How do I coordinate diversity?
August 29, 2018 5:33 PM Subscribe
So after just under two months in my job I appear to be stumbling somewhat inadvertently into a side role as my regional office's diversity coordinator. I'm kinda wary of taking on this role for a variety of reasons, but people seem to want me to do it, nobody else appears to be stepping up, and dammit it needs to be done. How do I nail this?
OK, story time.
I am a straight white male. So is almost everybody else at my company. This is something I'd like to see change, for all sorts of reasons ranging from the philosophical to the pragmatic—I feel like I don't have to tell y'all why having a diverse workforce with good representation is a good thing. My company is getting ready to hit a growth spurt, and I think that now would be a great time to start making this happen. My role is pretty low-level, but I've consistently felt genuinely encouraged to make my voice heard, which has been amazing. I love where I work and I feel empowered to make it better.
At a recent company outing, I had several rather drunken but very positive conversations with a number of people from as wide a variety of backgrounds as I could find (including other straight white males, who are naturally the biggest potential roadblock here) and discovered that I'm not alone in my thinking. People encouraged me to make waves and to speak up, despite my repeated profession of a (totally genuine) preference for a background, support-style role. I came back to work the next week feeling somewhat obligated to put my words into action.
The one suggestion that I got which I felt I could act on was to contact my HR person, who is one of I think exactly two WoC in my 300-person company. (I work in the Northeastern US, and my company includes the extremely white states of New Hampshire and Maine, but still.) So I did that, expressing my views and my desire to see my company become more diverse as it grows, and my willingness to be a part of whatever initiatives she thought I might be able to help with, or to contribute ideas if she wanted ideas. Basically an open-ended offer to help wherever I could.
She got back to me saying some of the things I'd been hearing already—that I'm not alone, that other people are already thinking about this stuff—and explained some of the steps she's taking on her end to help make these changes. She acknowledged that it's early days and that the things being done so far are small steps (which they definitely are) but I'm operating under the assumption that she understands both these issues and also my company (two months, remember) better than I do. So I replied that I would be happy to assist with any of this kind of stuff that she thought I could help with.
Today she found time for a face-to-face followup on that, and what she had for me was the idea of becoming my regional office's "culture champion." This is not a role that officially exists yet, but what she's trying to do is find someone at each of my company's branches who can act as an organizer and a front person for fostering a spirit of cultural diversity within the company. I'm actually not 100% sure yet what all she envisions as being a part of this role (mental note: follow up on that) but I get the impression that it's pretty broad and amorphous at the moment. She asked if I would be interested in taking that on for my branch, I said yes, and she pointed me to someone at another branch who has already done some work on this stuff. I reached out to him (haven't heard back yet) and that's where we're at so far. That takes us up to now.
OK, story over.
I am kind of terrified of fucking this up, to be honest. I feel like organizing and motivating people is one of my weakest suits—I find it mentally and emotionally taxing and I worry that I could easily burn out on it. I also feel like I'm not particularly educated in this area, with a super privileged background and zero experience at doing this kind of thing. I do seem to get along well with other people in my company and I think that I'm pretty well-liked insofar as people are aware of my existence at all, but I guess I'm worried about jeopardizing that by making too many waves too soon. That last bit feels pretty selfish, but also I want to be at this company for a long time and if I'm going to be effective long-term people need to like and respect me. I actually think I'm garnering respect pretty quickly here, but one can only build so much of a reputation in two months. Frankly, I'd prefer it if someone more tenured and more senior had this role—but here I am.
I also feel like this is a big opportunity. I'm being handed a rather vaguely-defined role as someone who will work to increase diversity in my section of the company, and I think that to some extent the role will be what I make of it. Increasing diversity and representation (especially as it pertains to hiring) is something I care deeply about and think is very important for my company's future and also for society at large (and my company happens to be a B-corp so that fits with the "people" part of the triple bottom line) and I want to make the most of this. So far I think it's fair to say that I've been slaying it at everything I've tried, and I don't want this to be where I stumble.
