Clearly, this pandemic has unearthed and magnified inequities that are structural and systemic. Now is the time to stress test the integrity of corporate values and actualize the mantra of “bring your whole selves to work.” The experiences of employees of color are not special interests or adjacent details to the story of how organizations respond to this moment in history. (“What additional resources do you need right now?” Or “Is there something the company can do to make your life easier?”) Asking questions in this manner allows you to hone in on how best to help, and it can reveal gaps in organizational resources and programs that may need to be ramped up. Starbucks is one of several employers who are expanding their mental health benefits by providing employees and their families with 20 free sessions of therapy or coaching per year. Find out more about how this has worsened in the age of COVID-19. Further, the astonishing numbers of people of color who are dying from Covid-19 include faith and community leaders and trailblazers who overcame racism, poverty, and other obstacles before succumbing to coronavirus. Experts share the 5 steps companies can take to support the mental health and wellbeing of employees of color Acknowledge employees' experiences. Register for an upcoming live session or view a pre-recorded session on-demand below. The good news is that these measures are already used by many companies. This dynamic showcases the longstanding reality of occupational segmentation, as certain demographic segments have the privilege of “sheltering” in protected environments (i.e., working from home), while others remain exposed in more dangerous and lower paying roles. Read full article at the Harvard Business Review. Keep confronting racial bias in hiring. Perhaps most significantly for today’s workforce, Congress also left out a category of workers where people of color are overrepresented. From PwC Chairman Tim Ryan’s memo condemning the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville to Salesforce CEO Mark Benioff’s public denouncing of anti-LGBTQ legislation, we have seen leaders of reputable companies put out public statements to accelerate social change that require governmental and societal-level support. Approximately nine million of the country’s 24 million frontline employees—entry-level employees who engage closely with customers—are people of color who represent a reservoir of talent, innovative ideas, and multicultural competency that are increasingly sources of competitive advantage. In these difficult times, we’ve made a number of our coronavirus articles free for all readers. Women of color experience micro-aggressive behaviors and harassment at a higher rate than white women, according to research. As mass layoffs and furloughs occur, some companies are sharing lists of ex-employees to aid the employment process in their next role. Audit the diversity and equity implications of all talent decisions (layoffs, furloughs, pay cuts). Color psychology is the study of colors and how they affect people. This involves building company camaraderie while also acknowledging disparate experiences and impacts. This means that individual grit and willpower alone are insufficient forces for countering the impact of the coronavirus on Black and brown employees. Eventbrite - Associated Black Charities presents SOS: Supporting Employees of Color in the Age of Covid-19 - Tuesday, June 23, 2020 - Find event and ticket information. When it comes to promoting diversity in recruiting, employees of color consider blind-screening and diverse interview panels to be some of the most effective measures. An access link will be emailed two hours prior to the start of the webinar. From a health perspective, it’s clear that Black and brown workers and their families are suffering unequally. More sessions will be added regularly. We recently heard of a virtual workplace gathering (in none of our organizations) during which an employee discussed buying protective masks that were made in China. null. The right office color schemes can also make a statement about a brand’s image – the mood it seeks to inspire its customers, the energy it seeks to ignite in its staff, and the zones that support a variety of functions and flow within its space. Organizations will have to emphasize diversity and inclusion as a business priority for male and female employees at all levels., or they will not succeed in the future. Research from Alexandra Kalev shows that black and brown employees are more likely to be laid off due to their disproportionate concentration in lower-level positions. Ensure your hiring process is designed with equity in mind to take advantage of the currently available talent pool, which includes a large number of people of color. This process should include an audit of your current bereavement and leave policies, giving HR and manager tools for supporting grieving employees, and assessing how culturally informed Employee Assistance Program and in-network therapists are. The impact of Covid-19 disparities may similarly impact work engagement among employees of color. There is a growing public expectation of business leaders to take a stand on important social and cultural issues that impact society at large. In the long run, they should think about how they can “root out and eliminate the manifestations of structural racism” in their office by supporting and … You may click on “Your Choices” below to learn about and use cookie management tools to limit use of cookies when you visit NPR’s sites. Professor Binna Kandola, a business psychologist and author of Racism at Work: The... Don't put the onus of coming up with solutions on them. If you click “Agree and Continue” below, you acknowledge that your cookie choices in those tools will be respected and that you otherwise agree to the use of cookies on NPR’s sites. However, their complaints aren’t always taken seriously. Onchwari, Han and Okoro all have student mentees. Kham Msiska. The rest of their time and energy should be spent taking care of themselves and their loved ones. If our content helps you to contend with coronavirus and other challenges, please consider subscribing to HBR. Simple steps to remove bias and support upward mobility go a long way for employees of color. And really, white people often need to hear about race and racism from other white people. That’s why they need leaders to give them explicit permission to take time to care for themselves and their loved ones and find ways to cope with direct and vicarious trauma. But given the clear data that this virus does, in fact, discriminate against black and brown Americans, it’s even more pressing than before that leaders be specific when acknowledging and naming the issues facing particular communities. Rather, centering and uplifting employees and communities of color can define our organizational footprints for generations to come. HR leaders have an extraordinary opportunity to support the mental health of their workers, particularly for people of color, not only in the workplace, but … Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Type: Professional, collegiate, pre-collegiate. Although there’s plenty of rhetoric about how we’re all in this together, the fallout from the pandemic clearly shows that we are not in the same boat. Because of this, managers and company leaders have an important role to play in engaging Black, brown, and other marginalized employees, acting as an important layer of support. To better understand your employees’ needs, go beyond a casual “How are you?” and start asking specific questions about their well-being. With the rise of fear and anxiety, you may observe employees making “jokes” or flippant comments about the outbreak that are rooted in Anti-Asian bias and xenophobic beliefs. Companies should train managers to root out racial bias from … … Black and brown workers are overrepresented on the front lines as “essential” workers in low-status, low-wage service occupations in the U.S. Their greater exposure increases vulnerability of contracting and dying from the disease. NPR’s sites use cookies, similar tracking and storage technologies, and information about the device you use to access our sites (together, “cookies”) to enhance your viewing, listening and user experience, personalize content, personalize messages from NPR’s sponsors, provide social media features, and analyze NPR’s traffic. A subscription purchase is the best way to support the creation of these resources. Among working youth, wages are lower for black and Latinx people. Support other employees of color. If you’re a leader, there is power in … Employees of color face additional race-related stigma when it comes to labor rights and protections. For White managers supervising Black employees, this is a particularly challenging and confusing time. (“How are you, really?” Or “Are you getting enough sleep?”) Also directly ask what you or your organization can do to support their unique needs. The forum also educated employees on the science and history of bias and equipped them with concrete tactics to disrupt their own biases and call out xenophobia in others. The direct impact of Covid-19 on Black and brown communities in the U.S. is staggering. Prioritize supporting the Black employees you’ve laid off . Though we’re all in this together, we’re not all in the same boat. If you’ve had layoffs, you might have let go of some Black employees. In this episode of The Forum Podcast, Dr. Karinn Glover (Albert Einstein College of Medicine) shares insights into the mental and physical impacts of structural racism, racial trauma, and bias on young employees of color. Founded in 1962, Catalyst drives change with pioneering research, practical tools, and proven solutions to accelerate and advance women into leadership—because progress for women is progress for everyone. See details. 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