Racial discrimination in the workplace is still an unfortunately common occurrence. While mistreatment can and often does come from other staff members, it is ultimately up to the employer to create a positive environment for all employees.
One way to do so is by ensuring the workplace is as inclusive as possible. CIO explains a few of the methods your employer can implement at your place of work to ensure you feel comfortable and welcomed.
One-time training usually is not enough
Diversity training is valuable, in that it provides a workplace with language to discuss racial discrimination and other issues appropriately. For a truly inclusive environment, the process must be ongoing. Some workplaces imbue management within different departments the skills and knowledge to conduct their own practices to ensure their workers have their emotional needs addressed. That way, inclusivity concepts will be presented to staff on a daily basis.
Leaders must show empathy towards others
Everyone has felt alienated at some point in their lives, either personally or professionally. Even if leadership has not experienced racial discrimination in the past, they can appreciate the impact it has on a person by recalling those situations and how it made them feel. Tapping into empathy helps prevent knee-jerk reactions, which often occur out of fear or misunderstanding.
Diversity quotas are only the beginning
Diversity quotas serve an important purpose, as they expand the pool of eligible applicants to people of different races and backgrounds. However, that is only the first step towards diversity. Diversity and inclusivity must be daily goals if a workplace hopes to set the right precedent. For example, think about meetings at your place of work. Do certain people dominate discussions? Do people of color often find themselves struggling to add input because they are interrupted or dismissed? This is precisely where an employer should focus their inclusivity efforts.
An inclusive workplace benefits you by showing you are a valued member of the team. It also makes for a better working atmosphere, which benefits your employer when it comes to productivity and employee morale.
