Equity and Inclusion, Social Justice, DEI...No matter what you call it, HR specialists are concerned with issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and belonging in the workplace. The growing emphasis on "People and Culture" specialists within HR departments reflects the essential work of creating and maintaining environments where everyone is valued and treated fairly.
Equity and inclusion should be everyone's business, because your success relies on them. Diverse workplaces have at their disposal a greater variety of knowledge, skills, and experience. When people of different backgrounds and experiences come together in an atmosphere of trust, innovation is an almost certain outcome.
I can support employers to improve workplace culture in a variety of ways. I specialize in workplace climate assessments and reports. I also provide coaching and training with regard to the following topics: recruitment and retention, hiring "pipeline" challenges, gender and sexual diversity, and common pitfalls of majority-white institutions. I also create training curricula for non-profits to use with volunteers.
More than anything, I want organizations to do equity and inclusion work right. DEI initiatives have received a bad rap in many places, usually for ideological reasons that don't resonate with many HR professionals. But in some cases, individuals with little or no training and leading with nothing but their best intentions cause unintended harm - whether they have volunteered for DEI roles or they have been nominated based on their social characteristics (rather than their qualifications or, sometimes, even their interests).
In addition to my background as a sociologist with specialization in social inequality topics, I hold nationally recognized equity and inclusion credentials at the trainer level. I'll also be the first to tell you if I am not the best person to help you navigate a particular challenge and can refer you to colleagues in the DEI space who might be a better fit. I work with talented professionals of different backgrounds and areas of expertise.
Wondering if your workplace needs a climate upgrade? While most of us are aware of traditional culprits, like hiring discrimination and sexual harassment, ask yourself if your organization could use some help navigating the following, lower profile missteps - then get in touch with me for a further conversation.
Does your team ever...
Fail to recognize your existing diversity? Accountability is an essential aspect of equity and inclusion work, but some leaders get hung up on a lack of diversity and ignore the diverse talent they already have. Blanket statements like We have no diversity are inaccurate and can make minoritized team members feel invisible. Designating a training or workshop as being for "allies" does the same thing, because only majority group members can technically be allies. I can help you create strategies that allow your whole team to feel seen.
Want more diversity...at any cost? There are plenty of reasons why representation matters, and it's important to have clarity about what motivates your team: Diversity makes good fiscal sense. Diversity can improve your image. Existing diversity often attracts more diversity. But all of these motivators rely on minoritized groups to bring the benefits while neglecting to consider what they get out of the arrangement. Increasing diversity is also just a small part of a comprehensive equity and inclusion plan; ensuring that everyone on your team is valued, supported, included, and fairly treated requires ongoing commitment. I can help you ensure that the work and rewards of creating community are evenly shared.
Confuse kindness with a lack of boundaries? Some people assume that initiating conversations with colleagues based on perceived differences is a good way to honor diversity, build trust, and be a good ally. Their conversation partners often feel otherwise. When your colleague always wants to talk about your race or sexual identity or asks questions that are too personal, the experience is unprofessional and uncomfortable. This trend also contributes to the expectation that members of minoritized groups serve as educators for everyone else. I can help your team practice respectful kindness, recognizing diversity while honoring individual and professional boundaries.
Expect members of minoritized groups to fix organizational climate and/or to have certain interests? Many organizations expect members of minoritized groups to solve inequality, overwhelming them with requests to contribute to workplace equity and inclusion initiatives. So while it is a good idea to make new employees aware of opportunities to get involved (including with groups and resources that exist to support them), expectations and invitations should be extended equitably to everyone on your team. Likewise clubs and social activities. I can help you create supportive programming and identify ways in which members of your team may be overburdened, pigeon-holed, or left out.
Lack an intersectional perspective on diversity? Intersectionality is a way to understand each person's unique experiences of privilege and oppression according to the many social statuses they occupy at the same time. So while most of us have a basic understanding of how systemic oppression leads to inequalities in lived experience, some see this process as static and monolithic. They may also believe that all marginalized groups face equal and identical oppressions or else ones that can be put in order from better to worse. Read more about why this harmful in the next two points.
Practice paternalism and exceptionalism? Harmful stereotypes prevent some individuals from seeing others accurately or fairly, even when they think they are being good allies. Paternalism is treating members of certain groups as victims of systemic oppression and assuming that they need extra help because they lack proper experience and qualifications. Patronizing treatment can result in minoritized group members avoiding asking questions or feeling like they have to work even harder. Alternatively, members of certain groups may be seen as exceptional or as having "beaten the odds" by accomplishing what everyone else in the group has: a job offer, a degree, credentials. They may be complimented for being articulate or assumed to have stereotypical affiliations or experiences. I can help your team address these and other subversive forms of prejudice.
Discriminate based on mindreading and paternalistic logic? Paternalism and other less-overt types of prejudice can lead to discrimination where the guilty party views their actions as compassionate. They don't deny someone a job because of race, for instance, but because they are concerned that a person of a particular racial category won't have a good experience. They might cite high turnover from certain groups or say things like, They won't like it here, and we have a lot of work to do before that changes. Or Someone so highly qualified probably has a lot of other offers and would turn us down anyway. This discrimination based on mindreading is no less illegal. I can help your team support a candidate's informed decision-making while avoiding mindreading and discrimination.
Blame underrepresentation on "pipeline issues?" It is true that recruiting a diverse workforce is harder in some industries because of barriers found further down the applicant pipeline, specifically in the recruitment and retention of young people into degree and training programs. Organizations identifying "pipeline issues" as a barrier to greater diversity sometimes think there is nothing they can do about their lack of representation. But if they don't have strategies for supporting education, training, mentorship, or work visas, the pipeline becomes an excuse to carry on as usual. I can help you assess your capacity to be part of larger solutions.
Offer wages that only work for people with economic privilege? Employers sometimes fail to think about how their wages and benefits price out certain applicants, contributing to a lack of workforce diversity. When they offer salaries too low to afford rent in their own communities, organizations project an assumption that the right candidate is someone who probably doesn't have student loans and/or is supported by a partner or parent who is paid better. Employers also contribute to certain team members' financial hardship when they skimp on prescription drug plans or adopt health insurance with high co-pays - both of which won't work well for employees with certain health conditions or disabilities. I can help you assess your current pay and benefit packages and find solutions that promote inclusion.
Sour relationships with community partners? Hosting community events is a great way for organizations to promote equity and inclusion and communicate their values. Events related to certain racial, ethnic, and other affinity groups should always include collaboration with the represented group, especially local leaders and organizations working on a regular basis to promote their best interests. When organizations host events without the buy-in - or even awareness - their efforts can easily come off as pandering and disingenuous. And organizations can feel slighted when called on to play a role in one community event while not consulted or invited to a similar one later on. I can help you put the right values and strategies at the center of your community building efforts.
I am experienced in developing outcome-driven approaches to the equity and inclusion issues facing your organization. Whether your team struggles with more explicit patterns of prejudice and discrimination or needs help addressing subtler forms, a free consultation is a great place to start.