So, Hivemind, help me nail this. If you were in my shoes, what would your next couple of plays be? What should I bear in mind as I take this ball and run with it? What should I make of this new role, and how should I use it to accomplish my goals? My primary goals are to increase diversity in our workforce and to ensure a welcoming and empowering environment for all workers regardless of identity or background, as effectively as possible. I also want people to like and respect me, and I would particularly like to avoid a situation in which I become That (straight, white, cis) Guy who shows up and starts just taking over. I know I need to take a breath and, at least for the moment, let my HR person set the pace here.
I feel like I need to gather more information. I need to know what my company's existing strategy is with regard to increasing diversity so that I don't step on toes or re-invent wheels, and I need to know more about what role my HR person envisions for me so that I can work within it and not cross too many lines. But if you were me, if you were new to your job (please assume a genuinely empowering environment, which is what I feel like I have here) and were handed an ill-defined role as a "culture champion" in charge of fostering diversity within your workplace, what would you be thinking? What kinds of events would you want to plan, who in your company would you want to talk to first, how would you position yourself? How would you make the most of it? How would you play this so that, ideally, you ended up both effecting positive change at your company and also developing your nascent reputation as a competent, likable, multi-faceted worker who can kick butt at pretty much anything?
OK, story time.
I am a straight white male. So is almost everybody else at my company. This is something I'd like to see change, for all sorts of reasons ranging from the philosophical to the pragmatic—I feel like I don't have to tell y'all why having a diverse workforce with good representation is a good thing. My company is getting ready to hit a growth spurt, and I think that now would be a great time to start making this happen. My role is pretty low-level, but I've consistently felt genuinely encouraged to make my voice heard, which has been amazing. I love where I work and I feel empowered to make it better.
At a recent company outing, I had several rather drunken but very positive conversations with a number of people from as wide a variety of backgrounds as I could find (including other straight white males, who are naturally the biggest potential roadblock here) and discovered that I'm not alone in my thinking. People encouraged me to make waves and to speak up, despite my repeated profession of a (totally genuine) preference for a background, support-style role. I came back to work the next week feeling somewhat obligated to put my words into action.
The one suggestion that I got which I felt I could act on was to contact my HR person, who is one of I think exactly two WoC in my 300-person company. (I work in the Northeastern US, and my company includes the extremely white states of New Hampshire and Maine, but still.) So I did that, expressing my views and my desire to see my company become more diverse as it grows, and my willingness to be a part of whatever initiatives she thought I might be able to help with, or to contribute ideas if she wanted ideas. Basically an open-ended offer to help wherever I could.
She got back to me saying some of the things I'd been hearing already—that I'm not alone, that other people are already thinking about this stuff—and explained some of the steps she's taking on her end to help make these changes. She acknowledged that it's early days and that the things being done so far are small steps (which they definitely are) but I'm operating under the assumption that she understands both these issues and also my company (two months, remember) better than I do. So I replied that I would be happy to assist with any of this kind of stuff that she thought I could help with.
Today she found time for a face-to-face followup on that, and what she had for me was the idea of becoming my regional office's "culture champion." This is not a role that officially exists yet, but what she's trying to do is find someone at each of my company's branches who can act as an organizer and a front person for fostering a spirit of cultural diversity within the company. I'm actually not 100% sure yet what all she envisions as being a part of this role (mental note: follow up on that) but I get the impression that it's pretty broad and amorphous at the moment. She asked if I would be interested in taking that on for my branch, I said yes, and she pointed me to someone at another branch who has already done some work on this stuff. I reached out to him (haven't heard back yet) and that's where we're at so far. That takes us up to now.
OK, story over.
I am kind of terrified of fucking this up, to be honest. I feel like organizing and motivating people is one of my weakest suits—I find it mentally and emotionally taxing and I worry that I could easily burn out on it. I also feel like I'm not particularly educated in this area, with a super privileged background and zero experience at doing this kind of thing. I do seem to get along well with other people in my company and I think that I'm pretty well-liked insofar as people are aware of my existence at all, but I guess I'm worried about jeopardizing that by making too many waves too soon. That last bit feels pretty selfish, but also I want to be at this company for a long time and if I'm going to be effective long-term people need to like and respect me. I actually think I'm garnering respect pretty quickly here, but one can only build so much of a reputation in two months. Frankly, I'd prefer it if someone more tenured and more senior had this role—but here I am.
