Author: Kristina Proffitt

We’re wrapping up our series on bias at work, after covering gender bias, racial bias, disability bias, heterosexual bias, age bias, and trans bias. We hope you’ve found it informative. Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

Wanting to support employees from underrepresented communities and avoid implicit bias in the workplace is one thing. Knowing how to do it – and putting that knowledge into practice – is something else entirely.

It can be easy to feel bogged down and like you have too much to do. 

But if you were a member of an underrepresented group (or a different underrepresented group), imagine how you’d feel working somewhere that didn’t notice you experience the world differently. 

It’d make you feel even more excluded than you already did. 

You wouldn’t feel supported, meaning you’d be less productive in your role. It could impact your mental health, and you may decide to go work somewhere else instead.

So, with that in mind, here are some simple (often common sense!) ways that your business can take steps to counter bias at work, and show you really do support employees.

Listen 

Listening is one of those skills that everyone thinks they have, but that most people are actually pretty terrible at. 

If you interrupt people, you’re not listening. If you try to project your point of view on to someone, or tell them they’re wrong, you’re not listening. You’re trying to control the conversation.

Listening is about shutting up and paying attention to what the other person(s) has to say. 

You may not like what they’re saying. 

It may make you uncomfortable or even a little anxious. 

But it’s only through listening and challenging our own opinions and beliefs that we grow as people and business owners.

Even if we disagree with what we’re hearing.

So, the next time an employee from an underrepresented community comes to you with feedback, a query, or a complaint, listen. Then consider how you can take action against bias at work.

Change your hiring practices

The typical hiring process we’re all used to of submitting a resume, doing an interview or two, then getting a job offer (or not), is outdated and inaccessible. It also leads to biases against many underrepresented communities.

From blind resume screening to group activities that allow you to observe someone’s skills rather than asking them to describe their abilities, there’s more than one way to hire a new employee.

Have a reporting system

There has to be a way for employees to report any issues that they experience. This especially applies to instances of bias at work.

Ideally, you should give employees the option to report anonymously. Not everyone will want their name attached to an issue for fear of retaliation. That doesn’t mean the issue should go unreported, though. Journalists never give up their sources for a reason.

Believe your employees

It’s not unheard of for an employee to draw attention to issues of bias at work and get ignored. 

Or worse, the person who raised the issue gets punished instead of the person causing the issue.

Don’t be that business. Be the business that supports and believes your employees, punishing the person who committed the offense, not the whistleblower.

Send sensible surveys

Too many times, I’ve seen businesses ask employees to provide feedback on their jobs and employers via questionnaire…

…then require the employee to submit that questionnaire to their manager, who’ll forward it to HR.

If an employee is having issues with their manager, they’re not going to raise it somewhere their manager can see. And that manager may well delete what the employee has said about them, then go on to make their life even more difficult.

A simple solution to this is to get employees to send their responses directly to HR.

Or make sure that HR is accessible enough for employees to feel like they can talk to someone if/when they have a problem with bias at work.

Be flexible

What works for one employee may not work for another. 

Some differently abled employees won’t be able to use the stairs, for example. 

Other employees may need a more supportive chair or a filter on their monitor. There are plenty of minor changes you can implement to support employees in the workplace.

Offering employees the option to work from home is another example. It opens up your talent pool, encourages homemakers back into the workplace (many of whom would consider a return to work if they could work from home, instead of needing to be in an office), and it can save you money on office overheads. 

Many businesses still assume they can’t trust employees to work from home. But if you feel you can’t trust your employees when they work from home, well, you have bigger problems…

Put policies in place

There are many areas where businesses don’t have to have policies in place, but where doing so can protect both the organization and its employees. 

Policies on issues like menopause and transgender rights aren’t required, but they mean that when an employee goes through menopause, they know what to expect from you. They mean that when a trans person considers applying for a role at your company, they can clearly see you’re going to support them – and what sort of support they will receive. 

The clearer and more accessible you make these policies, the more supported employees will feel.

Build a diverse culture

The more diverse your culture is, the more welcoming it will be to everyone. When a Black woman walks into a room full of white men, it immediately makes her the odd one out. When a wheelchair user is asked to meet his colleagues on the third floor of an office without access to an elevator, it makes him feel excluded.

The more diverse your company’s culture is, the more mindful everyone will be of these types of issues and the impact it can have on someone’s mental and physical health.

Diverse company cultures are also more productive, make more money, and they’re doing more about climate change.

So, tell me, what’s the downside to a diverse company culture?

Conclusion

Countering bias at work really boils down to two things: building a diverse culture and listening to every employee. 

Because you never know which employee will have an idea that could completely alter your business’s trajectory for the better. 

They may have the perfect way to solve a problem you’ve been stuck on for months. Because they aren’t a part of the “in” crowd though, they’ve never been given the chance to share their thoughts. 

Sometimes all it takes is a new perspective to remind you of what you could achieve.

Building a truly inclusive company culture is key to helping your team members counter bias at work. Creating opportunities for your people to get to know each other beyond the surface level will not only help them overcome their own biases, but will also ensure they feel comfortable calling out issues when they see them. If you want to drive real belonging at your organization, check out Workrowd’s platform, or send us a note at hello@workrowd.com to learn more.

