Читать книгу Expand Beyond Your Current Culture - Leslie Short - Страница 10

CHAPTER 3

Checked Boxes Aren’t Good Enough!

MANY COMPANIES THINK that if they’ve checked the boxes described below they’ve followed the law and they’ve done all they need to do to be considered an equal opportunity employer. It should be clear to you after reading this chapter that companies can check the boxes without being seriously committed to Diversity and Inclusion.

Here are a few D&I boxes and, sadly, some real examples of the thinking of some companies in checking them:

Box 1 – Gender: Try to find some women to join the board. Try to promote one or two. We only need one in the photo to say we’re diverse.

Box 2 – Ethnicity: Does Asian count? Or should we get one black person to insure that “others” see that we’re diverse?

Box 3 – Race: If you bring in the African American make sure they’re not too black, you know, militant …

Box 4 – Sexual Orientation: We can’t ask if they’re LGBTQ+, but if you find someone who screams it, make sure they’re front and center. Not sure if we’re ready for someone who’s Trans. Let’s hold onto that thought and just get one or two.

Box 5 – Disability: Do we have the budget to hire someone with a disability? What happens if they need something our other employees don’t? If you can find one who doesn’t need much, then great.

Box 6 – Veteran: We’ll look really good if we have a veteran or two. Go to a job fair to find some.

Box 7 – Age: Age isn’t a mandatory box, and we can’t ask how old they are, so if they look too old we can just say they’re not the right company culture fit.

Box 8 – Personal Attribute: We can’t hire a heavy female – they won’t fit our image.

Box 9 – Religion: It might be difficult to find a Muslim to hire. Maybe someone Jewish (not as noticeable).

You get the point. And I’m not making these up – I’ve heard all of them in meetings!

Once these boxes have been checked, which covers the company by law, they’ll usually do the following: 1) State on their website that they’re an equal opportunity employer; 2) Make it part of their application process; 3) Tell HR to make a diversity effort.

I’ve heard it said in some companies, “It’s not that serious, but why cause issues? Let’s cover our asses just in case someone notices.” The funny thing is, these companies believe they’re an equal opportunity employer.

Be careful of your checked boxes. Companies have asked me how potential employees (or customers) would know whether they are or aren’t committed to Diversity and Inclusion. The answer is obvious – they clearly state that they’re an equal opportunity employer on their website! (And, yes, that’s sarcasm.)

Before people apply for a job with your company, or during the hiring process, here are a few ways They can tell that you don’t really have a diverse culture (let alone an inclusive one.)

• You use stock photos on your website to show that you’re diverse, but you’ve used the same photos that other companies are using.

• They’re told before they arrive to maybe shorten their name.

• You ask Them, “Do you have an American name? One that’s easier to pronounce?”

• You’ve recruited Them for a job They didn’t apply for, and told Them that you got their name “through research.” (Don’t you really want to say that you reached out to your diverse contacts to receive additional resumes?)

• You asked Them, “Would you be comfortable working here?”

• You told Them that They may want to tone it down for the interview or the second interview.

• They walk into the office and see no one who looks like Them or to any “other” culture.

• During the interview, They consistently hear the words they and them.

• They see that there’s no diverse leadership in your company.

• On the tour of your company They still don’t see anyone who looks like them.

• If They do see someone who looks like Them, They’re told, “I’m sure you and (fill in the blank) will have a lot in common.”

Let’s say you’re purposefully diversifying your company. You’ve checked several boxes and you’re trying to check a few more, but no one can tell. Your responses to the questions below are just a few ways people will know whether you’re checking the boxes or not.

• How do you train your employees?

• Do you pair employees with someone who’s been in the company for some time to help them maneuver through the system for the first month?

• How do you handle inviting employees to meetings and introducing them?

• What type of outside projects and events does your company sponsor?

• What types of people do you like to work with?

• Do you have cultural initiatives?

• How do you describe your company culture?

• How do you create an inclusive environment?

• How do you support personal and professional development?

• Is your website accessible?

What About Human Resources?

Let’s take a few steps back to the checked boxes. Where were these employees found so that the boxes could be checked off? Job fairs? Schools? Clubs? Sororities? Fraternities? Ads offering employee incentives? Job placement boards?

I want to be clear that I’m not beating up on human resources professionals on how they find employees. I work with them a great deal, so I understand what they’re up against. They take direction from higherups in the company. Who’s giving them direction? How much support do they get to use unconventional resources to find someone who fits many of the boxes?

Several HR specialists have told me that they were asked to find diverse candidates to interview, but when they submitted those candidates there were always “issues.” Things that make you wonder. I guess the fact that HR tried is a box that gets to be checked off.

