很明顯,人們?nèi)缃裨谝欢ǔ潭壬舷破鹆硕嘣療岢保洪喿x反種族主義書籍、聘請(qǐng)更多的黑人、關(guān)愛有色人種員工。
然后呢?
商業(yè)專欄提供的很多建議都是針對(duì)那些白人經(jīng)理的,他們正在嘗試改變其公司,或許也會(huì)改變其自己。然而,他們對(duì)其提議的接收端卻并沒有給予對(duì)等的關(guān)注。
所以這個(gè)是給我們的。
有色人種已經(jīng)心力交瘁,倍感冷落,而且對(duì)自己的未來感到迷茫。調(diào)查顯示,人們對(duì)疫情后職場的態(tài)度會(huì)因?yàn)榉N族的不同而變化:約半數(shù)黑人高知員工表示,他們“在工作中得到了公平的對(duì)待”,而有此表述的白人比例為四分之三。在那些遠(yuǎn)程工作的員工當(dāng)中,97%的黑人員工希望采取混合或全職遠(yuǎn)程工作模式,而白人員工的比例為79%。職場專家解釋說,遠(yuǎn)程辦公降低了“場景轉(zhuǎn)換”的需求?!豆鹕虡I(yè)評(píng)論》(Harvard Business Review)將“場景轉(zhuǎn)換”定義為“按照盡可能讓他人感到舒適為標(biāo)準(zhǔn),調(diào)整自身的語言、外表、行為和表達(dá)方式,以換取公平待遇、高品質(zhì)服務(wù)和就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)?!?/font>
這種轉(zhuǎn)換現(xiàn)象的下降讓我們看到了一線希望,哪怕代價(jià)是疫情。
當(dāng)前必須要做出行為調(diào)整的不僅僅是白人經(jīng)理。有關(guān)場景轉(zhuǎn)換的數(shù)據(jù)凸顯了積極的進(jìn)步,但在權(quán)力動(dòng)態(tài)改變方面可能只是邁出了一小步:接受工作中的自我,全部的自我。
正因?yàn)槿绱?,?dāng)一名同事嘗試讓你解決種族問題時(shí),不要低估自己的力量。對(duì)外:公司要求你“幫助”搜索工作,以確保組建多元化的人才池。對(duì)內(nèi):你會(huì)問公司都設(shè)置了哪些條件來盡可能地實(shí)現(xiàn)候選者的成功。
致力于職場跨種族對(duì)話的咨詢公司Courageous Conversation的創(chuàng)始人及首席執(zhí)行官格倫·辛勒頓說:“我們?cè)诠餐瑖L試構(gòu)想和居住于一個(gè)新社會(huì)。在這個(gè)社會(huì)中,有色人種也會(huì)被要求以不同的方式來展現(xiàn)自我。這一次并非是放松的時(shí)候,而是讓有色人種真正思考我們?cè)谶@個(gè)新世界中到底需要什么。在我們的歷史長河中,我們一直背負(fù)著沉重的擔(dān)子。不過,這個(gè)重?fù)?dān)并非簡單地指我們?nèi)绾螢榘兹诵值芙忝脗兲峁┲С郑俏覀冊(cè)撊绾我I(lǐng)?”
