Within the workplace, you’ll often find teams talking about a range of differing topics from money to politics, before they even consider putting a conversation about race on the table. The reason for that is simple; it makes many people feel uncomfortable.
However, this needs to change. There is an urgent need to unmask and eradicate racial micro-aggressions within the workplace in order to create an inclusive workspace for all individuals. An organization needs to have an environment in which each professional has an equal and fair opportunity at success, and this journey begins by being able to talk openly and confidently about race at work.
Approximately 38% of the U.S.’s working-age population comes from people of color, and by 2045, it is expected that white people will no longer be the racial majority. However, the gap between delivering diversity and instilling inclusion is still distant. A McKinsey study found that while overall sentiment on diversity is 52% positive and 31% negative, sentiment on inclusion was markedly worse at only 29% positive and 61% negative.
This is where businesses need to step up and unlock the potential of diverse workforces. In fact, if employees of color across the United States are fully utilized, they are 35% more likely to perform above the national average financially. Tapping into an organization’s diversity of thought is imperative to driving success.
Encourage open communication
Many professionals do not like talking about race at work because it can make them feel uncomfortable, or there are concerns about using the wrong language for fear of causing offense to another colleague.
We recognize that the vast majority of individuals who need to introduce conversations around race into the workplace are white and, therefore, feel that discomfort stems from a lack of education, knowledge, and understanding of the intricacies of the topic. In short, they fear saying the wrong thing. Therefore, instead of educating and becoming involved in talking about race at work, they avoid it. This is not a solution, especially for senior members of the team who can be seen as role models for junior employees.
There are a number of methods organizations can easily employ to encourage open conversations about race and educate their white team members to be more comfortable when discussing race. For example, they can create safe spaces where colleagues do not feel judged or fear being reprimanded for saying the wrong thing, provide training and resources to enhance their understanding about race issues in the workplace and beyond, and regularly facilitate conversations regarding specific topics such as Black Lives Matter.
Understand the value of your connections
When it comes to being open at work about race, there is often a lack of appreciation for the lived experiences of diverse employees. This is why engaging and listening to the experiences of those from different backgrounds is so crucial – as is self-education on the issues of race.
As a leader, you need to be a vocal advocate to combat racism in the workplace and nurture an inclusive environment. You need to listen and learn from the experiences of your diverse colleagues by not suppressing their voices and welcoming their views and opinions from their workplace experiences. This also includes ensuring that you hone in on their career ambitions and aspirations to ensure equal access and opportunity for all.
Importantly, organizations should take the time to seek support from external and internal advocates to provide a platform and avenue in which to start conversations about race. This can also incorporate a process of educating the entire business through diversity training on the importance of building an inclusive workforce and, even if it is uncomfortable, ensuring you encourage talking about race at work.
Another key way to facilitate conversations regarding race is for organizations to focus on initiatives designed to address racial inequality. Starting the process towards ethnicity pay gap reporting, for example, will involve collecting ethnicity data on all employees and communicating company-wide why this process is so important. Managers will need to encourage teams to provide such data, giving them a practical necessity to discuss race within the business. Once collected, publishing such data can also become a catalyst for valuable discussion and action.
You can find out more on our Can I Say That? report.
Taking the next steps
Organizations must commit to having regular conversations about race in order to attract the best, most diverse talent. By implementing training, encouraging discussions, and creating safe spaces for these conversations, employers are portraying their commitment, both outwardly and internally, to creating a workplace that is fit for everyone.
It is more important than ever to root out and eradicates biases, discrimination and debunk perceptions about people of color to ensure that global workforces are inclusive within their own company cultures and in order to cement an inclusive hiring process.
