How to create diversion, inequity & exclusion (DIE) in your organization
Just kidding! Here’s how not to create more trauma with your diversity, equity, inclusion & justice (DEIJ) good intentions
There comes a time in the life of a woman of color when she wants to do something other than keep asking people with more power and privilege to be considerate. Oh I don’t know, she might want to just wash her hair in peace without vigorously scrubbing every racist, sexist, classist, homophobic and ableist comment off her body that she heard that day!
I don’t have all the answers. But I’ve been part of a few long-term DEIJ group processes. So maybe my experience-based tips below will save you from pulling your hair out. Whatever you do, don’t be like this funny-not-funny person.
Let me guess, you’ve felt DIE
According to a Harvard University meta-analysis, “Effects of subtle discrimination were at least as bad as, if not worse than, overt discrimination. It has not-so-subtle effects on employees and their performance at work.” They will spend a lot more time trying to figure out if you’re discriminating against them. People experiencing microaggressions can feel more depression, anxiety and chronic physical problems. Scientists found our unconscious thoughts are better predictors of our behavior than our expressed views.
Talking about race without trained, trauma-informed DEIJ facilitators can exploit people of color because “often there is no real action attached to these emotionally taxing discussions.”
People most harmed by inequities are often re-traumatized by sharing their experiences.
The go-to diversity corporate trainer who teaches stress management techniques will not suffice. Programming targeted towards all employees will be unsuccessful. The issue is not inclusion, but racial trauma.
A one-time bias training won’t change an organization’s culture and an employee resource group (women’s or Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) group, etc.) is not okay if they’re not the problem.
Your organization makes DEIJ decisions based on survey results or by voting. But there are fewer BIPOC or BIPOC aren’t speaking up.
People often leave because their boss is toxic and they don’t feel safe telling anyone in the organization.
You haven’t heard of these surprising things Asian American people experience or why people in general get mad when they hear they need to wait for change.
So maybe try these 9 ideas, some of which I learned the hard way
1. First heal racial trauma science found everyone has from their ancestors. Also, include BIPOC and junior staff when asking which trauma-informed DEIJ facilitator to hire. (Many facilitators are booked months out.)
One of the most powerful healings I’ve ever felt was when I listened to the book My Grandmother’s Hands, which is by Resmaa Menakem, a therapist helping people of all races heal from racial trauma that is passed down epigenetically in DNA from previous generations. His book is on how we all have trauma in our body, regardless of our skin color: our ancestors were either witnesses, perpetrators or victims. And so it helps to listen to short meditations to heal trauma in the body before using words to talk about race. (If your library uses Hoopla, I found it easier to use than other audio platforms.) You might feel better if you listen to his book instead of reading it.
Create a form available all the time for people to choose if they want to anonymously answer things like, ”What’s the top thing you wish leadership knew about your experience at this organization?” People might feel safe to be more honest if you name people that will read responses and if you list what legally needs to be shared and with whom (such as people who need to know about bullying or sexual harassment).
If you feel you only need to apply DEIJ to programs and policies, you might achieve that goal faster if you ask everyone if there’s any other DEIJ area that might need focus, such as interpersonal interactions.
Create optional, long-term affinity groups to avoid unnecessary trauma. BIPOC and different genders are stereotyped differently. So it can help to not lump BIPOC together. So maybe create a group for junior Asian women staff and so on. It can help if these groups could continue to meet.
2. Create communication suggestions to prevent the awkward need to call people in later
Here are tips on how to talk about privilege without talking about privilege. It also might help to invite more junior, newer and historically marginalized staff to speak first. And though you’ve heard this before, I need to say this again for those in the back: ask each person if they want to speak and then give everyone equal time to speak. Some people desperately need a timer.
3. In case you missed it, it’s not nice (or equitable) to ask people to work for free
Many organizations invite their team to create DEIJ on work time, not their free time.
4. Create a group vision with a worker-owned DEIJ firm (such as Aorta) that is intersectional and doesn’t just focus on race
Otherwise, people can get frustrated if they don’t know where you all want to end up. For example, see where you all want to land on this DEIJ spectrum:
Social Justice Approach: Acknowledges systems of oppression and structural and institutional barriers based on racial, ethnic, gender, class, sexuality, ability, age, immigration status, and other differences.
Cultural Competency Approach: Focuses attention on valuing unique world views of different communities.
Multiculturalist Approach: Encourages tolerance and conflict-free diversity, often highlights achievements as a way to downplay systemic or structural barriers and inequalities. Highlights cultural life, cultural expression, cuisine, dress. Downplays race in favor of talking about and celebrating culture.
Neutrality Approach: Asserts that everyone is “on the same playing field.”
Exclusionary Approach: Either proactively or inadvertently reinforces exclusion, disempowerment, marginalization, or discrimination of people of color, LGBTQ people, women, or other marginalized groups of people. Requires those groups to assimilate to norms defined by dominant groups, if they are to participate at all. Tries to maintain the status quo for the dominant group.
5. Define basic DEIJ terms to avoid confusion, even if everyone doesn’t agree on pursuing DEIJ
Here are some sample videos:
How to eat an elephant talks about things like inviting people to create a culture, policies and physical spaces that are inclusive of people with different education levels, class, ability, gender, sexual orientation, race and more. Here’s what’s in their newer but private videos:
DEIJ centers historically marginalized voices (e.g., BIPOC, LGBTQIAA).
Instead of saying, “we need to hire a diverse person” or “we need more diversity,” say what you really mean (BIPOC, etc.). A person can’t be “diverse.”
Other videos include LinkedIn’s six free DEI certifications, which are non-confrontational. They reminded me of basic DEI lingo and more importantly, they shared research on the most effective way to start a DEI process in an organization. (After you watch their videos with short quizzes, your new certificates show in your LinkedIn profile.)
6. Surprise! Research shows trainings are successful if people go to them and actually try suggestions
Staff who volunteer to go to diversity trainings learn less than staff in required trainings. Yes, you read that right. Also, studies show those trainings are more likely to be successful if you can also:
Talk about discrimination. If you just talk about unconscious bias, people are less willing to hold discriminators accountable.
Create new systems that hold all staff accountable for reducing bias, such as affirmative-action plans, and diversity taskforces and departments.
Host networking opportunities for staff from underrepresented groups.
Invite everyone to a series of trainings. Otherwise, people’s bias can return to pre-training levels in a day.
Are comfortable with the fact that how people felt about a training isn’t the same as how much they learned.
7. Try Bias Interrupters, an evidence-based model for five patterns of bias, such as in performance evaluations
The founder, Joan Williams, found that only 9.5% of POC had leadership mentioned in their performance evaluations. That was 70 points lower than white women. So her team redesigned the performance evaluations form, created a one-hour workshop that included sharing actual comments from the prior year’s performance evaluations and asking people, “Which of the five patterns of bias does this represent, or is it no bias?” The next year, 100% of the people of color had leadership mentioned in their performance evaluations. Bias Interrupters has free and paid resources for you and your group.
8. Hiring tricks
In the job description, list the salary and something like, “Demonstrated commitment to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion within organizations. People of color, women and non-binary folks, immigrants, LGBTQ+, and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.”
Avoid having one person make any decision (e.g., hiring, performance reviews). Make decisions as a group.
Avoid words like “rockstar” or military analogies like “mission critical.” They can turn some people away. Textio flags words to avoid in your job descriptions and suggests better options.
Prompt hiring managers to repeat what they want in a candidate. Then show them resumes stripped of names and non-essential info that can trigger bias.
Ask all job candidates the same exact questions. Research shows unstructured interviews are the worst way to make a hiring decision.