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This month, we have grabbed ourselves a copy of Naz Beheshti’s Pause. Breathe. Choose. Become the CEO of Your Well-Being.
When you prioritize your career over your well-being, you ultimately end up damaging both. That’s why Naz has published a debut designed to help employees restructure their lives to ensure that they are focusing on their physical and mental well-being in order to be their best selves at work.
Naz, who is an executive wellness coach and has worked for more than 20 years at various Fortune 500 companies, shares insights from her experience and years of expertise to create a guide to well-being that anyone and everyone needs to read.
People should not be constantly longing for the weekend, but rather they need to rethink how they approach work and life – to do this, Naz has invented the MAP Method.
The MAP Method has three key components: mastery of mindfulness, the Seven A’s of resilience and stress-management, and promotion to the role of “CEO of your well-being.”
Mastery of Mindfulness – mindfulness is not passive but proactive. It helps individuals face challenges and embrace change, which is crucial in both personal life and career. Simple practices like meditating daily or adopting the ‘Pause. Breathe. Choose.’ method can help develop mindfulness, which can then be applied to everyday tasks, resulting in improved decision-making and relationships.
Seven A’s of Resilience and Stress-Management – Naz introduces the Seven A’s – “adopt, allocate, avoid, alter, adapt, accept, and attend” – to manage stress and improve adaptability. These strategies are designed to promote healthier choices and balance between work and personal life.
Promotion to CEO of Your Well-Being – leaders play a crucial role in setting good examples for their teams. Modelling behaviors like taking breaks, using wellness programs, and allowing employees flexible schedules contributes to a more balanced and productive workplace where a focus on well-being is not just normalized, it’s encouraged.
Well-being is at the forefront of many employees’ minds, but it can be difficult to know how to prioritize it whilst also chasing career progression opportunities.
Naz’s book aims to help employees understand how to focus on personal growth, turn pain into learning experiences, and connect with others in order to lead meaningful lives. After all, balancing career goals with well-being creates a more fulfilling life and work environment, ultimately benefiting both the individual and the business.
If you would like to discuss how we can help implement sustainable and effective well-being strategies in your company, please get in touch with us today. Or, you can book in a 1-hour consultation with one of our seasoned HR professionals for instant advice through our OrgShakers CL!CK consultation service.
In the meantime, if you want to grab your own copy of Pause. Breathe. Choose. then head over here for the US and here for the UK.
It seems fitting that the days get darker around Halloween – preparing for all the costume-clad kids to take the streets in search for candy corn and fun-sized chocolate bars.
Every year, the celebrations for Halloween seem to get bigger and bigger, and with its rising popularity comes the want to mark the spooky season in the workplace. And whilst this can add a bit of festive flare to the office and create opportunities for team building, it’s important to keep a few things in mind so to avoid any HR horror stories:
Halloween allows for a bit of fun and innovation to take place in the workplace, but only if managed correctly. If you want support on how to avoid any HR horror stories over the Halloween season – or during any festive season – then please get in touch with us today via our website. Or, you can book in a 1-hour consultation with one of our seasoned HR professionals for instant advice through our OrgShakers CL!CK consultation service.
Happy Halloween!
As HR professionals, we typically frame the imperativeness of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) around the business case for it. Research will show you that decisions made and executed by diverse teams delivered 60% better results, and inclusive teams make better business decisions 87% of the time. However, this approach, whilst rooted in the language of hard numbers which many employers prefer to speak in, erases a fundamental aspect of the importance of creating DEI strategies.
DEI is good for business, but it is a force for good, too. There is a moral imperative for employers to be threading DEI into their business decisions and their ESG agendas, as it does more than just strengthen their company’s profitability, it also makes them role models for the betterment of wider society.
However, more often than not, the effectiveness of DEI is measured on a monetary metric; employers will receive a cashflow analysis at the end of the year and the number that comes out determines how effective their DEI efforts have been.
But having an effective DEI strategy is more than just the binary of ones and zeros – it requires key qualitative considerations to offer context to this data, which will ultimately inform how a company adapts and evolves their DEI strategies in the face of change. This then results in a more robust strategy that is much more effective, much better for the employee experience, and overall much better for business.
So, what are the key trends that companies should be considering to inform their approach to DEI?
Those employers that are infusing their DEI strategies with the contemporary trends of the working world are going to be the ones with the most resilient and most sustainable DEI practices that will continue to yield long-term results – both from a moral standpoint and a business one.