Top tips to boost millennial employee retention in 2024

Top tips for reducing stress in the workplace in 2024

How to combat signs of ableism in the workplace

Welcome back to our series on systemic bias in the workplace. Over the course of several weeks, we’re spotlighting various categories of bias, including gender bias, racial bias, disability bias, heterosexual bias, age bias, and now trans bias and transgender discrimination in the workplace. Our aim is to add to the ongoing conversation and help everyone build more inclusive environments. We hope you find it informative. Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

60% of transgender people have experienced some form of discrimination in the workplace. 38% have experienced it from colleagues, 25% from management, and 29% during job interviews.

Which really makes it unsurprising that 53% have felt the need to hide their trans status from colleagues.

But why, in 2022, is this still happening? And what can businesses do to prevent transphobia and transgender discrimination in the workplace?

The ugly stats

The unemployment rate for transgender adults is twice that of cisgender adults.

Even if they are in employment, cisgender adults make 32% more per year, regardless of whether a trans person has similar—or higher—education levels.

Not only do trans people earn less, but two-thirds of them remain in the closet at work. 

Sadly, they feel like employers support them less than their cisgender colleagues in the workplace. Given the stats we’ve already looked at, is that really surprising?

Overcoming transgender discrimination in the workplace to include more trans people could create a $12 billion boost to annual consumer spending. 

It would help businesses to really understand their market, and give them more diverse opinions to solve their customers’ problems. Which may also give them a competitive advantage.

Let’s not forget that diverse companies are significantly more profitable!

A long way to go

Even though the UK’s Equality Act (2010) should protect LBGT people from workplace discrimination, a 2018 report found that 43% of businesses were unsure if they’d hire a trans person, and almost a third said they’d be “less likely” to hire a trans person.

The retail sector had the highest number of businesses unlikely to hire a trans person, at 47%. IT was close behind with 45%. 

Construction and engineering were the most agreeable to the idea, but even then, 25% of businesses reported they’d be unlikely to hire a trans person.

That’s still a large percentage of the industry that’s closed off to the idea of hiring someone because of their gender. These businesses are just perpetuating transgender discrimination in the workplace.

The trouble with ‘culture fit’

Unsurprisingly, only 3% of businesses have an equal opportunities policy that welcomes transgender people to apply for roles. Which could be off-putting for potential candidates because they’ll have no idea whether their colleagues will welcome and support them if they join.

Only 8% of that small group of businesses that have a trans hiring policy believe trans people deserve the same rights to a job as everyone else. 

This stat seems odd to me, but it came from the same survey as the industry stats. It seems to suggest that even the businesses with a trans hiring policy in place may only have it as a form of lip service. I really hope that’s me being cynical, but then, it gets worse.

Only 4% believe they have a diverse enough workplace culture where trans people can “fit in.”

If you hire someone purely based on cultural fit, you end up with a culture of zombies. Everyone thinks, looks, and acts the same way. Innovation becomes harder and groupthink becomes more common.

Hiring someone based on cultural fit alone isn’t an option anymore. 

You want someone who’s different because they’re the very skills, opinions, and attitudes that your business lacks. If you embrace them, they’ll be the ones who help you to outperform your competitors.

There really isn’t a downside to avoiding employing the same person over and over again.

What can employers do?

Leaders within a business need to set an example. If they’re active supporters of the trans community, and they hire trans employees, the rest of the company will follow. And if someone doesn’t support these decisions, they don’t belong in the new environment.

Creating a diverse workforce requires a mindset shift from those at the very top of the business. That mindset will trickle down over time.

If leaders don’t set an example, employees will believe they can get away with discriminatory attitudes, policies, and hiring processes because they either don’t know that they’re doing it, or they’re still full of prejudices and don’t see a reason to change. 

Many people don’t have the right language to talk about transgender experiences, or they worry about offending someone. Meaning that transgender experiences get ignored or erased.

The transgender community has a lot more visibility now than it did a few years ago, but onscreen representation takes time to trickle down into everyday society.

Education, support, and community are important here. Documentaries like Disclosure explore how trans people have been depicted in film over the years and how that’s impacted American culture. It shows that we’ve come a long way, but there’s still a long way to go.

There are also plenty of online resources that can help employers to educate themselves on how to best support trans employees.

When it comes to the hiring process, a blind process only goes so far. It won’t change the prejudice that can come from an in-person interview. 

And the prejudice is big—44% of trans people feel an employer has turned them down for a job because they were trans. Clearly, transgender discrimination in the workplace is still a very real and pressing problem.

Conclusion 

One thing I noticed when doing my research for this blog post is that all of the stats are high. Higher than they are for any other underrepresented group. And the odds are really stacked against trans people in ways we need to talk about more.

20% have been, or are currently, homeless. Trans people are also four times as likely to live in poverty. Businesses can play a role in changing these stats. Your business can play a role in changing these stats.

The trans community is heavily discriminated against. The workplace is just one of the places where they have to deal with transphobia just to pay the bills.

Employers have an obligation to set an example to their employees who may be responsible for transgender discrimination in the workplace. They also have a responsibility to educate themselves.

They can then use that education to start meaningful conversations within the business to develop more inclusive policies, and help to create a more supportive workforce for trans employees.

If you’re looking to break down biases and drive real belonging at your organization, Workrowd can help. Check out our suite of tools for ensuring that every team member can get fully immersed in your company culture from day one, alongside real-time analytics. Drop us a line at hello@workrowd.com to learn more.

Top tips to boost millennial employee retention in 2024

Top tips for reducing stress in the workplace in 2024

How to combat signs of ableism in the workplace

Welcome back to our series on systemic bias in the workplace. Over the course of several weeks, we’re spotlighting various categories of bias, including gender bias, racial bias, disability bias, and now heterosexual bias and homophobia in the workplace. Our aim is to add to the ongoing conversation and help everyone build more inclusive environments. We hope you find it informative. Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

7.1% of American adults identify as LGBT, according to a recent Gallup poll.

