Op-Ed: I’m sick of the words “diversity” and “inclusion”
By: Brianna Jackson
Tags: Equality, Workforce Development, Workforce, Diversity And Inclusion, Timnit Gebru

Hire qualified people of color. Then listen to them.

I absolutely applaud hiring diverse employees. I am one. However, that is where most companies stop when it comes to championing inclusion. It isn’t enough to just hire people of color. Speaking from my many experiences of being the only Black person in a corporate meeting, you have to actually make them feel like their voice, their thoughts and their insight are actually valued. Make space for them to speak up, don’t allow others to silence them and listen, deeply.

You can’t just talk the talk about diversity and point to your employment quotas as a measure of how diverse the company is. Eventually, those numbers will decline as people of color leave the company because they find they simply aren’t valued in the same way their white colleagues are, defeating your original purpose.

Another reason to listen to your employees of color? We’re often the canaries in the coal mine, pointing out serious issues the company faces. Which brings me to my next point…

2. Prepare to be uncomfortable, and let that discomfort turn to action.

Culture change is hard. It’s especially hard when the culture you’re fighting is ingrained in all of us — biases, bigotry, stereotypes. As you listen to your diverse employees, they may reveal uncomfortable truths about your work environment. You’ll be tempted to brush it off as a one-off, or not representative of the company at large. Don’t.

As someone explained it to me once, the fish doesn’t see that it is swimming in water, that it is breathing it in. It’s the same thing with systemic racism - it’s the “water” we are all in, hard to see but ultimately surrounding us.We have to actively fight against it, and that takes tough and honest conversations with employees, and a lot of self-reflection. It takes challenging long-held beliefs, some you didn’t even realize you held. Then it takes action.

One example of a company that is starting to do it right is Boeing. (Disclaimer: I currently work for said company.) After the George Floyd protests and widespread unrest this past year, the company decided to take a firm stance against racism.

In the months since, the CEO released a Racial Equity Action Plan that included: a promise to hire more Black employees over the next few years publishing that data publicly for accountability; commitment to having frank conversations with teams about racism; creating a Racial Justice Task Force within the company; and donating $10 million to social justice nonprofits and programs.

3. Commit to promoting qualified people of color. There are plenty.

Most companies already have plans for recruitment and retainment of employees. What many fail to realize is that they have trouble keeping workers of color because they do not feel they have a future at the company.

One way systemic racism operates in a corporate culture is that qualified employees of color are often passed over for opportunities for advancement, many at the managerial or executive level. As of January 2020, there are only 4 Black Fortune 500 CEOs, less than 1%. One CBSNews piece points out that only 3.2% of executive jobs are held by Black people.

This is disheartening for obvious reasons, but also for its trickle effect: other employees of color look up the corporate ladder and see little to no faces that look like them. So they look elsewhere for employment opportunities.

“The lack of promotions are causing black employees to change jobs more frequently. More than one-third of black respondents said they plan to leave their company within two years, as opposed to 27% of whites.” — CBS News

The talent pipeline exists — it’s often sitting right in your office. Investigate why your employees of color aren’t being treated as if they’re valuable, and make steps to ensure their success with the company.

If you find they aren’t being set up with the right opportunities to take on more responsibility, make it a goal to develop them with the right tools, training and/or projects so that they can grow into leadership. Often, this is already being done with your white employees, by the way.

If you want a diverse, inclusive and equitable workforce, you have to cultivate it, encourage it and live by the values you espouse. If we do that, we can achieve a better, more engaged and successful workforce than we have ever had.