I also feel like this is a big opportunity. I'm being handed a rather vaguely-defined role as someone who will work to increase diversity in my section of the company, and I think that to some extent the role will be what I make of it. Increasing diversity and representation (especially as it pertains to hiring) is something I care deeply about and think is very important for my company's future and also for society at large (and my company happens to be a B-corp so that fits with the "people" part of the triple bottom line) and I want to make the most of this. So far I think it's fair to say that I've been slaying it at everything I've tried, and I don't want this to be where I stumble.
So, Hivemind, help me nail this. If you were in my shoes, what would your next couple of plays be? What should I bear in mind as I take this ball and run with it? What should I make of this new role, and how should I use it to accomplish my goals? My primary goals are to increase diversity in our workforce and to ensure a welcoming and empowering environment for all workers regardless of identity or background, as effectively as possible. I also want people to like and respect me, and I would particularly like to avoid a situation in which I become That (straight, white, cis) Guy who shows up and starts just taking over. I know I need to take a breath and, at least for the moment, let my HR person set the pace here.
I feel like I need to gather more information. I need to know what my company's existing strategy is with regard to increasing diversity so that I don't step on toes or re-invent wheels, and I need to know more about what role my HR person envisions for me so that I can work within it and not cross too many lines. But if you were me, if you were new to your job (please assume a genuinely empowering environment, which is what I feel like I have here) and were handed an ill-defined role as a "culture champion" in charge of fostering diversity within your workplace, what would you be thinking? What kinds of events would you want to plan, who in your company would you want to talk to first, how would you position yourself? How would you make the most of it? How would you play this so that, ideally, you ended up both effecting positive change at your company and also developing your nascent reputation as a competent, likable, multi-faceted worker who can kick butt at pretty much anything?
This post was deleted for the following reason: Poster's request -- goodnewsfortheinsane
I think you being asked to do thankless work for no extra pay. There's a reason nobody wants to do it.
A company can either devote major resources to scouting top-tier individuals from underrepresented groups and then investing in their professional development, or save all that time and money by assigning low-level functionaries to administer token, (capital D) Diversity Programs without ever defining the term or setting tangible benchmarks and goals.
What does "diversity" look like at your company? Is it a workforce that "looks like America" and seeks proportional representation to proportions in the general population? So, 12% of workers would be black, 50% would be women, etc.
You mention heterosexual white males as an impediment to diversity, yet federal law prohibits even inquiring about the sexual orientation of employees, so how would you go about making your workforce more diverse in terms of sexual orientation?
"Diversity" for its own sake leads to an insoluble dilemna: On the one hand, it starts with the idea that all groups and heritages are equal. On the other hand, like Orwell's pigs, it ends with some groups and heritages being more equal than others.
You need to press your higher-ups for very specific guidance about what "Diversity" means to them, what their vision is of a more diverse company, and how progress will be measured. Anything less, fuck 'em. It's shit work
posted by BadgerDoctor at 7:43 PM on August 29, 2018 [2 favorites]
A company can either devote major resources to scouting top-tier individuals from underrepresented groups and then investing in their professional development, or save all that time and money by assigning low-level functionaries to administer token, (capital D) Diversity Programs without ever defining the term or setting tangible benchmarks and goals.
What does "diversity" look like at your company? Is it a workforce that "looks like America" and seeks proportional representation to proportions in the general population? So, 12% of workers would be black, 50% would be women, etc.
You mention heterosexual white males as an impediment to diversity, yet federal law prohibits even inquiring about the sexual orientation of employees, so how would you go about making your workforce more diverse in terms of sexual orientation?
"Diversity" for its own sake leads to an insoluble dilemna: On the one hand, it starts with the idea that all groups and heritages are equal. On the other hand, like Orwell's pigs, it ends with some groups and heritages being more equal than others.
