recognized Brinker as one of 17 companies that support minority business in DFW. The press conference was held to announce the official launch of the Council ’s Buy Those That Buy Us program, which is designed to recognize buying entity partners that encourage and use certified minority businesses as a part of their supply chain and support other entities that have like goals and objectives.

“Being involved with the Council is good for us to view our initiatives from a different perspective,” said Charita Barrow, Diversity Purchasing Manager. “It is an honor to be recognized by the Council as a company that supports minority-owned businesses.”

Ensuring our supply base reflects our customer base, Brinker also strives to support the economic growth and development of minority-owned companies.

May is National Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) and its local chapters are helping celebrate and honor this culture with various events nationwide.

OCA is one of the leading Asian Pacific Island American organizations in the nation, and as an OCA partner, Brinker is actively represented on the OCA’s Business Advisory Council.  Brinker is also a proud sponsor of this year’s OCA Convention June 28 – July 1 in Sacramento, Calif., and will be represented by various operations leaders from Chili's & Macaroni Grill in the area.  Paul Odanaka, Chili’s Area & Diversity Director, serves as Brinker’s representative on the Business Advisory Council and is coordinating our conference participation.

Two weeks ago, the Women’s Foodservice Forum (WFF) welcomed nearly 3,000 women and men in the foodservice industry to its 2007 Annual Leadership Development Conference at Orlando’s Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center. As a multi-year Gold Level sponsor, Brinker International leveraged its partnership with the WFF by sending leaders (mostly from operations) from across the company to the conference. Attendees were challenged to bring back new ideas and best practices to share with their teams and other BrinkerHeads.

Keynote speakers Carly Fiorina, former chair and CEO for Hewlett-Packard, Patricia Russell-McCloud, leadership and business motivational speaker, and Carol Evans, founder, CEO and President of Working Mother Media, inspired and engaged attendees throughout the conference. 

WFF’s mission is to develop leadership talent and ensure career advancement for emerging executive women in the foodservice industry, and at the heart of its mission are 10 Core Leadership Competencies. Each year, there is a special focus on four competencies, around which all programming is developed to support growth in those areas. This year the selected competencies were:

1. Strategic Thinking
2. Building Networks
3. Developing Others
4. Risk Taking

To maximize the investment of sending attendees to the conference, the Brinker People Partners team and Office of Diversity & Inclusion held Conference Preparation and Debriefing meetings (before & after) with all attendees.  Here is a summary of the evaluation results:

Survey Results - Overview

• 97 percent Believe the info learned at the conference will help them be a better performer
• 97 percent Would recommend the conference to others
• 85 percent Would attend the conference again (or would give their spot for someone on their team to go)
• 97 percent Believed the conference (learnings) will help support their development plans
• 97 percent Enjoyed the Brinker Reception presented by Coca-Cola (many favorable comments provided)
• MANY actionable steps were listed on the surveys that attendees plan to take back as a result of their conference experience

Attendees stated they were proud to work for a company that supported their attendance and have already implemented information learned at the conference with positive results. They also said they would like to see more organized Brinker events to increase internal networking, and are interested in continuing to gather to further explore women's leadership development at the Home Office.

Here are several comments from BrinkerHead attendees about what they learned and what they will put into practice here at Brinker.

I learned so much about risk taking. Leaders do not move forward without taking a certain amount of risks.  You have to be willing to make mistakes and to fall back a few steps at times to know that in the long run you will make longer strides. You need to be knowledgeable in your area and confident in your abilities. I enjoyed the WFF conference very much and have brought many applicable pieces back to put to use in my work. Leaders are only leaders if others are willing to follow!
-- Sarah Stubblefield, Payroll Manager