If you would like to discuss this topic in more detail, and how we can help strengthen your DEI strategy, please get in touch with me at ken.merritt@orgshakers.com
With Cybersecurity Awareness Month in full swing, it’s the perfect time to examine a critical, yet often overlooked, aspect of an organization’s cybersecurity strategy: culture.
While technical solutions and security protocols are essential, the human element—how people think, act, and interact with technology—can make or break an organization’s defences.
This is where Human Resources comes in.
HR has a unique role in shaping company culture, and when it comes to cybersecurity, fostering a security-conscious mindset among employees is just as crucial as implementing firewalls and encryption.
Here’s how HR can play a pivotal role in building and sustaining a culture of cybersecurity:
1. Embed Cybersecurity in Company Values
Organizational values are more than just words on a website—they define how employees interact, collaborate, and behave within the company. To create a culture of cybersecurity, HR should ensure that data protection and security consciousness are embedded into these values from the start.
When security becomes a part of the company’s DNA, employees are more likely to take personal responsibility for safeguarding both their own information and the company’s digital assets. This can start as early as the onboarding process, where cybersecurity awareness is introduced not as an additional task, but as a core company value that’s integrated into everything employees do.
2. Train Beyond Compliance: Develop a Cyber-Savvy Workforce
Too often, cybersecurity training is treated as a compliance requirement—a once-a-year online module that employees rush through. This checkbox mentality does little to build awareness or change behavior. Instead, HR can advocate for dynamic and continuous cybersecurity training that keeps employees engaged and informed.
Here are a few effective training strategies to consider:
By transforming cybersecurity training into a dynamic, engaging, and ongoing experience, HR can help employees feel personally invested in protecting both company and personal data.
3. Reward Security-Conscious Behavior
One of the most effective ways to change behavior within an organization is through positive reinforcement. When employees demonstrate strong cybersecurity practices—such as identifying phishing attempts, reporting suspicious activity, or implementing secure password protocols—HR should recognize and reward those behaviors.
Creating a security recognition program or incorporating cybersecurity metrics into performance reviews can incentivize employees to stay vigilant. This positive reinforcement not only motivates employees but also demonstrates that the organization takes cybersecurity seriously at every level. This helps to shift the perception of cybersecurity from a set of rules employees must follow to instead making employees play an active role they play in the company’s success and safety.
4. Make Cybersecurity a Leadership Priority
A strong culture of cybersecurity starts at the top. HR can work closely with leadership to ensure that the importance of cybersecurity is frequently communicated and demonstrated. When executives and managers model good security behaviors—such as using strong, unique passwords or quickly reporting suspicious emails—it sets a standard for the entire organization.
HR can support this by facilitating cybersecurity briefings for leadership, ensuring they are well-versed in the current threat landscape and the impact that a potential breach could have on the organization. When leaders are informed and engaged, it helps to foster a trickle-down effect that influences employees across all levels.
5. Cybersecurity in Offboarding: Don’t Leave a Door Open
While most companies understand the need to secure new hires with proper onboarding training, the offboarding process is equally critical in protecting against cyber threats. Former employees who retain access to company systems, even unintentionally, can become significant security risks.
HR plays a central role in ensuring that cybersecurity protocols are closely followed when employees exit the company. This includes working with IT to:
A structured, secure offboarding process prevents any gaps that could be exploited by malicious actors or inadvertently lead to data leaks.
6. Foster a Culture of Reporting Without Fear
Many employees hesitate to report cybersecurity concerns, fearing they might face reprimand or be seen as negligent. HR can help address this by fostering an environment where reporting suspected security incidents is encouraged and celebrated.
To do this, HR can work with IT to create a clear, anonymous reporting system that allows employees to easily and safely report suspicious emails, potential breaches, or unusual activity without fear of blame or punishment.
HR are in a unique position to be cybersecurity champions by fostering a culture where security is everyone’s responsibility, not just the IT department’s. Through thoughtful training, positive reinforcement, and secure processes, HR can influence behaviors that make a lasting impact on the company’s overall security posture.
In today’s digital world, an organization’s strength lies not just in its technical defences but in its people. By cultivating a culture of cybersecurity, HR can protect both the organization and the employees who help it thrive.
As we celebrate Cybersecurity Awareness Month, let’s remember that cybersecurity isn’t just about firewalls and encryption—it’s about people. And HR holds the key to making every employee a vigilant defender of the company’s digital assets.
