How You Can Help Promote Diversity In the Workplace
I went to college on a diversity scholarship. An alum was passionate about increasing diversity on our campus (which was primarily white since it was a private liberal arts university in the Midwest), so he and his employer funded four classes of diversity scholars. Part of the scholarship included monthly lunch and learns on topics of diversity and other diversity training.
As I’ve moved up in my career and in the corporate world, I am so grateful for that exposure I had to the importance of promoting diversity. Because it made me more aware of things like walking into a room of executives and seeing very few, if any, women or people of color. It also made me realize that no matter what my job title is, I still have a responsibility to speak up and promote diversity wherever I am.
Right now, our country is deep in turmoil trying to wrestle through issues facing the black community and it is inevitable that those conversations are going to seep into our workplaces too. So, how can you be an advocate on behalf of minorities and promote diversity in the workplace (regardless of your job title / rank)?
Educate yourself.
I know we’ve been hearing a lot about this lately, but to fully appreciate the depth and reach of the issues minorities face, you need to take the time to educate yourself on the issues. Right now, the topic is the issues black communities face, but there are also other groups who face similar struggles, especially from an economic and education angle: immigrants, those who grew up in poverty, women, indigenous communities, etc. Get to know the issues facing these communities and how it impacts the work opportunities and economic obstacles they may be likely to face.
Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy. -Proverbs 31:8-9
Find out how your employer promotes & supports diversity
Most companies today have some sort of diversity and inclusion initiative, although those programs run across a broad spectrum in vision and effectiveness. In light of recent events, your employer may have already communicated what the organization is doing on the diversity front. If you haven’t heard anything about this, start asking around and researching. See how you can get involved in these initiatives.
Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause. -Isaiah 1:17
If your company currently does not have any programs or initiatives that focus on promoting diversity in the workplace, raise your hand to volunteer to start something. These little by little steps add up and do make a difference! Here are a few ideas:
Start as a book club with co-workers where you read books on topics of diversity and gather to discuss what you learned. Even if it’s one chapter per month or quarter, this is a worthwhile investment and a good bonding experience.
Consider asking your department or company to host a potluck where everyone brings in a dish native to their heritage. We often forget that the United States is a country of immigrants and sometimes, we are not even aware that a co-worker may be a first or second generation immigrant.
Ask your employer to cater a lunch and learn and bring in a speaker specializing in diversity issues.
Put the topic of diversity on your next team meeting agenda. Especially if you’re a manager or leading a team, starting these conversations and setting the tone for these topics is vital, especially around recent current events. If you’re not yet a manager, ask your manager if they’d be willing to add these topics to an internal meeting agenda and/or volunteer to lead that discussion.
See if your company is willing to invest in a diversity training for employees - whether it’s an online course or a one-day team building type course that gets everyone engaged while also learning more about diversity in the workplace.
Talk to human resources about hiring practices. What schools is your employer recruiting from? Often, companies have feeder schools that they prefer to hire from, so if those colleges also don’t have a diverse student body then the pipeline for work also lacks diversity. So, maybe you can offer a suggestion for a school that has a diverse student body to recruit from.
Get to know your co-workers
If you have coworkers that come from a diverse background, whether in skin color or upbringing, ask them about their experiences in getting to where they are today. What obstacles did they overcome to get to where they are now? What did their parents do for a living? How do they feel being the only (or one of the few [fill in the blank] in a meeting / on your team / at your company? Ask how they’re doing and if you can support them in any way.
Yes, I know we all have our own obstacles and few of us had “easy” paths. But there is beauty in sharing our experiences and listening with empathy, and not in competition with who has the “harder story.”
Get involved in the community
Our communities are the pipelines to where we work, especially our local schools. Because we’re all connected, taking the time to invest in our local communities pays dividends in all areas of our lives, including the workplace. Get a group of people from work to go volunteer and give back somehow. Sign up to be a Big Sister and mentor a student in a school that has a high percentage of students on free and reduced lunch. Find local organizations that help people break the cycle of poverty for their families and volunteer there. For example, I help provide financial counseling through a local nonprofit that helps families improve their credit scores and learn to budget in order to one day be able to get a mortgage and to buy a house.
Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him. -Psalm 41:1
It’s tempting to say that none of this is your problem - that it’s above your pay grade or because you’re worried about what people will say about you if you pick up this particular issue. But as Edmund Burke once said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
Truth is, if it wasn’t for that diversity scholarship, I wouldn’t have been able to afford to go to a private university, so then I wouldn’t have gone to law school, or gotten a job at a big four accounting firm. All because one man decided he wanted to invest in a generation of minority college students. One person makes a difference. Little by little adds up, and the results of our actions impact all of us.
How is your organization addressing current events? What programs is your employer offering to promote diversity in the workplace?
We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!