Keynote speaker, Carly Fiorina was truly mesmerizing with her story, speech and delivery. I took the opportunity to buy Carly's book Tough Choices and sat in the airport and began to read this amazing story of an amazing woman. I am now going back through and highlighting all of the important lessons of profound leadership that she developed and realized through her career. The book is loaded with leadership clues that one could take away and develop others. I plan on sharing this great wisdom and experience with all those that our under my charge to mentor and developed.
-- Bobby Jaramillo, Area Director Romano's Macaroni Grill, Denver-Nebraska Market

I got a great opportunity to network with managers from our restaurants that I had never met.  I think it was great to give them a chance to put a face with the name.  I hope that getting to know them gives them a resource at Home Office that they can use for anything.
-- Teri DeLeon, Food and Beverage Deployment Manager Chili's Grill & Bar

The conference was amazing, and I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend. 
--Kathleen Prawdzik, Staffing Manager

Finally, thanks to all for supporting our Brinker involvement with the Women’s Foodservice Forum, and our ongoing Diversity & Inclusion efforts.

May is National Asian American/Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and Brinker is a proud sponsor of the Greater Dallas Asian American Chamber of Commerce (GDAACC). 

The GDAACC's annual Asian festival is one of the largest in Texas and is a great way to learn more about the diversity of our community.  

The festival is May 19, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. at Dallas City Hall Plaza. Admission is free. 

SALSA. No, we’re not talking about the great salsa we have at On The Border and Chili’s. It’s the inaugural On The Border Women with SALSA Forum 2007 and this SALSA stands for “She’s always leading, striving and achieving.”

The two-day event dedicated to women was held last Tuesday and Wednesday in Building C. Attendees included 65 female Managers from OTB, 25 of who were General Managers, along with OTB Area and Regional Directors. Those in attendance participated in various sessions led by an array of BrinkerHeads including CEO Doug Brooks and Valerie Davisson, Executive Vice President of PeopleWorks. 

The event was also highlighted by a "Genderspeak" seminar presented by Mark King, Brinker Director for Diversity & Inclusion. By illustrating the natural and learned differences between the genders, Mark helped the group gain insight into how their styles can be leveraged for better communication and leadership at work.

Other topics discussed at Women with SALSA ranged from personal finance, personality style awareness and improving images at work.

“This forum created an environment where our managers could interact with, and learn from other female leaders. By seeing examples of great career paths through these role models and hearing about the challenges that they've overcome, it's easier to understand options and plan development for your own bright future,” said Tom Solomon, VP of People Works for On The Border.

“Our managers were able to experience first-hand the commitment Brinker has toward professional and personal development for everyone, especially women.”

Women with SALSA is part of the Brinker-wide Diversity & Inclusion initiative. Due to the positive feedback and excellent turnout, On The Border plans on making SALSA a yearly event.

As People Works Coordinator Kristin Sands stated, “In a way, this is our version of the well-known Women’s Foodservice Forum. We believe Women with SALSA is something our female managers can look forward to each year.”

Here’s what the managers had to say about SALSA:

“Women with SALSA was such a fascinating forum to be a part of! One major thing I learned is how integral diversity in the workplace is to the success of a company. I couldn’t be more proud to be part of an organization that promotes diversity in this way.” Kim Bedolla, Manager, OTB West Indy

“The Women with SALSA Forum has been so inspirational. The opportunity to network and understand gender differences has been enlightening. Thank you OTB!” Sandee Hymer, Managing Partner, OTB Valley Ranch.

The Celebrating Differences Series, sponsored by the Brinker Diversity & Inclusion department, highlights a variety of holidays and observances throughout the year.

This month the D&I series focuses on Women’s History Month, which was established by Congress in 1987 and has roots going back to March 8, 1857, when women from New York City factories staged a protest over working conditions. This year’s national Women’s History Month theme is "Generations of Women Moving History Forward."  

In President George W. Bush’s 2007 Women's History Month Proclamation, he said

Throughout our history, the vision and determination of women have strengthened and transformed America. As we celebrate Women's History Month, we recognize the vital contributions women have made to our country.