Nearly half of LGBT employees have experienced workplace bias at some point in their careers. One in ten have faced discrimination within the last year.

On the flip side, 91% of Fortune 500 companies prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

So, many big businesses are being proactive and putting policies in place to try to protect these individuals, even though the actual experience of LGBT employees might not reflect it.

What does homophobia in the workplace look like?

Homophobia in the workplace can come in many forms. It could be someone not getting a job, being looked over for a promotion, or being on the receiving end of snide comments or so-called jokes, all because of their sexual orientation. 

While that may sound like it wouldn’t happen in the modern world, a McKinsey study spoke to one employee who found a client wouldn’t work with their employer unless they were taken off the team because the client didn’t want to work with someone who was gay. Thankfully, their employer backed them up and refused to work with the client.

That doesn’t always happen, though. 

Another person had bible verses recited at them in their cubicle by a senior colleague when said colleague found out they were gay. They didn’t feel they’d be believed if they reported that person for their behavior because of their colleague’s seniority.

(Not) coming out at work

Based on those stories, is it any wonder that 31% of people are afraid coming out will negatively impact their relationship with their colleagues? Or that 23% think it’ll negatively affect their ability to advance in their role?

Even employees who do come out to their colleagues find that isn’t the end of it. They often have to come out repeatedly. 

The McKinsey study found that one in five employees came out to their colleagues weekly, while one in ten had to do it daily. Daily!

Could we just stop making assumptions about people’s lives, please? It’s really a very simple solution.

You wouldn’t assume someone who doesn’t talk about their partner is single. (Or you shouldn’t; they may just be private.) So why assume someone who doesn’t talk about their love life is heterosexual? And why does it matter, anyway?

If you really want to ask about someone’s dating life, ask about their partner rather than boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife. It’s much more inclusive language and means you’re not making assumptions about someone’s love life.

How can businesses support LGBTQ+ employees?

It all starts with kindness and common sense. Don’t make assumptions.

Studies have shown that if you think you’re not prejudiced about something, you probably are prejudiced about it. Remaining open-minded is an important part of being an ally and identifying your own—and other people’s—detrimental attitudes and actions.

If you want to foster an inclusive workplace, hiring people who are onboard with this mission, and who follow through on their commitments to diversity, is a good way to show LGBT employees that you really do support them.

Sensitivity training may also be beneficial, particularly for team leaders and above. We’re often not aware of our own implicit biases, so this training can help to point them out so that people can be more mindful of their biases going forward.

When it comes to any sort of training, make sure it’s as engaging as possible. Don’t just tell people what they should or shouldn’t do. That’s asking for them to feel lectured to and fall asleep halfway through.

Get them to understand why something might hurt another person’s feelings, or why it’s inappropriate in the workplace. 

The more concrete you can make the examples, and the more engaging you can make the training program, the more likely employees will be to remember the lessons and implement them at work.

And also remember that you should take the training, too. Being in charge doesn’t make you immune to enabling homophobia in the workplace.

Show, rather than tell

The more open you are about your business’s diversity policies, the more likely you’ll be to attract employees who support an inclusive, diverse workforce. 

This goes beyond copy-and-paste equal opportunity statements at the end of a job description. Or even asking people what their sexual orientation is on a job application. (I’ll save those rants for another blog post.)

Instead, it’s about showing how you support LGBTQ+ employees. 

Don’t just change your brand logo to include the Pride colors in June—do something to show your support instead. 

Communicate with employees about LGBTQ+ rights, and if they need to travel abroad to less accommodating countries, talk to them about it beforehand. This will show them that you take their wellbeing seriously.

You can also offer parental or adoption leave for both parents. After all, regardless of someone’s sexual orientation, or the gender of their partner, you never know who’s going to end up being the primary caregiver.

Conclusion

Managers are your employees’ role models. It’s imperative that they set a strong example of countering homophobia in the workplace. A big part of it is just being open, honest, and supportive. Managers shouldn’t force anyone out of the closet, nor should they make assumptions about anyone’s sexual orientation or gender.

Inclusive language goes a long way towards demonstrating that your company is inclusive, too.

Small things like offering Mx alongside Mr, Ms, Miss, and Mrs, or asking if someone has a partner rather than a boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife, can impact the atmosphere within your business.

The more work organizations do to identify and challenge assumptions about gender and sexual orientation, the more secure employees will feel being themselves in the workplace. And the less likely they’ll be to have to come out to their colleagues on a daily basis.

If you’re committed to reducing implicit bias in your organization, it’s time to go beyond trainings. Drive deep belonging and help employees see their colleagues through a lens of commonality rather than difference. Workrowd helps your people find their people, giving them the opportunity to build real, sustained connections with team members across the organization. Write us at hello@workrowd.com to learn more.

Top tips to boost millennial employee retention in 2024

Top tips for reducing stress in the workplace in 2024

How to combat signs of ableism in the workplace

Welcome back to our series on systemic bias in the workplace. Over the course of several weeks, we’re spotlighting various categories of bias, including gender bias, racial bias, and now disability bias and ableism in the workplace. Our aim is to add to the ongoing conversation and help everyone build more inclusive environments. We hope you find it informative. Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

15% of the global population—that’s 1 billion people—experience some form of disability. 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 19.1% of US disabled people were employed in 2021, up from 17.9% the year before.