If you would like to discuss how we can help build cybersecurity into the culture of your organization, get in touch with me at sayid@orgshakers.com
Menopause impacts half of the population at a certain point in their lives – in fact, by 2025, over 1 billion people globally will be in menopause.
Unlike many other conditions, menopause is something that is guaranteed to affect a vast majority of people. And considering that most women will undergo menopause during their working years, it is so important for employers to be building an inclusive and supportive workplace where those going through menopause can continue to thrive.
Menopause can have a huge impact on someone’s life – so much so that guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission says that symptoms of menopause can be considered a disability if they have a long-term and substantial impact on a woman’s ability to carry out-day-day activities. And the data proves this – 23% of employees going through menopause considered resigning due to its impact, and 14% said they were planning to hand in their notice, according to research from the end of last year from SimplyHealth.
And it’s not just having effects on turnover, but productivity too. Recent studies reveal that the economic impact of menopause in the US is over $26 billion, with $1.8 billion specifically attributed to the loss of productivity due to debilitating symptoms. Therefore, those employers who are designing and implementing tailored support strategies for menopausal staff will be best equipped to mitigate the negative ripple effects it can have on their business, all the while showcasing a genuine care for the health and wellbeing of their workforce.
So, what are the key components needed to create a menopause-inclusive workforce?
By implementing these components into the fabric of your diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy, employers will be able to foster a workplace that challenges the long-standing taboos around menopause and instead invites open and honest dialogue which can help employees better understand the support available to them. If you would like to discuss how we can help build these support policies, please get in touch with me at therese@orgshakers.com
For new employees, the elation of coming to the end of the hiring process and being offered a job can be such a rewarding feeling. Out of all the candidates that applied, they were the one who made it to the finish line.
However, this elation can quickly fizzle out if they come to discover that they were not the first-choice candidate. It’s not uncommon for employers to offer a job to their top candidate only for that candidate to decline, and so naturally they will present the offer to the next best candidate.
While this is a common occurrence, it can be tricky for employers if this new hire discovers they were not the initial pick. This notion is proven by a recent study conducted by Harvard Business Review, which discovered that those employees who knew or believed they were an alternate choice were less socially integrated and less likely to seek feedback than their peers.
In other words, this knowledge can have a real effect on morale, confidence, and overall job satisfaction for the new employee, as well as open up the door for imposter syndrome to creep in.
So, when this situation arises, how should employers handle this to ensure the relationship with the new hire remains positive and productivity remains unaffected?
1. Acknowledge the Situation with Transparency
Honesty and transparency are the foundation of a good working relationship. If a new hire confronts the fact that they weren’t the first choice, the worst thing an employer can do is deny or downplay the situation. Instead, acknowledge it openly, but add a positive spin to it – “we had a number of strong candidates, and it was a difficult decision. However, we’re confident that you bring the right skills, experience, and attitude to succeed in this role“. The key thing here is to focus on the value the new hire brings to the team, which should hopefully mitigate any potential hurt feelings.
2. Reaffirm the Candidate’s Strengths and Value
When someone discovers they were the second choice, it’s natural for them to feel a bit insecure, so reaffirming their strengths is a crucial step in managing this reaction. Ensure to reiterate the reasons they were chosen and emphasize the qualities that set them apart. By highlighting their unique contributions, you reinforce their confidence and show that they weren’t just a fallback option but a candidate with real potential.
3. Focus on the Future, Not the Past
Once the issue has been addressed, it’s important to shift the focus from the hiring process to the future. After all, what matters most is how the new hire performs in their role, not the order which they were selected in. This forward-looking approach helps the employee move past the “second choice” label and concentrate on their own success.
4. Create a Supportive Work Environment
Once the conversation is over, employers should ensure that the new hire feels welcomed and supported in their role. A positive onboarding experience, continuous feedback, and professional development opportunities can all help boost the new hire’s confidence and solidify their commitment to the company. In addition, regular check-ins during the onboarding process can provide the new hire with a platform to voice concerns and give them an opportunity to receive constructive feedback – which as highlighted by Harvard’s study above, can be a real issue!
5. Don’t Let the “Second Choice” Label Stick
One of the most important things to keep in mind is that the “second choice” label should not define the employee’s experience. Managers must ensure that this detail doesn’t follow the employee throughout their time at the company, as at the end of the day, the candidate who was ultimately selected for the job is the best fit for the organization, regardless of the hiring order.