You need to press your higher-ups for very specific guidance about what "Diversity" means to them, what their vision is of a more diverse company, and how progress will be measured. Anything less, fuck 'em. It's shit work
posted by BadgerDoctor at 7:43 PM on August 29, 2018 [2 favorites]
First, please remember that it is not the job of People of Color, queer folks, etc. to help you do your job. You are smart to recognize your own limitations due to privilege and you want to get everyone's opinion and make sure everyone's voices are heard BUT there's a fine line between asking people what they need and making them educate you. That would fall under emotional labor, something PoC, LGBTQ+ folks, etc. so often are expected to do by white/straight/cis etc. people and it's unfair, even if it's unintentional. Clearly, you are smart and aware but it is important to reiterate.
Second, along those lines, you have a great opportunity to use your straight white male privilege to make other straight white males, etc. aware of their privilege, educating them on how it works and how to be more mindful and supportive of others. (Like how it's not the job of the company's two Women of Color to be your go-to people for determining the company's diversity needs!) Yes, you want greater diversity in the workplace but you're not hiring people but rather working with the current staff. I understand how this is a difficult assignment and have empathy that you're feeling overwhelmed, if excited.
Once you get more direction from your higher-ups, I'd start by creating an anonymous (very important!) survey that all employees can complete regarding issues they'd like to see addressed in addition to ones you determine yourself. Then you can choose, say, one issue or theme for the month and invite all colleagues to collaborate. For example, you offer weekly activities, from lunch seminars to movie nights, during June for National LGBTQ+ Pride Month. People who are interested -- from openly queer colleagues to people who just really care about being inclusive -- can help you determine what events would be best and help you plan and run them.
For now, it sounds like your bosses are wanting you to focus more on encouraging visibility and raising awareness than specific diversity training. It's totally acceptable -- and honestly often best -- to acknowledge those are outside your comfort zone and outsource those sessions, either to people in your organization who are qualified and interested or a third-party for whom this is a specialty. The people on your committee can help you choose the training: as a queer woman, I may not want to lead such trainings but I am very happy to review a few options and give my feedback.
Good luck!
posted by smorgasbord at 8:24 PM on August 29, 2018 [2 favorites]
Second, along those lines, you have a great opportunity to use your straight white male privilege to make other straight white males, etc. aware of their privilege, educating them on how it works and how to be more mindful and supportive of others. (Like how it's not the job of the company's two Women of Color to be your go-to people for determining the company's diversity needs!) Yes, you want greater diversity in the workplace but you're not hiring people but rather working with the current staff. I understand how this is a difficult assignment and have empathy that you're feeling overwhelmed, if excited.
Once you get more direction from your higher-ups, I'd start by creating an anonymous (very important!) survey that all employees can complete regarding issues they'd like to see addressed in addition to ones you determine yourself. Then you can choose, say, one issue or theme for the month and invite all colleagues to collaborate. For example, you offer weekly activities, from lunch seminars to movie nights, during June for National LGBTQ+ Pride Month. People who are interested -- from openly queer colleagues to people who just really care about being inclusive -- can help you determine what events would be best and help you plan and run them.
For now, it sounds like your bosses are wanting you to focus more on encouraging visibility and raising awareness than specific diversity training. It's totally acceptable -- and honestly often best -- to acknowledge those are outside your comfort zone and outsource those sessions, either to people in your organization who are qualified and interested or a third-party for whom this is a specialty. The people on your committee can help you choose the training: as a queer woman, I may not want to lead such trainings but I am very happy to review a few options and give my feedback.
Good luck!
posted by smorgasbord at 8:24 PM on August 29, 2018 [2 favorites]
This is a heady topic, and I'm glad to see you taking it seriously. I think what has been said already is all true and frustrating as that is, I don't think you're set up for success here.
Having worked in tech with a particular interest in improving diversity and inclusion for awhile now, I can say that nearly all companies express the desire for improved D&I and many even understand that it can be good for the business in addition to being the right thing to do. However, I don't think many companys' leaders are willing to make it a priority in the way it needs to be in order to really make a meaningful transformation. It's not going to happen unless executives are deeply invested in it. And I'm sorry to say that HR typically isn't going to be able to drive that change in most organizations. Their primary responsibility is to reduce risk, and making real changes to D&I is hard and somewhat by definition risky.