The strong leadership of extraordinary women has altered our nation's history. Sojourner Truth, Alice Stone Blackwell, and Julia Ward Howe opened doors for future generations of women by advancing the cause of women's voting rights and helping make America a more equitable place. In 1855, Dr. Mary E. Walker became one of the first female physicians in the country. Dr. Walker volunteered her medical services during the Civil War and became the only woman in United States history to receive the Medal of Honor. Vivian Malone Jones stood her ground in the face of a great injustice and helped integrate the University of Alabama, breaking down racial barriers to higher education and becoming the school's first African-American graduate.

Our nation is a land of great opportunity, and women are seizing that opportunity and shaping the future of America in all walks of life. A record number of women are serving in the halls of Congress, and the number of women-owned businesses continues to grow. The women of our Armed Forces are making a vital contribution to our nation's security by serving the cause of freedom and peace around the world. And by giving care and guidance, America's mothers are helping to build the foundation for the success of our nation's children and strengthening the character of our country. This month, we honor the spirit, leadership, and hard work of American women.

More Information

• For educational resources on women's history, visit the Department of Education
• For facts and statistics related to Women's History Month, visit the Census Bureau's "Facts for Features"

The Celebrating Differences Series, sponsored by the Brinker Diversity & Inclusion department, highlights a variety of holidays and observances throughout the year. This week we celebrate the Lunar New Year.

The Lunar New Year, or Chinese New Year, is a time of jubilant celebrations and reunions. People go to great lengths to be with their families during this time because it is extremely important for them to share the first meal of the year together.

This annual celebration begins on the first day of the lunar calendar, which is Sunday, Feb. 18 this year. The Lunar New Year is often observed as a public holiday and businesses are usually closed in countries with Chinese heritage.

Chinese New Year customs
This annual celebration is marked with customs stemming from ancient China including:

• Red packets containing money that are given to children
• Reunion dinner filled with a variety of symbolic foods to welcome in wealth, happiness and good fortune
• Liberal use of the color red on front doors, clothing and decorations to ward off evil spirits
• Fire crackers to scare away evil spirits

Chinese New Year ends on the 15th day and is marked with a Lantern Festival. Traditionally, children venture out at night carrying bright lanterns and the town watches an evening parade under the light of the full moon. The dragon, typically stretching more than 100 feet, is the highlight of the parade.

The Year of the Pig
Legend has it that Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year and 12 animals came. Buddha named a year after each one and declared people born in each animal's year would have some of that animal's personality.

2007 is the Year of the Pig and legend has it that babies born under this sign will be pure-hearted and able to make friends easily.

Reference Information
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year
http://www.chiff.com/home_life/holiday/chinese-
new-year.htm#NewYear

The Celebrating Differences Series, sponsored by the Brinker Diversity & Inclusion department, highlights a variety of holidays and observances throughout the year. This month we feature National Black History Month.

The Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History established Black History Month in 1976 as an expansion of Negro History Week, which was established in 1926 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson. He and his institute, The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), are considered the Founders of Black History Month and remain the sponsor of this event.

This annual observance in February celebrates the past and present achievements of African Americans. February was selected because it encompasses the birthdays of two men who greatly affected the African American community: Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

For more information about Black History Month

http://www.asalh.org/

http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/heritage_month

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_History_Month

Celebrating Differences Series
If you observe a special holiday and want it featured in the Buzz, let the Diversity and Inclusion department know.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, the nation’s largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) civil rights organization, recently named Brinker as a “2007 Best Places to Work for GLBT Equality.”

This honor is given to companies who score 100 percent on the HRC Corporate Equality Index, which measures policies and practices implemented to promote fairness and equality in the workplace for GLBT employees. In 2007, Brinker was the only restaurant company to make the list!

Only 142 U.S. companies achieved this recognition, including six Texas-based corporations: American Airlines, AT&T, Brinker International, Clear Channel Communications, Dell and Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.