However, I do wonder if this number is actually a lot higher. 

The difficulty with disability disclosures

Some people who have conditions such as depression, anxiety, autism, or ADHD don’t class themselves as disabled. Others whose health conditions have improved may not class themselves among this group either.

As someone with chronic pain, I have days where I feel disabled and days where I don’t. 

And, while I’m open about my health issues, I wouldn’t discuss them with an employer unless I really had to. 

Just because I’m comfortable talking about my health issues, that doesn’t mean I don’t notice the common reaction of the person I’m talking to. It usually involves squirming, frowning, or an abrupt change of subject. It doesn’t exactly make me feel listened to.

Many of my friends with disabilities feel the same. They wouldn’t ever check the box on those “equality” questionnaires to say that they are differently abled. 

Especially not when 1 in 3 employers won’t hire someone with a disability. Even though not hiring someone because of a health condition is illegal.

It’s also illegal for an employer to ask someone if they’re differently abled in a job interview. 

But they can ask them in those questionnaires. 

And you can tell me they’re anonymized or not attached to job applications or any other excuse you like. 

But I’ve never yet found evidence of them being used in someone’s favor, or purely for data. And stats like the ones in this article just prove my suspicions.

38% of people believe someone who’s disabled is a burden on society. Only 7% believe that mental illness counts as a disability. 

Two thirds of people don’t see being hard of hearing as a disability. Which really shows that most people don’t know what a disability is.

What is a disability?

Let’s go back to basics for a moment. A disability is, according to the CDC:

Any condition of the body or mind (impairment) that makes it more difficult for the person with the condition to do certain activities (activity limitation) and interact with the world around them (participation restrictions).

They go on to explain that a disability includes anything that impacts someone’s:

• Vision
• Movement
• Thinking
• Remembering
• Learning
• Communicating
• Hearing
• Mental health
• Social relationships

Considering the stereotype is someone in a wheelchair, this list demonstrates that a disability goes much further than that and also includes conditions you can’t always see or easily define.

That means that discrimination laws in the workplace go further than you may think, too.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) states that:

To be protected by the ADA, one must have a disability, which is defined by the ADA as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment. The ADA does not specifically name all of the impairments they cover.

(Bold text my own.)

Disabled or differently abled? Which term should you use?

This one really depends on who you speak to. 

Some people dislike the word “disabled” because the “dis” implies that they’re not able to do something or that there’s something inherently wrong with them.

When really, the main reason someone who fits the criteria above can’t do something is often because of society, not their condition.

Differently abled is more inclusive and is less “othering” than “disabled.” 

Personally, I don’t have a preference and flit between the two. But that’s just me.

If you’re unsure, I’d talk to the person(s) you know who are affected so that you can make an informed decision. You may find that different people have different preferences.

Disability in the workplace

Unfortunately, a third of differently abled employees have experienced disability bias and/or ableism in the workplace. 

This can include people insulting, excluding, or underestimating them because of their disability. It can also involve people seeming uncomfortable around them solely for that reason.

Unsurprisingly, only 39% have disclosed their condition to their manager, and just 24% to colleagues.

Fear of discrimination is definitely a reason I’ve seen hold people back from disclosing their health issues. And, given the stats, discrimination is sadly pretty likely. 

However, 65% of those who’ve disclosed their condition are more content at work. 

I think it really depends on the culture. If somewhere is truly inclusive, the whole company will be supportive and take the right steps to help someone succeed in their role. Regardless of their disability status, gender, race, sexuality, religion, or anything else. Bias of any kind, including ableism in the workplace, has no place at these organizations.  

What can employers do to support disabled employees?

It’s up to employees to ask for accommodations that they need in the workplace so that they can do their job. 

Employers don’t always have to do exactly what the employee requests. They do need to come up with a similar solution that achieves the same outcomes, though.

For example, if a wheelchair user can’t get to their floor, you could install an elevator. 

Or move their department on to the ground floor so that they’re still around their colleagues.

Somewhere I used to work moved a whole department on to the ground floor for a wheelchair user, making sure there were ramps in as many places as possible. 

This person become a respected part of the company and happy in their role because their employer had taken steps to accommodate them, rather than giving in to ableism in the workplace.

Conclusion

This may seem like a lot of work. But we’ve all seen that meme asking different animals to climb a tree. 

A fish can’t climb a tree, but does that make it useless? No. They do other important things in the world instead. And none of those things require them to climb trees.

So, the next time you’re hiring, or talking to a newly disabled employee (since any of us could become disabled at any time), remember to keep your bias in check. 

And remember to ask what accommodations you could make so that they can succeed in their role, instead of wondering how they can work around you.

If you’re looking for new ways to counter bias and specifically ableism in the workplace, a platform that fosters real inclusion can help. With Workrowd, employees can join programs, groups, and events that highlight their intersectionality, and ensure that peers see them for more than any visible disabilities. If you’d like to learn more and explore how Workrowd can drive belonging at your organization, send us a message at hello@workrowd.com.

Top tips to boost millennial employee retention in 2024

Top tips for reducing stress in the workplace in 2024

How to combat signs of ableism in the workplace

Welcome back to our series on systemic bias in the workplace. Over the course of several weeks we’re spotlighting various categories of bias, starting with gender bias last week, and following now with racism in the workplace. Our aim is to add to the ongoing conversation and help everyone build more inclusive environments. We hope you find it informative. Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

Racial diversity is an important part of any business. It makes companies more profitable, and means they can better tap into their audiences’ needs. It also leads to a happier, more engaged, and more productive workforce.

