Normally on Wednesday ‘s blog post we present issues surrounding process improvement, however I saw this post from the Harvard Business Review and thought it was appropriate for the times we are facing.
When trying to address racial disparities, managers often focus on recruiting and hiring. But if you want to create a truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace, you have to go further. Specifically, managers need to think about how they assign work. Be careful not to let any bias emerge around assignments: Research shows that employees of color are expected to repeatedly prove their abilities, while white employees are more likely to be evaluated on their potential. Managers should not make unilateral decisions about which projects their Black employees should or should not do during this time. Collaborate, instead, letting your Black employees express how they need to be supported right now. And be sure not to penalize those choices when the time comes for performance reviews. Giving people much-needed leniency now, only to punish them later, will create further inequity. This tip is adapted from “Restructure Your Organization to Actually Advance Racial Justice,” by Evelyn R. Carter