Discovering that you were the second choice in the hiring process can be a delicate moment for any new employee. However, how employers respond to this situation can make all the difference in preserving, and even strengthening, the relationship with the new hire.
By handling the situation with transparency, focusing on the new hire’s strengths, and creating a supportive work environment, employers can turn a potentially negative discovery into a positive and affirming experience.
If you would like to discuss the training we offer around creating an inclusive working environment, please get in touch with us today.
You can do a lot in sixty minutes.
In 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright marked the dawn of aviation with FOUR successful powered flights in the space of just one hour!
In 2020 Mo Farah set a world record by running 21,330 meters in 60 minutes. That’s an average speed of over 13 mph, which is faster than most of us can run if we sprint just 100 meters. He just maintained that pace for a whole hour – try that on your next fun run!
Alternatively, you could make yourself a delicious meal of Beef Tacos with Homemade Guacamole. Our favorite recipe takes about an hour from ‘fridge to fork’.
What we see here is that while sixty minutes might not seem that long – the length of a team meeting, a workout at the gym, or an episode of your favorite podcast – it can also be incredibly productive and even transformative.
At OrgShakers, we believe in The Power of the Hour … 60-minutes where leaders can bounce around ideas, receive expert advice, or get the objective feedback they need to start something incredible. After all, every successful business we’ve come to know started with an idea – and someone who was willing to listen.
That’s why we’re excited to introduce our new consulting service: OrgShakers CL!CK.
OrgShakers CL!CK offers a one-hour, private and confidential online consultation with one of our experienced HR professionals. It’s perfect for those moments when you need advice to tackle a new challenge, to test and refine your HR strategy, or simply to try out new ideas to see what resonates.
With extensive global corporate experience, our team is equipped to provide guidance on any HR-related question, whether you’re dealing with everyday tactical issues or complex strategic concerns.
If you would like to learn more about this service and book in time with one of our team members, head over to https://orgshakers.com/orgshakers-click/
Mental health support has become a staple offering from employers in the contemporary world of work. This shift was greatly influenced by the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, leading to more employees being granted access to Employee Assistance Programs and subscriptions to wellbeing apps as part of their benefit packages.
However, despite this rising popularity, research finds that 85% of employees are not using their mental health benefits – with the primary reason for this being confusion over how to access them, as well as a lack of understanding about what they actually are.
This drives me to pose the question: what if we rebranded ‘mental health’?
The term ‘mental health’ is concise in its nature – it focuses on the health of someone’s mental state. But using these two words together, ‘mental’ and ‘health’, has given it clinical connotations that can sometimes result in employees not taking advantage of these benefits as they feel it is less applicable to them. It inadvertently promotes the misconception that only those employees who have a formally diagnosed mental health disorder can use mental health support from their employer. In reality, mental health support is as much about the upkeep and maintenance of a healthy mind as it is about helping to heal a struggling one.
So, what would happen if companies started dubbing their mental health benefits as ‘self-care benefits’?
This would have employers market their mental health support around self-care and self-improvement strategies, helping staff foster healthy habits for the upkeep of their physical and mental wellbeing. Imagine concise, easy to access resources that all employees are aware of and where they can be used without having to go through the more formal processes of using an EAP (unless this is needed!). For the most part, this rebrand centres around improving employee accessibility to resources that will improve their brain health. By adopting a shift in the language being used, these support strategies can feel relevant to all employees.
Intentional shifting from being reactive to mental health issues to being proactive about the promotion of good mental wellbeing can make the difference between a rarely used resource and an effective tool that sees daily use. Ultimately, the shift can lead to an overall happier and healthier workforce, and employers will likely see an overall increase in engagement and decrease in absences.
It’s important to note this rebranding by no means replaces the need for mental health support for serious mental health disorders or workplace burnout. Rather it is about employers providing clear messages that separate mental health support from self-care and mental sustainability so employees can realize the benefits of nurturing a healthy mind, and employers can reap the byproduct of increased productivity.
If you would like to discuss how we can help take your mental health strategies from reactive to proactive, please get in touch with me at amanda@orgshakers.com
Reid Hoffman, co-founder of popular social media platform LinkedIn, recently made the prediction that by 2034, the 9-to-5 job will be extinct.
