Businesses that want to break through these roadblocks need to work to build a workplace that invites, welcomes and engages people from many different backgrounds and perspectives. That’s not always easy.
“Culture happens by default or it happens by design, and our default operating code is largely white,” says Tiffany Jana, founder and CEO of Richmond-based TMI Consulting Inc., a diversity and inclusion management consultancy firm.
By recruiting and hiring without intentionally looking outside that default, workplaces often miss qualified candidates. Norms such as preferring candidates from “reputable institutions,” who graduated from the same schools or who offer “a good fit,” rather than making judgments on potential and ability, usually result in workplaces that resemble their managers, Jana says.
To offset this, hiring managers can strengthen and expand their networks. For example, Jana — who identifies as nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns — points out that almost every industry and profession has demographically specific organizations associated with it. “Offer to sponsor a conference,” they suggest. “Build relationships.”
“Culture happens by default or it happens by design,” says Tiffany Jana, CEO of TMI Consulting. Photo by Rashad Hawkins
“Culture happens by default or it happens by design,” says Tiffany Jana, CEO of TMI Consulting. Photo by Rashad Hawkins
Another tip: Make sure photos on websites and recruiting materials reflect the organization you want to build. Few people are willing to be the first person like them to join a company, says Jana, who was on Inc. magazine’s 2018 list of the nation’s top leadership speakers.
Once people are on board, experts say, workplaces need to put in place practices that welcome participation and input from all members.
Hiring people without planning for, encouraging and celebrating their active participation is counterproductive and demoralizing, Jana says: “If you can’t say specifically how groups are going to improve your organization, you’re going to ignore them or ill-use their talent and perspective.”
At the same time, managers should be careful not to rely on members of underrepresented groups as spokespeople. Inequity “is a collective problem and needs a collective solution,” says Hall of Virginia Tech. People with “social and political capital” need to be part of discussions rather than asking members of minority groups to solve these problems, she adds.
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