招聘多元化并不足以解決問題
去年夏天的反種族歧視抗議帶來的條件反射引發(fā)了增量效應(yīng):任命了首席多元化官、招聘了更多的有色人種、舉辦了反種族歧視培訓(xùn)。
但也遺忘了幾個(gè)重要的步驟。
Courageous Conversation公司最近任命的總裁、資深教育家布魯克·格里高利說,這有點(diǎn)類似于選擇讓客人來自己家做客?!拔野鸭依锎驋吡艘幌?,把臥室整理了下,我抽時(shí)間帶你出去吃飯,我覺得我和你來自于一個(gè)群體。”
如果這些因素都不合適,那么此次到訪將難以收到好的效果。格里高利稱:“我對(duì)公司也持有同樣的看法,如果在這種企業(yè)文化中,我作為一名有色人種女性無法獲得成功,那么招聘再多的有色人種女性也是于事無補(bǔ)?!?/font>
有必要進(jìn)行文化(交流)改變
我們面臨的工作屬于一種文化轉(zhuǎn)型。大多數(shù)公司都在進(jìn)行某種程度的轉(zhuǎn)型,而各大公司也在圍繞辦公空間、組織架構(gòu)和疫情后職場協(xié)作制定相關(guān)策略。
全球營銷高管瑪麗·漢·斯羅偉表示,各大公司需要學(xué)會(huì)求同存異。她曾經(jīng)在賽百味(Subway)、星巴克(Starbucks)和雅詩蘭黛(Estee Lauder)等多家公司擔(dān)任其美國和海外高管職務(wù)。
她說:“令我感到吃驚的是,我經(jīng)常看到人們?cè)谕苿?dòng)自身議程時(shí)并沒有嘗試去真正了解等式的另一邊。所以說到多元化、平等和包容性,人們必須在公司積極地推廣這種文化。你在組建團(tuán)隊(duì)時(shí)必須特意考慮這一點(diǎn),團(tuán)隊(duì)成員需要有其不同之處,并持有多元化的觀點(diǎn)?!?/font>
由于她職業(yè)生涯的大部分時(shí)間都是在中國度過的,例如,漢·斯羅偉講述了其很大一部分工作是專注于“解碼”和幫助不同的文化相互理解。為了防止多元化、公平性和包容性淪為口號(hào),如今這項(xiàng)工作落在了所有人的肩上。
她說,否則,“會(huì)出現(xiàn)大量的‘培訓(xùn)’,但這些理念卻無法植入公司文化,最終只會(huì)浮于表面。我們當(dāng)前就從反亞裔人仇恨犯罪看到了這一點(diǎn)。多元化以及對(duì)多元化和包容性的欣賞極其脆弱?!?/font>
只有白人有權(quán)拒絕嗎?
聽起來,這似乎意味著有色人種還有很長的路要走,而事實(shí)也確是如此。辛勒頓認(rèn)為,雇主可以通過幾個(gè)方式來支持和承認(rèn)這一現(xiàn)實(shí)。例如,有色人種雇員團(tuán)組可能會(huì)在工作期間舉行會(huì)議,而不是在“業(yè)余”時(shí)間開展這項(xiàng)工作。我們需要將多元化、平等和包容性融入每個(gè)人的工作職責(zé),經(jīng)常衡量其有效性,并將其作為發(fā)放獎(jiǎng)金和升職的一項(xiàng)條件。
格里高利說:“當(dāng)有色人種十分少見時(shí),對(duì)這些人的引導(dǎo)不應(yīng)該聚焦于個(gè)人,而是集體。”例如,對(duì)全部由白人成員參與的小組討論說不,或?qū)ε暂o導(dǎo)項(xiàng)目說不,或?qū)υ趯ふ叶嘣舐氄哳I(lǐng)域?qū)で髱椭墓椭髡f不,可能意味著在沒有你的參與下,結(jié)果會(huì)大相徑庭。然而,此舉也會(huì)為人們帶來不公平的代表壓力。她說:“我的‘不’可能會(huì)改變這個(gè)搜索流程,而且僅按照我自己的想法來行事是不現(xiàn)實(shí)的,因此,我得有能力駕馭自己說不的方式?!?/font>
她描述了一種平衡,也就是“展現(xiàn)和放棄自我的影響與我的靈魂在這些環(huán)境中的代價(jià)”之間的平衡。我們創(chuàng)造的這些界限實(shí)際上彰顯了我們的價(jià)值內(nèi)容。如果我說的都是“是”,那么我就會(huì)與周邊的其他人沒有區(qū)別。
Urban Zen的首席執(zhí)行官海倫·阿伯雅表示,有時(shí)候,關(guān)鍵在于對(duì)這個(gè)問題進(jìn)行重塑,然后以自己的方式來說“是”。Urban Zen是唐納·卡蘭創(chuàng)建的奢華時(shí)尚品牌。她回憶說,當(dāng)她覺得某些工作機(jī)會(huì)不對(duì)勁時(shí),自己就會(huì)說不,但她話鋒一轉(zhuǎn),介紹了她到底想要什么。她說:“這一點(diǎn)促使更多人說‘是’。你的‘是’與你的‘不’同樣重要。當(dāng)機(jī)會(huì)過來敲門時(shí),抓住它,抓住它,抓住它?!保ㄘ?cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:馮豐
審校:夏林
很明顯,人們?nèi)缃裨谝欢ǔ潭壬舷破鹆硕嘣療岢保洪喿x反種族主義書籍、聘請(qǐng)更多的黑人、關(guān)愛有色人種員工。
然后呢?
