Without the stories behind the data, we use our own limited lens to draw conclusions. “We did not hire more BIPOC into leadership because there is a lack of qualified candidates” tells a very different story from “We did not look in the right places” or “we did not acknowledge our own biases and criteria derived from a dominant culture mindset.”
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How does one recognize when an organization’s culture is toxic? To follow, I will outline four types of toxic culture that might be present in your organization.
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DE&I efforts are often tied to monetary benefits as a way to convince members of leadership to adopt sustainable changes. This runs the risk of perpetuating the problems DE&I is meant to eliminate.
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I suspect companies would never reassign an employee with no relevant experience to VP of Social Engagement, simply because they are “tenured with the company.” Unfortunately, it is common to see folks with no lived experience and little acquired knowledge happily climb right over more qualified (and often more marginalized) candidates, as they scale the proverbial ladder to a DEIJ top spot.
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As many companies turn to social media as a form of advocacy against racial injustice in this VUCA world, many BIPOC continue to experience harassment and discrimination within the workplace. How has performative allyship contributed to The Great Resignation, an ongoing mass exit from the workplace including 47 million Americans who have left their jobs voluntarily?
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As an engineer, it pains me to say this: standardization in human resource management hinders the development of diverse workplaces. Standardization is a cornerstone of simplification. However, in a fantastic display of irony, treating people equally with a standardized compensation and benefits package only complicates issues surrounding diversity and inclusion, or lack thereof, in the workplace. So how do we simplify without standardizing ourselves into a corner? We design a new process, of course.
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If organizations are truly committed to doing the work of ending racism, it’s important to start sharing this commitment from the beginning of the employee’s lifecycle — with the job posting. There is a lack of dialogue on how organizations assess and communicate their expectations of employees to be arbiters of their DEIJ efforts. To operationalize justice, these conversations should begin before an employee is even hired. Here are some prompting thoughts for organizations to embed DEIJ into every aspect of their hiring process.
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Is anyone else unimpressed by this new wave of companies focusing on DEIBJ, or is that just me? Don’t get me wrong, I have noticed a shift of sorts, but I am not a fan of patting these companies on the back for starting to do what they should’ve been doing all along. There are definitely companies creating new roles in the DEIBJ space, which is good, sure. However, the vast majority of these departments are underfunded, under resourced, unappreciated and nestled underneath HR (instead of alongside that function).
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I am seeing some very encouraging racial justice work initiated and driven by CEO’s. While it is heartening to see all of the recent statements from corporations denouncing racism and vowing to take action, there is a need to focus on collective accountability and collaboration both internally and externally for real systemic change.
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This movement calls for the CDO to embody the role of an active disruptor—perhaps we call it the Chief Disruptive Officer. A focus on justice is inherently disruptive, as it requires dismantling and correcting systems that have traditionally been exclusionary and harmful. Moving beyond the rhetoric and centering justice in our work means reimagining who we deem as qualified for doing this very important work.
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While CEOs learn to adjust and adapt to this new normal, there is a tremendous opportunity for HR to go beyond having a seat at the table to actually leading businesses through this time of global uncertainty and civil unrest. But before we can establish ourselves as an effective resource, we, as an HR profession, must first acknowledge that, by and large, our current models of HR have not adequately met the expectations nor needs of companies or employees.
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Like many people with mental health issues, I mask and downplay my challenges at work. I do not want my bosses, colleagues, or the team that I lead to look at me differently. I don’t want them to avoid telling me things that may be stressful for fear of causing an attack, or for them to assume that I am having an episode anytime I have a bad day. So, I don’t talk about it unless I absolutely have to — and when I do, it is with very select individuals and in the strictest of confidence. Until now.
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