Yet, for many businesses, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) isn’t a priority.

In fact, a recent survey by Deloitte revealed that more than 40% of upper management respondents feel their organizations are “too focused on DEI”. More than 60% predict their organization will reduce its commitment to DEI as new business threats emerge.

Unfortunately, racism is a lot more prevalent than many people realize. One in four people of color report having experienced racism in the workplace.

Young Black employees are even more likely to experience racism in the workplace than their older colleagues.

Black workers under 40 are twice as likely as Black workers 40 and older to report experiencing discrimination at work in the last year. This reinforces other findings that suggest young Black employees are more likely to experience microaggressions at work.

What does all this show? Businesses aren’t doing enough to support their employees of color and address racism in the workplace.

Identifying microaggressions and implicit bias

Microaggressions are statements, actions, or incidents that happen because of discrimination against a marginalized group. They can be intentional or unintentional, direct or indirect. 

They’re called microaggressions because their size can make them seem inconsequential or unnoticeable to outsiders. But these small acts can have big consequences.

For example, a hiring manager could overlook someone’s resume because of the name that’s on it. This is a sign of internal attitudes that often go unnoticed but can have a major impact for those on the receiving end of them. It can even impact the culture at the company.

And this does still happen. People with non-anglicized names have to send more job applications to get a call back.

Nuffield College’s Centre for Social Investigation sent around 3,200 fake job applications for a range of jobs, from shop assistants to chefs to software engineers. The applicants had identical CVs (which are slightly different from resumes but a similar idea), cover letters, and experience. Only 15% of Black, Indigenous, and person of color (BIPOC) applicants received a call back, compared to 24% of white British applicants.

This isn’t a new trend, but it is a frustrating one. Removing the name from resumes before they’re looked at is a simple way to avoid this discrimination. Without a name, someone’s merit, education, and attitude can shine through with a lower risk of implicit biases seeping in.

Of course, this isn’t foolproof—reviewers can still find aspects to bias them against an applicant, such as where they went to school. But it’s a start.

Embracing natural hair textures

Half of Black women report being sent home from work for wearing their hair in an afro, braids, or twists.

And, while it may be illegal to fire someone for wearing an afro to work in the US, it’s legal to fire someone for going to work wearing protective styles like braids.

Black women are 50% more likely than white women to be sent home from work because of their hairstyle. They’re also 80% more likely to change it to fit in. 

And they’re 30% more likely to be given a grooming policy before applying to or starting a new job. A grooming policy? If that’s not a clear example of racism in the workplace, I don’t know what is.

“Banter”

Offensive comments are another example of racial microaggressions. The speaker may try to mask their comments as “teasing” or “banter”. Ultimately though, banter is really only banter if the person on the receiving end finds the comment funny. Otherwise, it’s bullying.

People have increasingly used the word “banter” as a euphemism for bullying, and it’s unacceptable. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the workplace, at school, or at home. It. Is. Bullying.

Management needs to foster a culture that encourages supporting each other and telling jokes that are both funny and inoffensive.

There are plenty of businesses with “bro cultures” that are now experiencing a backlash.

Companies building the right sort of culture now are going to be much more future-proof than those that have traditionally had racist, sexist, homophobic, ableist, or otherwise unwelcoming environments to underrepresented minorities. 

Why businesses need to try harder to support BIPOC employees

Employee engagement is important for the success of every business. How a business responds to racism in the workplace, or how a BIPOC employee feels their employer would respond, is directly related to how engaged they are. When employees believe their employer would “do what’s right,” they’re more engaged.

And, let’s not forget, engaged employees are more productive and more likely to stick around. So, you get to save money and make more of it.

It’s a manager’s job to support their employees. Great managers, those who build the right type of culture, are more likely to have engaged employees. Their employees are also less likely to feel discriminated against at work.

Listening here is really important. Managers need to remember that employees want to feel heard.

And, they want to know that their manager will support them if they ever experience discrimination, in any form.

Dismissing claims without investigating them, or telling an employee what they’ve experienced isn’t important breaks trust and leads to a more toxic work environment.

Some types of implicit bias and microaggressions can be hard to spot. It can be helpful to ask BIPOC team members for their opinions, experiences, and suggestions of ways you can improve.

It’s only with this knowledge that businesses can make more informed decisions and avoid enabling a culture built on racism, microaggressions, and implicit biases.

Conclusion 

Racial discrimination at work has been illegal since 1964. Yet there’s plenty of evidence that racism in the workplace is still a major problem.

If businesses truly want to outperform their competitors, attract the right employees, and make a positive difference in the world, embracing diversity and fostering an inclusive culture is the way to go. This has countless benefits to all areas of a business.

If you’re ready to take on racism in the workplace, Workrowd’s all-in-one inclusion platform can help. With a central hub to manage everything from employee resource groups to manager-in-training programs, alongside automated surveys and real-time analytics, you can drive belonging for every team member. Drop us a line at hello@workrowd.com if you’d like to learn more.

Top tips to boost millennial employee retention in 2024

Top tips for reducing stress in the workplace in 2024

How to combat signs of ableism in the workplace

Welcome to our series on systemic bias in the workplace. For the next several weeks we’ll be spotlighting various categories of bias, starting today with gender bias in the workplace. Our aim is to add to the ongoing conversation and help everyone build more inclusive environments. We hope you find it informative. Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

We all have biases that impact how we perceive others and the ways in which we behave. These biases can span an array of different traits and situations. Today, we’ll be discussing gender bias in the workplace.