商業(yè)專欄提供的很多建議都是針對(duì)那些白人經(jīng)理的,他們正在嘗試改變其公司,或許也會(huì)改變其自己。然而,他們對(duì)其提議的接收端卻并沒有給予對(duì)等的關(guān)注。
所以這個(gè)是給我們的。
有色人種已經(jīng)心力交瘁,倍感冷落,而且對(duì)自己的未來感到迷茫。調(diào)查顯示,人們對(duì)疫情后職場的態(tài)度會(huì)因?yàn)榉N族的不同而變化:約半數(shù)黑人高知員工表示,他們“在工作中得到了公平的對(duì)待”,而有此表述的白人比例為四分之三。在那些遠(yuǎn)程工作的員工當(dāng)中,97%的黑人員工希望采取混合或全職遠(yuǎn)程工作模式,而白人員工的比例為79%。職場專家解釋說,遠(yuǎn)程辦公降低了“場景轉(zhuǎn)換”的需求?!豆鹕虡I(yè)評(píng)論》(Harvard Business Review)將“場景轉(zhuǎn)換”定義為“按照盡可能讓他人感到舒適為標(biāo)準(zhǔn),調(diào)整自身的語言、外表、行為和表達(dá)方式,以換取公平待遇、高品質(zhì)服務(wù)和就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)?!?/p>
這種轉(zhuǎn)換現(xiàn)象的下降讓我們看到了一線希望,哪怕代價(jià)是疫情。
當(dāng)前必須要做出行為調(diào)整的不僅僅是白人經(jīng)理。有關(guān)場景轉(zhuǎn)換的數(shù)據(jù)凸顯了積極的進(jìn)步,但在權(quán)力動(dòng)態(tài)改變方面可能只是邁出了一小步:接受工作中的自我,全部的自我。
正因?yàn)槿绱耍?dāng)一名同事嘗試讓你解決種族問題時(shí),不要低估自己的力量。對(duì)外:公司要求你“幫助”搜索工作,以確保組建多元化的人才池。對(duì)內(nèi):你會(huì)問公司都設(shè)置了哪些條件來盡可能地實(shí)現(xiàn)候選者的成功。
致力于職場跨種族對(duì)話的咨詢公司Courageous Conversation的創(chuàng)始人及首席執(zhí)行官格倫·辛勒頓說:“我們?cè)诠餐瑖L試構(gòu)想和居住于一個(gè)新社會(huì)。在這個(gè)社會(huì)中,有色人種也會(huì)被要求以不同的方式來展現(xiàn)自我。這一次并非是放松的時(shí)候,而是讓有色人種真正思考我們?cè)谶@個(gè)新世界中到底需要什么。在我們的歷史長河中,我們一直背負(fù)著沉重的擔(dān)子。不過,這個(gè)重?fù)?dān)并非簡單地指我們?nèi)绾螢榘兹诵值芙忝脗兲峁┲С?,而是我們?cè)撊绾我I(lǐng)?”
招聘多元化并不足以解決問題
去年夏天的反種族歧視抗議帶來的條件反射引發(fā)了增量效應(yīng):任命了首席多元化官、招聘了更多的有色人種、舉辦了反種族歧視培訓(xùn)。
但也遺忘了幾個(gè)重要的步驟。
Courageous Conversation公司最近任命的總裁、資深教育家布魯克·格里高利說,這有點(diǎn)類似于選擇讓客人來自己家做客?!拔野鸭依锎驋吡艘幌拢雅P室整理了下,我抽時(shí)間帶你出去吃飯,我覺得我和你來自于一個(gè)群體?!?/p>
如果這些因素都不合適,那么此次到訪將難以收到好的效果。格里高利稱:“我對(duì)公司也持有同樣的看法,如果在這種企業(yè)文化中,我作為一名有色人種女性無法獲得成功,那么招聘再多的有色人種女性也是于事無補(bǔ)?!?/p>
有必要進(jìn)行文化(交流)改變
我們面臨的工作屬于一種文化轉(zhuǎn)型。大多數(shù)公司都在進(jìn)行某種程度的轉(zhuǎn)型,而各大公司也在圍繞辦公空間、組織架構(gòu)和疫情后職場協(xié)作制定相關(guān)策略。
全球營銷高管瑪麗·漢·斯羅偉表示,各大公司需要學(xué)會(huì)求同存異。她曾經(jīng)在賽百味(Subway)、星巴克(Starbucks)和雅詩蘭黛(Estee Lauder)等多家公司擔(dān)任其美國和海外高管職務(wù)。
她說:“令我感到吃驚的是,我經(jīng)??吹饺藗?cè)谕苿?dòng)自身議程時(shí)并沒有嘗試去真正了解等式的另一邊。所以說到多元化、平等和包容性,人們必須在公司積極地推廣這種文化。你在組建團(tuán)隊(duì)時(shí)必須特意考慮這一點(diǎn),團(tuán)隊(duì)成員需要有其不同之處,并持有多元化的觀點(diǎn)?!?/p>
由于她職業(yè)生涯的大部分時(shí)間都是在中國度過的,例如,漢·斯羅偉講述了其很大一部分工作是專注于“解碼”和幫助不同的文化相互理解。為了防止多元化、公平性和包容性淪為口號(hào),如今這項(xiàng)工作落在了所有人的肩上。
她說,否則,“會(huì)出現(xiàn)大量的‘培訓(xùn)’,但這些理念卻無法植入公司文化,最終只會(huì)浮于表面。我們當(dāng)前就從反亞裔人仇恨犯罪看到了這一點(diǎn)。多元化以及對(duì)多元化和包容性的欣賞極其脆弱?!?/font>
只有白人有權(quán)拒絕嗎?