To me, the two biggest things that stand in the way of transformative changes with regards to D&I within organization are:
The reason (2) is true because who doesn't prefer harmony? But the very thing which makes diverse teams produce better output is the diversity of opinion, background and approach. The difficult work of reconciling these yields better results, but it is not easier. That's why it takes a leader with authority who is really invested in the long-term gains that improved D&I can bring. Someone who either has a diverse network already or is willing to hire people for leadership positions outside their network.
This site has a lot of great educational materials if you're interested.
posted by Cogito at 9:50 PM on August 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
Having worked in tech with a particular interest in improving diversity and inclusion for awhile now, I can say that nearly all companies express the desire for improved D&I and many even understand that it can be good for the business in addition to being the right thing to do. However, I don't think many companys' leaders are willing to make it a priority in the way it needs to be in order to really make a meaningful transformation. It's not going to happen unless executives are deeply invested in it. And I'm sorry to say that HR typically isn't going to be able to drive that change in most organizations. Their primary responsibility is to reduce risk, and making real changes to D&I is hard and somewhat by definition risky.
To me, the two biggest things that stand in the way of transformative changes with regards to D&I within organization are:
- It has to come from leadership
- Leadership generally prefers harmony and familiarity to diversity
The reason (2) is true because who doesn't prefer harmony? But the very thing which makes diverse teams produce better output is the diversity of opinion, background and approach. The difficult work of reconciling these yields better results, but it is not easier. That's why it takes a leader with authority who is really invested in the long-term gains that improved D&I can bring. Someone who either has a diverse network already or is willing to hire people for leadership positions outside their network.
This site has a lot of great educational materials if you're interested.
posted by Cogito at 9:50 PM on August 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
I appreciate your willingness but this indicates that you are probably not the right person for this. It actually is a specialty, with research frameworks and specialists and coursework and training best practices and all that, and it's horrifically easy to fuck up by putting someone with good intentions but little background knowledge in the role.
This. Have them hire a consultant at the very least that specializes in this.
posted by Toddles at 10:14 PM on August 29, 2018 [4 favorites]
This. Have them hire a consultant at the very least that specializes in this.
posted by Toddles at 10:14 PM on August 29, 2018 [4 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
I'm not particularly educated in this area, with a super privileged background and zero experience at doing this kind of thing
I appreciate your willingness but this indicates that you are probably not the right person for this. It actually is a specialty, with research frameworks and specialists and coursework and training best practices and all that, and it's horrifically easy to fuck up by putting someone with good intentions but little background knowledge in the role. It could end up being a professional minefield. There's more to improving diversity, equity, access, and inclusion at a company than being an advocate or person who gets along well, and I think your HR team is going about this in a naive and lazy manner, setting you up to fail. I suspect they know this needs changing but have no budget, and have identified this as a way to look like they're improving things without actually changing anything. What salary increase comes with this? It's work! It's actually anti-equity to take this role without being compensated for it.
Why would you take on responsibility for a problem area with no training resources? There's almost no upside and almost all downside. I work in a field in which this is usually one or more job titles and embedded in everyone's work, and even with proper support, the actions and words of the folks in those positions are under a magnifying glass all the time. They become a lightning rod for tensions and resistance throughout the company, dealing with a lot of additional emotional labor. They end up needing to become involved/take a perspective on sensitive HR issues and discussions about policies and practices that need to be understood from a personal lens, a social justice lens, and a professional lens. It's not easy work to do. It takes more than a "champion." At best, you'd make mild improvements in workplace culture that you can make already without a title. At worst, you're either a joke (because nothing changes) or a threat (because you eventually aren't trusted by people with marginalized identities due to missteps/lack of awareness). No upside at all.
I know that you are a great person just by your participation here - but at least as things are now, this isn't the way to help. Say no thanks, that you know this role requires training and experience, and it's too important to take on as a side gig like a party committee. Offer to do some research on diversity measures and positions at other companies, to provide some comparables. And then say you're happy to do whatever makes sense within your role to support diversity initiatives . Or, offer to have them support you in going back for some professional training on diversity, equity, access, and inclusion in your field - some coursework that they pay for, some time observing in another company setting to benchmark their practices, a training workshop. But don't go into this with nothing but good intentions.
posted by Miko at 7:32 PM on August 29, 2018 [13 favorites]