I’ve had many conversations with females who believe that we’ve achieved equality and feminism is no longer necessary. I’ve had just as many conversations with women and non-binary individuals who feel people treat them differently because of their gender.

But this is all anecdotal. What do the stats about gender bias in the workplace say?

Brace yourself, because it isn’t pretty…

Believing you’re not sexist doesn’t mean you’re not sexist

So, before we get started, it’s worth noting that studies have found that when you believe you’re objective—for instance, you believe you’re not sexist—it actually makes you less objective and more likely to behave in a biased way. 

This may be because when someone believes they’re objective and not sexist, they’re not going to put the work in to really consider their behavior and how it impacts others. Or factor in the changing times.

Think about what people considered acceptable in the 1960s workforce compared to now. Sexism was rife back then, and many things that would get someone fired now were once accepted. 

Many of today’s managers grew up in families and cultures that held those beliefs. The 1960s really wasn’t that long ago.

So, if no one is challenging those beliefs, they have no idea that what they’re doing could be harmful. Or that it could be a sign of gender bias in the workplace.

Business priorities and gender

Tech startup founders ranked having a diverse workforce seventh in the list of business priorities.

One quarter of these founders stated they weren’t interested in diversity or work/life balance. Yet their main goal was “hiring good people.”

So, they want to hire good people, but don’t believe addressing gender bias in the workplace is important. Hmm.

In the US, women hold 26% of the jobs in ‘professional computing’. Compare that to an average of 57% across other industries.

The idea that you have to be intelligent to work in tech doesn’t help. Girls aged five believe just as much as boys that women can be “really really smart.”

But, by age six, boys and girls believe women aren’t as intelligent as men. So, we don’t encourage girls to pursue careers in industries like tech based on the idea that they’re not smart enough.

And that belief can come across subconsciously. Most people don’t instill it consciously. It can be as simple as encouraging girls to focus on more feminine hobbies or activities. At the same time, they’ll encourage boys towards an enjoyment of tech or math.

This is a societal problem, but it has a wider reach. Girls lose their confidence, along with their desire to go on to become the next innovators and entrepreneurs. And it’s all because society tells them girls aren’t intelligent. (They can be, and are, for the record. But of course you already knew that.)

Then, when it comes to male-dominated industries, there’s also the issue of…

Sexual harassment in the workplace

When researchers surveyed senior-level women from Silicon Valley, the results were horrifying. 90% of respondents had witnessed sexist behavior.

Almost as many—87%—had received demeaning comments from male colleagues, and 60% had fielded unwanted sexual advances.

This from somewhere that claims to be forward-thinking, meritocratic, and supportive of its employees.

It gets worse, though. 60% of women had been propositioned. More than once.

And 65% had been propositioned by a superior.

The culture was so bad that a third of respondents had felt afraid for their personal safety.

What does that say about the working environments of firms that are developing much of the technology we rely on today, and will rely on in the future? 

Is it really going to support other genders, races, or backgrounds if it isn’t a safe place for someone who isn’t a white male? Is it even going to consider the needs of non-white, non-male customers?

Office environments 

I’ve mentioned it before, and I’ll mention it again, because temperatures were the bane of my life when I worked in an office. Most companies still set the temperature based on a formula from the 1960s designed for a forty-year-old, 150-pound white man.

However, women performing the same type of work have a lower metabolic rate. Which means the average office temperature could be five degrees too cold for them.

It doesn’t help that female clothes are generally made from thinner fabric than men’s.

As someone who used to wear an average of five layers to work, including thermals and a wool sweater, while sitting typing articles just like this one, I can confirm how painfully true this is. Many of my female friends have had similar issues, too.

I’ve never spoken to a male who finds an office too cold unless the A/C has been cranked up because it’s hot outside.

There has to be a compromise, doesn’t there?

How to build a more gender diverse workforce

The London School of Economics found that quotas ‘weed out incompetent men’. They do not promote unqualified women or non-binary individuals, like many people assume.

So, the next time you feel uncomfortable having a quota for something, consider the implicit biases that may be taking hold. Especially given that even females are sometimes reluctant to hire other females because they believe other women are either their competition, or less capable of performing a role.

When it comes to sexual harassment, make sure you actually listen to employees who report it. Don’t dismiss them because of what they’re saying, or who’s involved. It shouldn’t turn into a game of he said/she said.

Boundaries are important and people deserve to have theirs respected. Especially in the workplace.

Also, make sure that employees know you have a zero-tolerance attitude towards sexual harassment.

If there’s a “bro culture” where people feel they can get away with sexist, racist, homophobic, or otherwise offensive language, that kind of language is more likely to be used.

Free speech doesn’t give someone a license to be rude or offensive, just the same as a diversity statement on a job description doesn’t mean you really have diverse hiring and employment practices. ‘Actions speak louder than words,’ as my old teacher used to say.

Conclusion

Lastly, don’t underestimate the difference allowing employees to work from home, or offering them flexible hours, can make. Not with 76% of American homemakers saying they’d go back to work if they could work from home, and 74% willing to if a job had flexible hours. 

Given that 97% of American homemakers are women, that’s a big portion of the working-age population businesses are cutting out. A lot of these facts come from the eye-opening book, “Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men,” by Caroline Criado-Perez.