Hoffman is famed for his grand predictions; most notably, he predicted the mass rise of social media back in 1997 – something which has definitely come to fruition. Now, as we see the world of work continuously change and evolve as it keeps in pace with new generations of workers, new technological advancements, and the rise of the 4-day work week, it’s not such a jump to consider that Henry Ford’s 9-to-5 model – which came into practice in the early 1900s – might be on its way out.
To get a better idea, we asked the OrgShakers team whether they think Reid Hoffman’s prediction is accurate, and if so, what they believe the 9-to-5 will be replaced with:
However, we have seen that the pace of this organizational change has been rapidly accelerated by the influx of new technologies paired with the evaporation of the boundaries of time and geography. Therefore, I believe that a more flexible and responsive methodology is needed in order to keep up with this new pace of change through companies increasingly adopting a skills-based approach to managing work and workers.
As we move forward, it’s crucial for individuals, companies, and governments to adapt to these changes and create new systems that support this evolving workforce. This might involve rethinking education, training, and social safety nets to ensure that everyone can thrive in this new environment.
However, this shift would also require substantial changes in labor policies, employee benefits, and management practices. Companies will need to rethink how they hire, measure performance, or compensate people. Traditional models of health insurance and retirement plans will have to be redefined. The challenge will be to balance the benefits of this new work structure with the potential risks of increased worker isolation and burnout – a significant concern for the individual, the organization, and society as a whole.
If you would like to discuss any of these topics in greater detail, you can get in touch directly through our website, or book in a private and confidential one-hour consultation with one of our team members through our OrgShakers CL!CK service.
The benefits that a company offers to their prospective employees play a huge role in attracting and retaining talent. But as we know, different generations are drawn to different types of benefits, and as Gen Z enter into the workforce in full force, we are starting to see the emergence of new, innovative benefits being offered in order to attract this fresh new talent.
The latest new benefit? Gushcloud International – an IP management and licensing company – have recently started offering their employees ‘Tinder Leave’. The company has partnered with well-known dating app Tinder to offer their employees sponsored Tinder subscriptions and an additional paid day of leave for their staff to actively go on dates and seek out new connections in the hopes of improving their wellbeing outside of work.
Dating apps have become a very popular tool for fostering romantic relationships, especially amongst the younger generations. And there is a growing body of research to suggest that employees who are in happy, healthy relationships outside of work tend to be better, more productive workers. One study even found that married men were less likely to report workplace burnout and, as their marital satisfaction increased, burnout likelihood decreased.
From this perspective, companies that consider offering Tinder Leave could be paving the way for employee satisfaction to increase as their personal lives become socially and romantically nourished.
So, is Tinder Leave something that more companies should consider?
There are a lot of interesting benefits that could come from offering this type of perk to employees. For one thing, it’s an innovative way of highlighting a company’s care and commitment to social wellbeing. It also signifies that a business values work-life balance, through actively encouraging employees to take the time to build these connections.
However, there are some potential drawbacks that employers will need to consider, too. For instance, offering Tinder subscriptions could actually prove to be a distraction at work, as employees may be more tempted to be checking their phone and swiping through potential matches. So, when looking at this as a potential offering to employees, it’s important for employers to consider all the factors.
If you would like to discuss how we can help you design and implement innovative wellbeing strategies to improve work-life balance, please swipe right to get in touch with us today.
A new trend has seemingly emerged amongst younger employees, and it’s being dubbed the ‘Great Detachment’.
Taking inspiration for its name from the Great Resignation that happened post-pandemic, the Great Detachment is seeing increasing numbers of staff remaining in jobs that they don’t feel fulfilled or engaged by. Gallup’s State of the Workplace 2024 report discovered that only 23% of employees globally are engaged at work – which means a whopping 77% of them are disengaged.
With the disengagement number so high, it’s no wonder we are seeing a rise to this new trend. And with a market that continues to become increasingly competitive, employees are remaining in their current roles despite their rising disengagement and dissatisfaction.
Being fulfilled in one’s job is an important thing – after all, on average we spend one third of our entire lives at work, so it’s not a huge leap to assume that we want this job to be engaging and fulfilling. However, the reality is that not many people end up working their ‘dream job’ either. In fact, one survey found that only 7% of Americans stated they were in their dream career, and another found that only a quarter of adults in the UK have landed the job they dreamed of having as a child.
So the Great Detachment may not be a new phenomenon – but with a new generation flooding into the workforce, bringing with them carpe diem mentalities that have been forged in the fires of lockdown living, the idea of ‘settling’ in a job they don’t love is unappealing – and it’s resulting in a lack of engagement and a hit on productivity levels.
