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ACTIONS YOUR COMPANY CAN TAKE IMMEDIATELY TO PROMOTE EQUALITY AND RACIAL JUSTICE IN THE WORKPLACE!
Brigitte Kimichik • Aug 24, 2020
π¨ππ£What Your Company Can Do To Promote Racial Injustice And Equality In The Workplace - and Mean it! ππΌππΌππΌ
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If you have not already, NOW is the time to make some very important changes for your company's health and prosperity. Even if you think 'you are on top' of anti-racism, equality and diversity at your company, you may want to make the effort to poll your employees for any feedback on how your company policies may be missing the mark and take immediate and appropriate corrective action. If you do, you might get ahead of what could potentially harm your business and company's reputation.
Just a few weeks ago, Anthropologie, a popular clothing store, was slammed
for being "whitewashed" from top to bottom. Allegations included racial profiling at their stores for who might be stealing, lack of diverse management, and unequal pay for Black employees. All fostering a racist and toxic work environment. Anthropologie's sister stores are now facing similar reports, including Urban Outfitters and Free People. These businesses are not alone. Other companies, including Nike and Adidas
have been reported to have "a disconnect" between their company's outward posture on race and their internal experiences at the company.
Employee morale at many companies is suffering, especially among the younger generations. How can they work for a company that does not support racial justice, equality, and diversity? How do you expect them to perform at their very best if you are not supporting these causes?
Companies, especially large ones, must step up and set an example. What are the expectations? How can your company make an impact and bridge the gap of trust? What will your role be in making a difference? Everyone is engaged in achieving equality and racial justice. Your employees will be looking for you to take action. Immediately and for real. We know this cannot happen overnight; however, let's be clear. The goal of this movement is to continue until there is real change. Corporate America needs broad-based diversity training and improvements that will affect racial justice and equality. Now, the time is to do so, while the urgency is front and center and the cause has our heartfelt attention. If you are simply taking action as a marketing ploy to boost sales or attract young liberal employees, your actions will likely be found out and fail. As one strategist
noted: "Your CEO can put out a beautifully written statement on why Black lives matter, but if the organization isn't actually backing that up with the way that it behaves on a daily basis, then it's kind of [BS]."
Here are some ways you can take swift action with impact:
1. Interview your Black employees first and then all remaining employees and find out what is happening at your company. Conduct a short term outside party review if necessary.2. Create a diversity task force focused on building a strategy to foster a culture of diversity, inclusion, and belonging.
3. Revamp your existing anti-racism and anti-discrimination policies and publish them company-wide as zero-tolerance policies that will be enforced from the top down (with appropriate consequences [including firing] for violation).
4. Review and update hairstyle and grooming policies for racial bias.5. Provide regular unconscious bias training for all executive and non-executive employees, including training on how to combat microaggressions. Shamika Dalton and Michele Villagran have authored a helpful checklist on resolving microaggressions in the workplace.
6. Provide regular bystander training on how to speak up and handle improper behavior—If you see something, say something!7. Encourage your employees to report racist or other discriminatory behavior and allow for anonymous reporting options. According to a 2019 Deloitte survey of employees at large companies, 64% said they experienced bias at work in the previous year (83% subtle, versus 32% blatant or obvious). The experts argue that subtle behaviors can be at least as harmful and damaging for employee morale and retention.
8. Hold senior employees and executives accountable for any inappropriate behavior that occurs on their watch and is not properly reported.9. What percentage of your employees is Black? Create a realistic but brief timeline for increasing your diversity percentage and populate your leadership teams with diversity. For example, Athleta has committed to "double the representation of Black and Latinx employees at all levels [at HQs] by 2025"..."and to increase representation of Black employees by 50% in ... store leader roles by 2025..."10. Establish mentoring and sponsor programs for minorities in your company to teach employees how to be an effective ally. Award participation during the review season.11. Solicit regular honest feedback concerning your inclusion and diversity programs and initiatives and make improvements accordingly.12. Employ an external firm to assess the company's pay data by race for all employees to ensure pay equity.13. If your company is in the business of selling products, are your black vendors underrepresented? Make a change to increase your percentage.14. If you are a company that uses services or other providers regularly (Ex: you hire legal counsel, or you resource from vendors, or you are a capital provider), make any hiring, use or provision conditional on your providers or companies satisfying specific percentages of diversity on their boards, in their leadership, and for employees. For example, as of July 1, 2020, Goldman has committed that it will "no longer participate in any underwriting if there is not at least one "diverse" board member at the company seeking capital from Goldman....[B]y 2021...two "diverse" board members."15. Add more products that educate about anti-racism and promote positive social change.16. Get involved locally. Fund scholarship and mentorship programs in your community to help Black-owned and other minority businesses grow and prosper.17. Establish a new partnership with a nonprofit partner that promotes racial justice and aligns with your company's interests and preferences. Examples include: Equal Justice Initiative; Son of a Saint; Black Visions Collective Minneapolis; NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund ; Embrace Race; The Conscious Kid; The Movement for Black Lives; For example, Adidas has committed to invest $20 million in black communities in the U.S. over the next four years, including a basketball initiative program for underserved communities.18. Consider making Juneteenth (June 19) a paid company holiday to mark the day enslaved people discovered they were free in the United States. Nike has recently made this announcement in an internal memo to its employees—following Twitter, Inc.19. Issue a bi-annual diversity report for transparency that covers workforce, diversity in leadership, company policies and training, mentor and sponsorship programs, community involvement, and philanthropy.20. If you are a company that serves the public with stores all over this country, show your support by allowing employees to wear a T-shirt or pin that expresses the company's support for racial justice, equality, and diversity. Include appropriate posters at storefronts and throughout the store.21. Finally, publish a comprehensive formal statement on what you are doing to promote your mission for change. Check out these examples from Athleta, AFAR, and Uncommon Goods. ππΌππΌππΌ
Don't be one of those companies that makes promises to reform and then does not follow through. This generation is taking note and demands accountability and transparency. Your customers, vendors, lenders, and employees will be doing the same. More importantly, your employees want to be proud to work for a company that holds themselves and their employees to a high standard that promotes racial justice, equality and diversity.
Make them proud and do it quickly.
Let's help #changetheculture to a more healthy, inclusive and diverse work environment, free from #racism, #bullying and #sexualharassment. #TimesUp. For more on this topic and others, please join us at the www.thesandboxseries.com
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