If you’re looking for other ways to reduce gender bias in the workplace, start by talking to the women and non-binary folks on your team. If you have relevant ERGs, consider sitting down with them to learn more about their experiences.

Managing your employee programs through a platform like Workrowd can make it easier for everyone to speak up and find ways to feel included. To find out whether this is a fit for you, send us a note at hello@workrowd.com.

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Around half of the workforce will go through menstruation and menopause at some point in their lives. But how often does anyone talk about these issues in the workplace? It’s certainly not standard for managers to broach topics like menstruation and menopause at work.

If we don’t talk about them though, there’s no way employers can understand the true scope of the problem. 

Obviously, it’s not a business’s job to find treatments or a cure-all for any sort of health issue. 

But, when employees spend more waking time working than with their loved ones, a little accommodation can go a long way to making them feel appreciated, understood, and supported.

Which is why businesses need to do more to support those who experience periods, pregnancy, miscarriages, and menopause at work. But with so little understanding around them, how can they?

Menstruation

For most people who menstruate, periods are a monthly occurrence. For those who battle conditions like endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), periods can be irregular and/or incredibly painful. 

And healthcare practitioners don’t always take this seriously—it takes an average of eight years to get an endometriosis diagnosis, despite the significant pain and fatigue it can cause.

There are over 200 symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS)—not including PCOS or endometriosis symptoms—although nobody has done an official count because there are so many and it’s so different for everyone.

Things like pregnancy and stress can transform someone’s experience of PMS and any other menstruation-related conditions, temporarily or permanently. And yes, workplace stress can be one of those triggers. 

There are still many people who don’t want to talk about menstruation and stop the conversation as soon as you mention the P word. 

One of the best things you can do to support someone who’s menstruating is to offer them flexible working options. 

For instance, the average workplace temperature is based on the metabolism of a 150-pound, 40-year-old man. So, it might feel comfortable for some of the team. But it probably won’t for most of them. And it certainly wouldn’t for a petite female menstruating, as they may well feel cold differently—especially on their period. 

Allowing employees to work from home, at hours that work for them, means they can get things done in an environment they’re in control of. And this can make a huge difference.

They can have a hot water bottle when they need it; turn the temperature up or down; grab painkillers when they need them; more easily visit their doctor.

These are simple things that can improve an employee’s quality of life. The main thing they require is a culture of trust.

Yet many businesses fail to consider how these changes can improve the quality of work someone produces, in addition to boosting their happiness and reducing employee churn.

Pregnancy

While it may be illegal to ask someone if they’re pregnant or plan to get pregnant when hiring, that doesn’t mean some businesses don’t still subconsciously use it as a deciding factor when hiring women of child-bearing age. Which is insane. 

Pregnancy causes many changes in someone’s mind and body, some of which are permanent. It can also affect how they want to work. 

Being flexible and allowing future mothers to attend doctor’s appointments without question also means they have one less stressful thing to worry about. 

You could even go one step further—if you know someone’s partner is pregnant, allow them to go to appointments, too. This not only provides the pregnant person with moral support but also shows your employee that you value them and care about their life outside of their job.

So-called “mommy brain,” is a regular occurrence because of changes in the brain after someone gives birth. This can impact how they want to approach work, and even what the best working environment for them is. 

There’s also a common saying that suggests that at work, women should pretend they don’t have a child, and at home, pretend they don’t work. In a constant, always-on world, with many people now working remotely, this just is almost impossible.

It’s therefore important to be mindful of this and ask people what they need when working while pregnant, and when they return after maternity leave.

They may not always know, so be prepared to do your own research, too. Consider what other businesses have done successfully, or what other parents have requested in the past.

Miscarriages 

Researchers estimate that one in four pregnancies end in miscarriage. Ectopic or molar pregnancies are less common, but the numbers are just as significant. Some people may go through multiple losses.

Some employees won’t be comfortable talking about their loss in the workplace because they’re embarrassed, keep things private, or they’re worried about discrimination.

Even if you’ve experienced miscarriage yourself, remember that everyone’s experiences are different. And so are their needs.

When talking to employees who’ve experienced this type of loss, approach it from a place of empathy and understanding. Let there be silences; don’t try to fill in the gaps.

You don’t have to say or do anything profound; simply acknowledging their loss can be a source of comfort and support.

Menopause

When more than 40% of women report they’ve considered leaving their jobs due to menopause symptoms and the lack of support from their employer, there’s obviously a massive gap. A gap in knowledge for what’s needed, and possibly a gap in productivity as these health issues aren’t given the time and consideration they require.

Menopause can last a decade, but there’s still a taboo when it comes to talking about it, sometimes even among female relatives. 

People who experience menopause often feel uncomfortable sharing their symptoms in the workplace in case they’re stigmatized. Yet, out of all the areas in someone’s life, menopause is most likely to impact their job.

Physical and psychosocial factors play into this, which is why an open dialogue is so important. If people feel like they can talk about menopause at work, and especially to their manager, they’re less likely to suffer, and they’ll perform better in their role, too.

Conclusion 

Supporting people through menstruation, miscarriage, pregnancy, and menopause at work is an important part of managing a diverse workforce. But it’s often a neglected one. 

It starts by researching these experiences and considering how best you can help your employees.

Knowledge and awareness are really key to supporting employees as their minds and bodies change in ways they can’t control.

It can also help to create policies on these experiences, as well as having, and making sure every manager is aware of, your compassionate leave policy. That way, managers know exactly what’s expected of them and employees are aware of how their employer will support them.