Additionally, Brinker was listed as a “Preferred Place to Dine” in the 2007 HRC Buying Guide, annually downloaded by 250,000 people. The list is promoted on the HRC Web site (www.hrc.org) and featured in the organization’s quarterly newsletter which is distributed to its more than 600,000 members. This is important to us because the annual GLBT purchasing power is estimated at approximately $640 billion (source: Witeck-Combs Communications Inc.).

“We’re proud of being recognized by the HRC for being a fair-minded employer,” said Mark King, Director of Brinker Diversity & Inclusion. “We couldn’t have received this honor without the ongoing support by leaders at all levels across the company. This is yet another step forward towards integrating Diversity & Inclusion into all areas of our business. As our Diversity & Inclusion Philosophy states: We believe in celebrating the differences that make a good company great, and in leveraging individual strengths to create an innovative, inclusive and unified team.”

More information
To read more about the 2007 HRC Best Companies for GLBT Equality, go to www.hrc.org/placestowork.

The Celebrating Differences Series, sponsored by the Brinker Diversity & Inclusion department, highlights a variety of holidays.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is observed annually on the third Monday of January. The Home Office and Federal offices will honor this day by being closed Monday, Jan. 15.

Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.

In 1986, the United States began honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday as a federal holiday.>This is one of only four federal holidays commemorating an individual and the only one for an African-American.

King was the leader of the American Civil Right Movement and was the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. He is remembered for his work as a peacemaker and advocate for nonviolence and equal treatment of all people.

The King Center, the official living memorial commemorating Dr. King, describes this national holiday in the following way:

The King Holiday honors the life and contributions of America’s greatest champion of racial justice and equality, the leader who not only dreamed of a color-blind society, but who also lead a movement that achieved historic reforms to help make it a reality.

On this day we commemorate Dr. King’s great dream of a vibrant, multiracial nation united in justice, peace and reconciliation; a nation that has a place at the table for children of every race and room at the inn for every needy child. We are called on this holiday, not merely to honor, but to celebrate the values of equality, tolerance and interracial sister and brotherhood he so compellingly expressed in his great dream for America.

It is a day of interracial and intercultural cooperation and sharing. No other day of the year brings so many peoples from different cultural backgrounds together in such a vibrant spirit of brother and sisterhood. Whether you are African-American, Hispanic or Native American, whether you are Caucasian or Asian-American, you are part of the great dream Martin Luther King, Jr. had for America. This is not a black holiday; it is a peoples' holiday. And it is the young people of all races and religions who hold the keys to the fulfillment of his dream.

More MLK information
For more information about Dr. King and his philosophy, go to www.thekingcenter.org.

A variety of celebrations connected to personal traditions, customs and religious/spiritual beliefs are celebrated this time of year including Hanukukka, Christmas and Kwanzaa.

The “Celebrating Differences Series,” sponsored by the Brinker Diversity and Inclusion department, highlights various holidays taking place this month. This week’s feature is Kwanzaa.

Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday observed Dec. 25 – Jan. 1. It was created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga Ph.D., a professor and chair of the Department of Black Studies at California State University in Long Beach, to preserve, revitalize and promote African American culture.

Kwanzaa, which means first fruits, is not a religious holiday, so people with any religious background and African heritage participate. This holiday commemorates African celebrations of family, community and culture rooted in ancient and modern times.

According to the officialkwanzaawebsite.org, Kwanzaa celebrates these Seven Principles listed in Swahili (most widely spoken African language) and then English:

Symbols of Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is represented by seven basic symbols and two supplemental ones:
Mazao/ The Crops
Mkeka/ The Mat
Kinara/The Candle Holder
Muhindi/ The Corn
Mishumaa Saba/The Seven Candles
Kikombe cha Umoja/The Unity Cup
Zawadi/The Gifts

Supplemental Kwanzaa symbols

Bendera/The Flag
Nguzo Saba Poster/Poster of The Seven Principles

More information
For more definitions of the symbols or for information about Kwanzaa, go to officialkwanzaawebsite.org.

