Black History Month: How To Cultivate Equity In Your Organization
The goal of today’s article is to meet you where you are at. It is to be vulnerable, open, and action oriented when it comes to DE&I -- both in the workplace and beyond.
Black History Month feels… heavier this year. Especially in Corporate America.
For me at least.
But for the rest of Corporate America? I don’t know if the weight is as heavy.
Maybe it’s because we are 2+ years removed from the horrible murder of George Floyd. Maybe it’s because executives are no longer forced to reckon with their homogenous executive boards and workforces. Or maybe it’s because Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is no longer “trending”.
I’m black every month. I’m biracial every day of the week. And I’m other every time I interact with my colleagues who don’t look like me, who don’t have my experiences, and who don’t care to understand a perspective outside their own.
Black History Month feels heavier this year because equality and equity has transitioned from a necessary and trending topic to an afterthought and performative act (although– still necessary).
This, of course, is just my experience. But my intention with Career Civility has always been to bring humanity back into the workplace. And today, this side of my humanity feels some type of way.
Angry. Sad. Unmotivated. And ultimately… tired.
I am tired of trying to get people to care. I am tired of proving my value solely because my identity is ambiguous and other. I am tired of being lesser than because I am not among the majority in the workplace.
For those who have experienced it, you are probably sharing very similar feelings. For those who haven’t experienced this first hand, let’s break it down in terms of pay and compensation:
Women are paid, on average, 16% to 27% less than their male counterparts
Compared to white men, Latina or Hispanic women make 42% less (!!!)
Black women experience a 37% pay gap compared to white men
Black men only make 87 cents on the dollar to their white male counterparts
And working moms? Working mothers make 31% less than working fathers (and this is from 2019 so I can only imagine the impact the pandemic made on this disparity)
When I was starting out on my DEI journey in the corporate world, I thought surface level diversity was enough. I thought walking into a room where I saw colleagues (and managers) who resembled my “otherness” was enough.
But now that I have had more exposure and I have had the privilege of learning from other DEI practitioners paving the way for underrepresented groups in the workplace… I now realize that if you really want to make a change and be an ally for those who are different from you – you need to put your money where your mouth is.
First things first - you need to work to define what Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion means to YOU.
If you can’t define it, you can’t change it, and you sure as hell can’t communicate your commitment to it.
Second, it’s important to recognize where you (or your organization) is at along the DEI journey.
Gather, collect, and analyze the data (make sure it is voluntary and self-identified), evaluate your current workplace policies + culture and start to identify discrepancies in the data/policies/culture.
And then when you’re ready to put your money where your mouth is, it’s time to act.
Here’s how -
PAY your people fairly
And implement pay transparency
Invest in working parents (they are raising the future of the workforce and your economy after all 🙃)
When I say invest I mean to invest in their healthcare plans, their PAID parental leave, feeding resources, and flexible time off upon their return
Invest in the support resources and infrastructure for those with disabilities
This can include but is not limited to - creating a safe and accessible workspace, providing additional resources for those who may it, creating closed captions, including digital versions of text, etc
Pay experts to strategize and guide your organization on it’s DEI journey
Trainings, keynotes, survey data, microlearnings
Implement Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
And make sure there are executive sponsors involved for each ERG
Make sure all executive compensation is tied to DEI initiatives
“What’s measured is managed”
I’m a beginner on this DEI journey too. It’s OK to be a beginner. We all need to start somewhere. But if you know you need to do better, and you actively decide not to – that’s when toxicity in the workplace multiplies. Just because it’s always been done like this does NOT mean that’s how it always needs to be done (nor does it mean that is the most productive and successful way to conduct business).
As for Career Civility, I may be tired but I won’t stop having this conversation in the workplace. I will keep inviting others to share their experiences, perspectives, and diversity of thought so we can grow stronger together.
If you would like to add anything to this post (policies, experiences, data) my inbox is open! jenna@careercivility.com
If you are looking for more ways to educate yourself or expand your knowledge on this topic, I shared a blog post back in July of 2021 with a handful of resources I respect and enjoy learning from. Click here to learn more.