Setting up a focus group with your women’s ERG can be a great starting point. Members can advise on ways the organization can better accommodate health issues like menstruation and menopause at work.

If you’re interested in an easier way to manage and measure initiatives like ERGs, focus groups, and more, come visit us over at workrowd.com. We’ve got a slew of tools to support you, along with best practice guides and resources. Drop us a line at hello@workrowd.com if you’d like to learn more.

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I have two massive pet peeves in life: poorly trained dogs and diversity statements. I’ll save you the poorly trained dogs rant, so we can focus on putting action behind your company diversity statement. 

Yes, today we’re here to talk about diversity statements. Almost every business now has one at the end of their job descriptions. But what does it really mean?

It’s a legal obligation in many countries. But that doesn’t guarantee companies actually do what they say they will.

I’ve worked for, and with, plenty of companies who claim to be diverse and supportive of a diverse workforce. 

But when it comes down to it, they don’t know what that actually looks like. They’ve failed me, my chronic pain, and my mental health issues. Even when I’ve been open and honest about my struggles—something they asked me to do so that they could help!

Too often, company diversity statements are just hot air. When it really comes down to it, businesses don’t know how to support their employees. And instead of trying to find out, they just…don’t.

We’ve talked before about how you can support your employees with chronic health issues, and ways to build a more equitable workplace.

Today, I want to share with you some ways you can put your company diversity statement into action. Show the outside world that your workforce really is diverse, so that you can attract even more diverse talent and grow an even more successful business.

Social media content

Social media is the place to show off your workforce. But not in the way you might be thinking.

I’m not talking about what you share on your company pages. No one really cares about those any more (sorry). I’m talking about what your employees say on their own profiles.

Yep, I’m talking about whether you trust your employees enough to post about work on platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter.

You see, most companies don’t. I’ve never spoken to anyone who works for a business with a social media policy that says anything more than “don’t talk about work on social media.”

But what if your employee wants to say something positive? Or use their knowledge to build their—and maybe even your business’s—brand? Can they not post on social media then?

There are far more 2022 ways to create a social media policy, including doing it as a quiz with interesting and concrete examples of posts done right—and wrong.

Every time an employee shares their knowledge on a site like LinkedIn or Twitter, it’s an advertisement for your business. 

So, by not allowing employees to generate content, you’re missing out on a massive opportunity. Especially as they’re the most trusted source, according to the Edelman Trust Barometer.

Just by allowing employees to post on social media, it shows that you have an open, honest, and trusting culture. Something which even many so-called modern businesses don’t have.

You’ll never be able to control everything every employee says on social media. When you learn to accept that, and train them in social media best practices, life becomes a lot easier. And your brand will continue to grow on social media, highlighting the diversity of voices at your company far more than simply having a company diversity statement ever could.

Alternative hiring practices

Let’s face it: nobody likes job interviews. They’re boring, they’re tedious, and they can be anxiety-inducing for many. They take up a lot of hiring managers’ time, and sometimes it can feel like you’re doing a never-ending stream of them because you’ve yet to find the right candidate.

You know what Einstein once said about doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? He likened it to insanity.

Job interviews are an example of that.

Instead of doing one-on-one interviews, why not try a group interview or task? Or an individual task that shows off someone’s technical ability over their soft skills?

Soft skills can be great, but someone’s inability to make eye contact shouldn’t mean they don’t get the job.

Just because job interviews are how most businesses recruit talent and have been for a long time, that doesn’t mean they’re the only way. Or the best way. There are lots of other ways you can try to attract and retain more diverse talent. Again, the emphasis here is on showing, rather than simply posting your company diversity statement.

Quotas

I know, I know. This is controversial. But they work!

The London School of Economics found that the main result of quotas was to “weed out incompetent men.” It didn’t result in unqualified women getting roles.

In fact, the women who got the jobs were better qualified. Which meant that more got done. And what got done was of a higher quality, too.

If quotas can net you results like these, isn’t it worth challenging the stigma?

Flexible working

This is another one where I sometimes feel like businesses say they do it, but then have some sort of caveat attached which means it doesn’t apply to everyone. Or it only applies to some departments and not others.

If one department allows flexible working, every other department should, too. There shouldn’t be different rules for different departments. That means some team members get the benefits while others are stuck in the twentieth century.

Offering flexible working, whether that’s giving employees choices around the hours they work, or allowing them to work from home, opens you up to a more diverse talent pool because you’re not restricted to people who live nearby and can work 9-5.

When you allow flexible working, people with children, caring commitments, chronic pain, travel restrictions, or other barriers to office work can still work for you. 

And why shouldn’t they? None of those things mean that someone can’t do a job well. 

So, if you want a truly diverse workforce, why not change your policies to attract people from a range of lifestyles, health situations, and backgrounds? Put your money where your mouth is and start living up to your company diversity statement.

Conclusion 

Saying you support diversity is one thing. But, the more times companies say it without backing it up with action, the more it loses its meaning. It’s turned into a blanket statement that companies say on autopilot without considering its true meaning.

You want to show people that you really do have—and support—a diverse workforce. The more you do this, the more diverse candidates you’ll attract and the more it’ll benefit your business.

If you’re looking to go beyond just including a company diversity statement on your website or job descriptions, consider checking out a platform like Workrowd. By facilitating equal access to employee programming, and enabling employees to form deep connections across the organization, you can demonstrate a real commitment to diversity and inclusion. Drop us a line at hello@workrowd.com if you’d like to learn more.

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