聽起來,這似乎意味著有色人種還有很長的路要走,而事實(shí)也確是如此。辛勒頓認(rèn)為,雇主可以通過幾個(gè)方式來支持和承認(rèn)這一現(xiàn)實(shí)。例如,有色人種雇員團(tuán)組可能會(huì)在工作期間舉行會(huì)議,而不是在“業(yè)余”時(shí)間開展這項(xiàng)工作。我們需要將多元化、平等和包容性融入每個(gè)人的工作職責(zé),經(jīng)常衡量其有效性,并將其作為發(fā)放獎(jiǎng)金和升職的一項(xiàng)條件。
格里高利說:“當(dāng)有色人種十分少見時(shí),對(duì)這些人的引導(dǎo)不應(yīng)該聚焦于個(gè)人,而是集體?!崩纾瑢?duì)全部由白人成員參與的小組討論說不,或?qū)ε暂o導(dǎo)項(xiàng)目說不,或?qū)υ趯ふ叶嘣舐氄哳I(lǐng)域?qū)で髱椭墓椭髡f不,可能意味著在沒有你的參與下,結(jié)果會(huì)大相徑庭。然而,此舉也會(huì)為人們帶來不公平的代表壓力。她說:“我的‘不’可能會(huì)改變這個(gè)搜索流程,而且僅按照我自己的想法來行事是不現(xiàn)實(shí)的,因此,我得有能力駕馭自己說不的方式?!?/font>
她描述了一種平衡,也就是“展現(xiàn)和放棄自我的影響與我的靈魂在這些環(huán)境中的代價(jià)”之間的平衡。我們創(chuàng)造的這些界限實(shí)際上彰顯了我們的價(jià)值內(nèi)容。如果我說的都是“是”,那么我就會(huì)與周邊的其他人沒有區(qū)別。
Urban Zen的首席執(zhí)行官海倫·阿伯雅表示,有時(shí)候,關(guān)鍵在于對(duì)這個(gè)問題進(jìn)行重塑,然后以自己的方式來說“是”。Urban Zen是唐納·卡蘭創(chuàng)建的奢華時(shí)尚品牌。她回憶說,當(dāng)她覺得某些工作機(jī)會(huì)不對(duì)勁時(shí),自己就會(huì)說不,但她話鋒一轉(zhuǎn),介紹了她到底想要什么。她說:“這一點(diǎn)促使更多人說‘是’。你的‘是’與你的‘不’同樣重要。當(dāng)機(jī)會(huì)過來敲門時(shí),抓住它,抓住它,抓住它?!保ㄘ?cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:馮豐
審校:夏林
A certain diversity memo is clearly making the rounds: Read books on anti-racism, hire more Black people, check in on your staffers of color.
But then what?
Much of the advice in business columns is geared toward white managers trying to make a change, in their companies, hopefully themselves. There’s less focus on the receiving end of their overtures.
So this one’s for us.