This is the time of year for a variety of celebrations connected to personal traditions, customs and religious/spiritual beliefs including Hankukka, Christmas and Kwanzaa. The “Celebrating Differences Series,” sponsored by the Brinker Diversity and Inclusion department, highlights various holidays taking place this month.

Christmas
Christians annually commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas Day, Dec. 25. They believe Jesus was born in a manger on Christmas to provide salvation and reconciliation to the world by His life, death and resurrection.

Christmas is celebrated in most countries due to the spread of Christianity around the world. This holiday includes a mixture of Christian customs and secular traditions. The Christmas season is also known for a time of extra goodwill, gift-giving and spending time with family and friends.

This holiday has become the most economically significant holiday because people buy gifts to celebrate Christmas or in recognition of important relationships in their lives.

Some Christmas customs around the world

In Mexico, the Christmas season continues through the Epiphany, Jan. 6, which is called “Día de los Reyes” (Three Kings Day.)  Epiphany commemorates the arrival of the Three Wise Men in Bethlehem who brought gifts for the baby Jesus. Children throughout Mexico anxiously look forward to Jan. 6 when they arise to find gifts left by the “Reyes Magos.”  In some Mexican regions, it’s customary to leave out shoes where treasures may be deposited by the Wisemen.

Three wise men who are believed to have brought the baby Jesus gifts.
The Christmas season begins in October in England when most children write their Christmas lists to Father Christmas, the English gift giver. Father Christmas wears a long red or green robe, and leaves presents in stockings on Christmas Eve. The gifts are not usually opened until the following afternoon. >Images of England's Father Christmas traditionally showed him with a green coat until Coca Cola introduced in him wearing red in the 1930s.

German children leave decorated letters on their window sills for Chirstkind, a winged gift giver who dresses in white robes and a golden crown. Germans enjoy a variety of holiday foods including roasted maronens (chestnuts), gluhwein (red wine heated over the fire) weihnachts stollen (fruit-cake made with rum) and weihnachtsgans (Christmas goose) with potato balls (dumplings)
and red cabbage.

In cities and towns in South Africa carolers sing for neighbors on Christmas Eve. Church services are held on Christmas morning. Homes are decorated with pine branches and all have the decorated Christmas fir in a corner, with presents for the children. At bedtime on Christmas Eve, children usually hang stockings for presents from Father Christmas.

Merry Christmas in Brinker languages
Brinker now has 137 international locations (127 Chili’s and 10 Romano’s Macaroni Grill) in 23 countries outside of the United States. Here’s how each country says Merry Christmas:

Australia:Happy Christmas
Bahrain: Mboni Chrismen
Canada: Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noel
Egypt: Colo sana wintom tiebeen
Germany: Frohiliche Weihnachten
Guatemala: Feliz Navidad
Indonesia: Selamat Hari Natal
Japan: Kurisumasu Omedeto
Kuwait: Mboni Chrismen
Lebanon:Milad Saeed wa Sanaa Mubarakah
Malaysia: Selamat Hari Krimas
Mexico: Feliz Navidad
Oman:Mboni Chrismen
Peru: Feliz Navidad
Phillipines: Maligayan Pasko!
Puerto Rico: Feliz Navidad, Felices Pascuas, Felicidades
Qatar: Mboni Chrismen
Saudi Arabia: Mboni Chrismen
South Korea: Sung Tan Chuk Ha
Taiwan: Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan
United Arab Emirates: I'd miilad said oua sana saida
United Kingdom: Merry Christmas, Happy Christmas, Nadolig Llawen
Venezulea: Feliz Navidad

For more information about Christmas, go to http://www.santas.net/ or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas.

This is the time of year for a variety of celebrations connected to personal traditions, customs and religious/spiritual beliefs. This “Celebrating Differences Series” sponsored by the Brinker Diversity and Inclusion department will highlight the various holidays usually observed during this season: Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa.

