Diversity in the Workplace
Resources for fostering a more inclusive environment
The 10 R's of Talking about Race: How to Have Meaningful Conversations provides tips on how to navigate and continue productive conversations about race in the workplace and beyond.
Summary from Harvard Business Review: While there’s plenty of rhetoric about how we’re all in the Covid-19 pandemic together, the fallout clearly shows that we are not in the same boat. The direct impact on Black and brown communities in the U.S. is staggering, both from a physical and mental health perspective. Employers can help support their employees of color and their communities in three key ways: on the individual level, by asking specific questions about how to provide support and making room for people to care for themselves; on the organizational level, by setting up communication, hiring, and benefits systems that support employees of color; and on the societal level, by focusing corporate giving and political action toward communities of color.
From the Harvard Business Review's Big Idea Series comes a proposed framework for promoting conversations about race, kick-starting diversity and inclusion efforts, and better managing employee development throughout each individual's career journey.
From the article summary: Of those employees who are aware of companies responding to societal incidents of racial discrimination, robust majorities of black, white, Hispanic, and Asian professionals say they view those companies in a more positive way. These discussions also lead stronger bonds between team leaders and members, and greater understanding across racial and political divides.
From the article summary: Learning to speak up about diversity is uncomfortable — but it’s critical for leaders who want to build inclusive workplaces. To get over your fears, ask the right questions, read up on books and other resources that will help you better understand your marginalized colleagues, and learn to embrace the discomfort of talking about and tackling tough issues.
From the article summary: Companies spend millions on anti-bias training each year in hopes of creating more-inclusive—and thereby innovative and effective—workforces. Studies show that well-managed diverse groups perform better and are more committed, have higher collective intelligence, and excel at making decisions and solving problems. But research also shows that bias-prevention programs rarely deliver. So what can you, as an individual leader, do to ensure that your team is including and making the most of diverse voices? How can one person fix what an entire organization can’t?
From the article's introduction:
It’s easy to assume that other people experience the world the way we do. More specifically, it’s very easy for white managers to assume that their colleagues of color face the same basic set of challenges they do. [...] Their white bosses and coworkers are simply unaware of the “miasma,” as Keith Caver and Ancella Livers call this noxious and tenuous environment. [...] We asked Caver and Livers, faculty and coaches at the Center for Creative Leadership, to write a fictional letter from a black manager to a white boss describing the miasma and what it’s like to be different in the workplace.