People of color are exhausted, alienated—and uncertain about what’s ahead. Surveys show that attitudes about the post-pandemic workplace vary by race; about half of Black knowledge workers say they are “treated fairly at work,” compared to three-quarters of white workers. Of those working remotely, 97% of Black workers want a hybrid or full-time remote working model, compared to 79% of whites. Workplace experts explain that telecommuting reduces the need for “code switching.” Harvard Business Review defines the practice as “adjusting one’s style of speech, appearance, behavior, and expression in ways that will optimize the comfort of others in exchange for fair treatment, quality service, and employment opportunities.”
That we are seeing less of it, even if it took a pandemic, is a silver lining.
White managers are not the only ones who must make behavioral changes right now. The data on code-switching underscore a positive development and could be a baby step in shifting power dynamics: The embrace of ourselves, our full selves, at work.
And so when a colleague tries to engage you on issues of race, you have more power than you might think. Out: You being asked to “help” on a job search to ensure it’s a diverse pool. In: You asking what conditions have been set up to optimize for a candidate’s success.
“We are together trying to imagine and live in a new society. In that society, people of color will also be required to show up differently,” said Glenn E. Singleton, founder and CEO of Courageous Conversation, a consultancy devoted to interracial dialogue in the workplace. “This time, it’s not a time of relaxation. This is about people of color really thinking about what we want in this new world. Never in our history have we not had heavy lifts. The heavy lift can’t simply be how we prop up our white brothers and sisters though. How do we actually lead?”
Hiring diversity is not enough
The knee-jerk reaction to last summer’s protests was additive: install a chief diversity officer, hire more people of color, host anti-racism training.
A few key steps were forgotten.
It’s kind of like choosing to have guests over, says Brooke Gregory, the recently named president of Courageous Conversation, and a longtime educator. “I prepare my house. I get the bedroom ready. I have allotted time to take you out to dinner. I feel I am in community with you.”
If none of those factors is right, the visit will not be fruitful. “That’s how I think about companies,” said Gregory. “If the culture is not one I can be successful in as a woman of color, it doesn’t matter how many women of color you hire.”
Cultural (ex)change is needed
The work before us is one of cultural transformation. Most companies are undergoing a version anyway, as they strategize office spaces, organizational charts and collaboration in post-pandemic workplaces.
They need to weave in accommodation of difference, said Marie Han Silloway, a global marketing executive who has held senior positions in the U.S. and abroad for brands such as Subway, Starbucks and Estee Lauder.
“I have been struck by how often I see people pushing their own agendas without attempting to truly understand the other side of the equation. So when it comes to diversity, equality and inclusion,” she said, “it is a culture you have to actively promote. You have to be deliberate in creating teams who have a difference and a range of perspectives.”
Because the brunt of her career was spent in China, for example, Han Silloway talks about how much of her job was “decoding” and helping different cultures understand each other. This work now falls on everyone to prevent diversity, equity and inclusion from being just a few buzzwords.
Otherwise, “there will be loads of ‘training’ but the concepts will not be embedded within the culture of the company and it will be superficial,” she said. “We’re seeing it right now with all the anti-Asian hate crimes. Diversity and the appreciation of diversity and inclusion is extremely fragile.”
Do only white people get to say no?
If it still sounds like a lot of work on people of color, it is. Singleton suggests employers can support and acknowledge that reality in a few ways. For example, affinity groups for employees of color might hold meetings during work hours instead of making the effort “extra.” Weave DEI into everybody’s job description, and measure effectiveness often and as conditions of bonuses and promotions.
“When there’s a scarcity of people of color, the navigation for those folks is not individual. It is collective,” said Gregory. For example, saying no to a panel discussion that would otherwise be all white, or saying no to a mentoring program for women, or saying no to an employer looking for help finding diverse candidates might mean a very different outcome without your involvement. And yet that also puts an unfair pressure of representation on you. “My ‘no’ may change that search process and there’s not the luxury of thinking only of myself,” she said. “So I need to be able to navigate the way I say no.”
She describes a balance between “the weight of what it means to show up and surrender who I am and the cost of my soul in these environments. The boundaries we create actually establish what our value is. If all I say is yes, then I look like everyone else in the environment.”
Sometimes, it’s about reframing the question to get to “yes” on your own terms, said Helen Aboah, the CEO of Urban Zen, a luxury lifestyle brand created by Donna Karan. She recounts saying no to certain job opportunities when they didn’t feel right—but being able to steer the conversation to what she actually did want. “That opened bigger yesses,” she said. “And your yesses are as important as your no’s. When opportunity knocks, take it, take it, take it.”