Large companies can afford to have their HR departments use artificial intelligence (AI) or computer programs that recognize buzzwords – oops, I mean targeted keywords or phrases to search for employees. It’s lucky for them that they can afford the software or a company to handle their search, but it’s not so lucky for the job-seekers who may not have gone to the college or have the degree that was programmed into the computer as a requirement for employment (unbeknownst to the job-seeker). Of course, these computer programs introduce all kinds of bias into the hiring process.

Story Time

This is a good time to share the story from the veteran I mentioned in the last chapter.

My experience has been very different as a veteran coming out of the service, after twelve years, into the workforce. As I started that journey, I realized I had two checks in the box for diversity – being African American and being a veteran. But I didn’t want those two factors to be the only reasons why someone would hire me. I felt that I needed to show the workforce that I’m qualified and I’m not your average veteran who left the military with no game plan.

I remember the day I went to a job recruiter and she told me that I wasn’t real! I was perplexed for a second, and then she explained herself. She said that there was no way that I was able to be in the military, complete bachelor’s and master’s degrees, work a second job, and have my own business when we all have the same twenty-four hours in a day. It doesn’t seem real! I was surprised by her comment. I left the office feeling very discouraged. Were my qualifications not what companies were looking for? Was I overqualified for the positions I was applying for?

The interaction I had with that recruiter pushed me into the world that I was destined to be in, which is fashion. I’m now in a position to move to the beat of my own drum while still learning the essential skills that are needed to be successful in the fashion industry.

— Former U.S. Navy Chief/Creative Director Fashion

A New Box

I hope you realize that as you’re evaluating a potential employee’s added value, they’re evaluating the value you bring to them.

Here’s a new box for you – my box. Didn’t think about that, did you? What does that even mean?

People who walk into your company may have more than one box to check. Someone may be biracial and a veteran, or Asian and a woman. Do you just pick the box that works for you and not take the effort to see who they are? Are you just happy that you found one person who checks several boxes so that you’re covered?

That doesn’t work. Checking the box is only as good as checking the box, which means nothing. Checking the box is not good enough! Unless you make an effort to hire the people who are best for the position, the ones who have the talent and not just the exterior that lets you check the box, then you’re making an empty gesture. If you already know this, please share it with others in leadership, because some of them still don’t understand valuing talent over checked boxes. They point fingers and say that pushing D&I doesn’t make sense. But others can point to the bottom line that says it makes sense to hire for talent, and if boxes are checked that’s great.

You have to make the effort to insure that equity is a top priority, remembering that equity equals access. People need the opportunity to grow within the company, to see that it’s possible to grow within the company. They need to learn new skills, they need to know where they can find the information that enables them to do that, they need to know who they can speak to who will hear them and see them and guide them.

That good feeling of inclusion. The same feeling you wanted when you took the job.

Some Sad Examples

It’s clear that the way companies have been approaching D&I isn’t working, and just checking boxes isn’t good enough. Just take a look at some real-life examples that will make you cringe.

The following products should never have been approved to reach the public:

• Blackface sweaters

• Monkey sweatshirts

• Sambo charms

• Anti-anything shirts or jackets

• Clothing that appears to be concentration camp uniforms …

And companies have engaged in the following atrocious behaviors:

• Refusing to allow certain people to sit in their coffee shop

• Storing a wheelchair improperly during travel

• Telling someone to take off their head scarf

• Cutting someone’s hair in the middle of a competition

• Stopping same-sex kissing

• Not having a clean area to use a breast pump

• Told there is no ramp – sorry, but you can’t go there

• Taking a photo in a diverse country without one diverse person in the photo while saying you’re there for diversity …

If you aren’t familiar with any of these stories – that too is an issue.

Sorry? Not Really

I keep wishing that companies would learn from each other, but they don’t seem to. A company hits the news for doing something that’s blatantly racist, but the next week another company does the same thing, and on and on.

Just saying “Sorry” is no longer acceptable. In today’s world we expect companies to do better and to have a diverse and inclusive company culture. So if all you do is check the boxes, and those in leadership positions aren’t committed to D&I, and all you do is keep saying you’re sorry, then customers will take their business elsewhere.

We know companies that have diversity, inclusion, and authentic company culture as part of their foundations, and have introduced products that represent their full range of customers. They have invested in various communities. They show up, they speak out, and they stand true to their purpose and mission. And if they misstep, they address that misstep with a viable plan, a real plan, not a plan to just quiet things down. Not just say they’re sorry.

Yes, we can tell the difference. #imsorryisbroken

So, your boxes are checked – now what?