Hanukkah
Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is celebrated for eight days and nights to commemorate the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem after the Jewish victory in 165 B.C. over the Syrians.

When the Temple was liberated, there was only enough oil to light the Menorah for one day, yet miraculously, the oil burned for eight days. Hanukkah celebrates this miracle.

On the first night of Hanukkah, one light is lit on a Menorah. Each successive night, another light is added, until the eighth night when all the candles are lit. The Hanukah lights are not to be used for any work, so Menorahs have a ninth candle on them, called the Shamash, used to light the other candles. Menorahs come in a variety of sizes and shapes.

During Hanukkah, prayers are recited before the candles are lit and children traditionally receive small gifts each night. The festive atmosphere is enhanced with songs, games and toys such as the dreidel (a spinning game of chance) and includes traditional foods such as gelt or gold-foil wrapped chocolate coins and potato pancakes called latkes.

This year Hanukkah is Dec. 15 - 23. For more information, go to the Jewish Outreach Institute.

Forty BrinkerHeads attended the first Brinker Diversity & Inclusion Learning Series presentation Thursday, Oct. 26. Mark King, Senior Leader of the Brinker office of Diversity & Inclusion led the workshop entitled Diversity & Inclusion 101 - What is Brinker’s Strategic Approach? One-hundred percent of the participants said they would recommend the Learning Series to co-workers.

Want to know what you missed besides free pizza? Here’s what was discussed…

Diversity & Inclusion – What does that mean?

Diversity is the state of being diverse or the ways we differ from someone else. These differences can include a plethora of things including race/ethnicity, appearance, gender identity, religion/spirituality, work style, personality, language, sexual orientation, where you are from, education, experience, family composition, lifestyle, socio-economic, age, job/position, Etc.

Inclusion is the act of including and leveraging differences to create a stronger team. Inclusion creates an environment where ALL people are included, regardless and because of their differences.

“The Brinker Diversity department recently added Inclusion to its title,” Mark explained “because this title fully represents what we want to accomplish. When we integrate diversity and inclusion into all areas of Brinker culture, it accelerates our long-term growth and profitability.”

Brinker Diversity & Inclusion strategic plan

The Brinker Diversity & Inclusion strategic plan was built with one goal in mind, to help us be the globally dominant casual dining restaurant portfolio company.  “While we recognize there are social benefits to our initiative, this is clearly a business imperative.  Our initiative should help us achieve our corporate vision and mission,” said Mark.

Setting the tone for the plan is the Diversity & Inclusion Philosophy, which has been in place for several years:  We believe in celebrating the differences that make a good company great, and in leveraging individual strengths to create an innovative, inclusive and unified team.

The Diversity & Inclusion Mission is to increase employee engagement by leveraging diversity and inclusion to attract, retain, develop and value team members and community partners that are diverse in skills, backgrounds and thoughts.

The D&I team created a three-year strategic plan to meet this mission and to align with Brinker’s 12-Pack, especially developing cult brands, extending cult brands everywhere and accelerating profitability and growth of our portfolio of brands. Several specific objectives have been defined and implemented including this new learning series.

A few tips for creating an environment of Inclusion
Having a diverse and inclusive team enables all employees to contribute their unique skills and perspectives and adds to the team’s overall success.

As you put teams together,

1. Seek different perspectives and ask yourself “Who is not here?” (i.e. Who’s perspective have I missed or not considered?)
2. Ensure policies and practices are inclusive and equitably applied
3. Ensure the workforce is representative of our customers and communities we serve
4. Identify and remover barriers for success for all
5. Understand motivators (they aren’t the same for everybody)
6. Focus on ownership and accountability (each of us can make a difference)

More about the Diversity & Inclusion Learning Series

The Diversity & Inclusion Learning Series is an ongoing series designed to increase BrinkerHead knowledge about various diversity-focused topics. These workshops will be held at least every other month and will be promoted in the Buzz.