So, what can employers do to ‘reattach’ their employees?
One technique to consider is creating some ‘squiggle room’. This is the idea of employers actively creating the space for employees to job craft. By encouraging workers to craft their personality and passions into what they do, they will be able to bring a little bit of their dream into their current role. This not only helps to re-engage those staff that are falling victim to the Great Detachment trend, but it also encourages the use of innovation and varied ways of thinking, which can ultimately lead to new and exciting ideas for the business.
Flexibility has become a swaying factor when it comes to employee attraction and retention, and ‘squiggle room’ is rooted in the idea of embracing the fluidity of work. The goals and vision that a company has are set, but the route to achieving those things offers ample opportunity for innovation and flexibility – and those employers that embrace this are the ones who are going to have the most engaged workforce.
If you would like to discuss how we can help with your employee engagement strategies, please get in touch with us today!
Black History Month creates space for all to reflect on the struggle of Black Americans and Black people across the world to get to where they are today. Battling through constant, overt oppression to be able to have the same rights that were automatically extended to their white counterparts has made it possible for Black people to gain access to many more opportunities than were previously within their reach.
However, racism runs deep; while activists such as Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X and Rosa Parks paved a path for a better future, there is still work to be done now to continue to eradicate the oppression that black people face across the globe.
Just as the world has modernized, so has racism. What was once brashly overt has now evolved into more subtle, micro-aggressive tendencies. The disconnect occurs because these microaggressions are broadly considered ‘less racist’ than things were fifty years ago, so it’s not seen as racism at all – which gives these behaviors the power to continue.
The workplace is a prime example. Many companies are more intentional about creating hiring targets to diversify their workforces – and this is great – but we’re also seeing that they are significantly pulling funding on their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. It seems that just as the workplace begins to take a step forward, it takes two steps back. Without a comprehensive DEI change initiative and commitment to link the initiative to the mission, vision, and values of the company, this creates an environment where microaggressions will emerge and those employees of color will not truly feel that they are valued members of the team.
Microaggressions are indirect, subtle, or unintentional discriminatory actions against members of a marginalized group. Some examples of these behaviors are not introducing specific people in a meeting, praising an idea from one person and ignoring the same idea when presented by another, speaking with a condescending tone, consistently mispronouncing someone’s name, confusing a person of a certain ethnicity with another person of that same ethnicity…the list goes on. A recent study even discovered that 25% of black women have been sent home from work because of their hair. These actions may seem small if you do not regularly experience them yourself, but the racial undertones that they hold are problematic and create a tense and unproductive culture.
For example, Dr. Claudine Gay was the first black woman to be selected the president of Harvard University by the Harvard Corporation – comprised of 12 board members responsible for university affairs and three members of the second-highest governing Board of Overseers – and yet not even a year later and she has been forced to resign due to incessant plagiarism claims from her academic dissertation from 1997. Upon further exploration, most of the “errors” that have been identified are pedantic. Additionally, the few that have been raised as cause for concerns were not only deemed understandable by those she quoted, they were also completely missed by the institution under which she wrote it, along with the Harvard PhD committee who failed to highlight these when awarding her the Toppan prize for the best political science dissertation in 1998. Regardless, Dr. Gay has come under fire, and the microaggressions in this situation are rampant; after all, we haven’t seen any other Harvard presidents be picked apart for their academic writings from two decades ago.
If this situation was copy and pasted onto a white man, it is very likely that the outcome would be entirely different, and it’s these systemic barriers that employers need to recognize and challenge to truly further the progress of the many Black transformational leaders who fought for civil rights and equality for all Americans.
The first step to challenging these inequities is acknowledging that they exist in the first place. Nearly two-thirds (61%) of Black employees experienced racism in 2021, and this number is only going to begin to decrease if companies can successfully identify these microaggressions and uproot them. We know that diverse companies are more profitable, but in order for employers to unlock these benefits they have to successfully foster a safe and inclusive environment. This starts by acknowledging that racism is still an open wound in the world of work, and that putting a band aid on it doesn’t help it heal. They must clean it out, and slowly begin to sew it up – which requires organizations to break the habit of assuming that the wound has already healed.
If you would like to discuss how we can help further your DEI strategy and help foster a culture that unlocks the best out of all your people, please get in touch with me at marty@orgshakers.com
This article was first published on 2nd February to mark the start of Black History Month 2024 in the U.S.