Black lives matter: Monday Matters #3
Each week in our #mondaymatters post we share ideas for how to create more inclusive teams and spaces in which everyone is empowered to thrive. Given the current news surrounding George Floyd’s death at the hands of the police in the US, along with the reality that here in the UK black people are four times more likely to die from COVID, many people are asking “but what can I personally do to change our racist system?”.
Our workplaces are microcosms of society. Businesses, no matter how small they are, have huge power to change the system. Here are just some ways that you can work to create an anti-racist organisation or team:
Encourage dialogue
First and foremost you should be making sure you check in with your black employees and colleagues. It’s highly likely that between the news of police brutality in the US, the viral video of Amy Cooper and the disproportionate impact of Covid on black families your black colleagues are shouldering a lot. Ask about (and respect) what your black colleagues need. Create a safe space where people have the option to vent with colleagues and importantly where they have their concerns, and their own experiences of racism, heard and acknowledged.
But we also need to encourage dialogue among other people too. Creating a book club or podcast club where people can educate themselves about systemic racism and discuss the content is not only a great way of provoking conversation but it also ensures that black people aren’t burdened with the exhausting task of educating their colleagues. (Here’s a great list of books and podcasts to get started with and make sure you purchase books from independent small businesses where you can)
Work with expert facilitators, mediators and trainers to hold these spaces and ensure that people engage effectively and go through a process of learning together.
Act upon bias
Pay for your staff to attend workshops by organisations such as Fearless Futures or The Other Box in order to identify and question bias in the workplace. But don’t stop there. Put in place changes that actually confront bias. Work with organisations such as BAME recruitment to improve your hiring practices, invest time into planning how to support diverse talent to progress within your company, and make sure that your staff are empowered to call out bias and racism at work by demonstrating that you take claims seriously.
Report on your pay gap
There were calls last year to extend the mandatory gender pay gap reporting to include ethnicity pay gap reporting too. Due to Coronavirus the government has suspended the enforcement of gender pay gap reporting deadlines but this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t continue reporting if you can. If you work for an organisation that isn’t currently furloughed ask your boss or your HR team to continue to report on the pay gap including Ethnicity data. It is believed that one reason for the higher COVID death rates among black people is due to higher levels of poverty & income inequality. Start to actively change the income inequality in your workplace by knowing the facts and getting access to the data.
Continue to support parents without access to childcare
Even though the government has said schools can reopen today, NASWUT (the national teacher’s union) has explicitly called out the government on their disregard for the health of Black and Minority Ethinic staff. Because of the risk that reopening schools poses to black people, many local authorities have taken the decision not to reopen until it is more safe to do so. Continue to provide your employees and colleagues who are parents with as much flexibility and understanding as possible so that even those in areas where schools are open feel supported to make the right decisions.
Reinvest your profits
If you are lucky enough to work for or run a profitable company at this point in time then use those profits to show that black lives matter. We are all concerned about financial insecurity and the devastating recession ahead of us but the reality of our system is that black communities are going to be hit hardest by a recession. Work with black-owned suppliers and donate to support the Black Lives Matter movement.
What is your organisation doing to show that #blacklivesmatter? Share your ideas and thoughts in the comments below to help educate one another on creating more inclusive organisations where everyone is empowered to thrive.