Questions: Contact the Office of Diversity & Inclusion at diversity@brinker.com.

Chili’s Area Director and Director of Diversity, Paul Odanaka, was recognized by the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) for his dedication and contributions to advance Diversity & Inclusion at Chili’s at the 2006 National Asian Pacific American Corporate Achievement Awards. The event was held in Plano at the Marriott at Legacy Town Center Friday, Oct. 20.

Founded in 1973, OCA is a national organization dedicated to advancing the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans in the United States. OCA aims to embrace the hopes and aspirations of nearly 12 million Asian Pacific Americans in the United States. Brinker International is a corporate sponsor of the OCA, and Paul has served for the past two years as the Brinker liaison to the OCA Business Advisory Council.

Joining the Brinker family in 1985 as a restaurant manager for Chili’s, Paul now leads a team responsible for the development, implementation and communication of diversity and inclusion strategies for the brand. Based in Southern California, Paul also serves as an Area Director for the region.

“Paul is one of those people whose passion for diversity ignites the fire for everyone he encounters. His humility, energy, integrity, humor and dedication to making a positive difference in everything he does are all examples of his leadership style,” said Mark King, Senior Diversity & Inclusion Leader.

Paul’s wife Barbara and son Jack were in attendance Friday, as well as, Chili’s President, Todd Diener, Tommy Lee, Operations Regional Vice President for Chili’s, and Mark King.

Congratulations Paul!

For the second year in a row, we're proud to announce that FORTUNE magazine has recognized Brinker as one of the top companies for minorities. We submitted the application a couple of months ago to "The Diversity Network,” the third party organization who conducts the research and survey, and we received the great news last week that we made FORTUNE's Top 30 Companies for Minorities for 2006-2007.

In the past, FORTUNE selected the top 50 companies, but this year they used a more comprehensive selection process and narrowed the list to only 30 companies. The formal press release hasn't been developed yet, but we've been given the okay to start celebrating the accomplishment. The survey results will be published in a special advertising section in FORTUNE’s Oct. 30, 2006 issue, reaching 3.9 million readers.

The Diversity Network asked a comprehensive set of questions ranging from the diversity makeup of our management, general population and Board of Directors and how we integrate diversity standards into recruiting, training, short-and long-term strategies and supplier partnerships. The numbers added up and show Brinker is committed to Valuing Diversity in People and Perspectives.  While we know there is still much work to be done, we’re proud of our accomplishments and appreciate the ongoing support from those throughout the organization who helped us achieve this recognition.

In case you’re wondering… editors of FORTUNE were not involved in the research and analysis of this special diversity section and being recognized as a top employer was not contingent upon purchasing ad space. We earned this recognition outright because of our ongoing commitment to diversity. Congratulations Brinker!

INROADS interns say goodbye to Brinker as they get ready to head back to school this fall. The four interns, Ariela Guardado, Anthony Cullins, Bianca Billings and Bola Olaleye, spent the summer gaining work experience in People Works, IT, Financial Systems Consulting and Accounting Services.

“INROADS is a phenomenal program. It helps young, talented minorities plant their feet in corporate America,” said Texas A&M University junior Bola Olaleye, who interned in Accounting Services this summer.

INROADS was introduced to PeopleWorks three years ago, and since, Brinker welcomes between four to six interns each summer. INROADS’ mission is to “develop and place talented minority youth in business and industry and prepare them for corporate and community leadership.”

"We have career training on Saturdays where they teach us business ethics or things like how to write resumes. They’re things you know, but it just reinforces them,” said I.S. intern and Texas A&M Commerce junior Anthony Cullins.

Founded by the late Frank C. Carr after hearing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s prodigious “I have a Dream” speech, the 36 year-old international organization has more than 50 offices serving over 5,000 interns at 500-plus companies.