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The first time I saw this diagram and article published by COCo, I stopped in my tracks! I felt seen… this was my experience. Step. by. step. At the time I saw this diagram, I was experiencing the “Target & Attack” phase after being hired into an organization whose leaders wanted my voice in an effort to “move the needle on social equity.” After being given the green light to assess HR practices and procedures and implement equitable best-practices, I jumped in wholeheartedly with assessments, tools, researched best practices, and made strategic recommendations. Each recommendation was received with a lukewarm reception. Then slowly, the challenge was no longer “moving the needle on social equity” but rather removing the target on my back.
I experienced the incongruence between the recruitment and workplace messages I received like psychological whiplash. I was specifically recruited and invited to do this work and then penalized for it. In navigating that experience, I learned there were several Black women, and other women of color in the organization, who also had been recruited with the promise of social equity and an inclusive workplace culture. Those who did not leave and continued working towards an equitable and inclusive workplace were painted as angry, hostile, and in short identified as the “problem.” However, the “real problem” in the organization was not Black women (and other people of color) working towards structural change and an equitable work environment. The “real problem” was being recruited for and hired into a workplace that was not conducive to nor supportive of a diverse workforce.
Recruiting and hiring diverse candidates without being intentional about cultivating an equitable and inclusive workplace culture, creates a revolving door into and out of the organization for people of color– especially Black women. And replacing employees is expensive. On average, it costs 6-9 months’ salary to recruit, hire, and train a new employee. This does not take into account lost productivity, increased errors, and reduced employee engagement due to vacant positions and the resulting increased team workload. It does not account for the missed opportunities, innovation, and the production of a broader range of products and services because diverse and inclusive teams make better decisions and make them more quickly. So while creating an equitable and inclusive workplace culture is the “right thing to do,” it also makes organizations more competitive in the marketplace.
Recruiting and hiring a diverse workforce is not the first and only step. Organizations must continuously assess and evaluate their workplace culture to determine whether the perceived and experienced cultures are in alignment. A good first step is surveying employees to find out whether the workplace culture identified during recruitment is similar to the one they now experience. Is there a difference in how employees experience the organization? Do employees of color and employees from other historically marginalized and subordinated groups identify a gap? If so, organizational leadership must take action and invest in resources to address the gap in workplace culture. The cost of employee turnover and not investing in diverse and inclusive teams is too great. Building an equitable and inclusive workplace is a marathon, not a sprint… and I invite you on this journey.
~Stefani
