07/01/2020

Do Your Employees Know Why You Believe in Racial Equity?

They need to know

Structural racism has conditioned us to accept that including people of color in majority-white workplaces, especially black people, equates to lowering the bar. Not only is this framing incorrect, it is dangerously divisive. Still, it remains pervasive. Too often in my work helping organizations strategize on diversity, inclusion and equity goals I hear from people who tell me they would love to hire, advance or invest in more companies founded by underrepresented people, but they are worried about reducing standards and outcomes.

As corporate America finally steps up to vocally condemn racism and discrimination (and in some cases, make big commitments to reducing bias within their organization), I worry that companies are approaching inclusion and equity with this flawed narrative. Falsely labeling diversity efforts as charity or compulsion will only further divisions between employees. As someone who has been called a “diversity hire” in previous roles, I know all-too-well what it’s like to have one’s contributions underestimated because those in the majority thought standards were lowered to employ me.

In reality, ensuring people from underrepresented communities are recruited and advanced is far more beneficial for an organization than any one individual. Diversity, equity and inclusion attempts to level the playing field to allow the best ideas to flourish, to connect talented individuals from underrepresented backgrounds with opportunities that those with which the majority often have unfair access and to empower the best organizations to thrive. Done right, creating diverse, equitable, inclusive organizations yield greater profitability, innovation and smarter teams. The problem is, much of these benefits aren’t communicated well by company leaders, so many employees think steps to create greater DEI are check-the-box.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Harvard Business Review.