There were months of protests surrounding the Breonna Taylor and George Floyd murders. People from all kinds of diverse backgrounds showed up and showed out in support of justice. Seeing live footage of abuse and murder made real the lack of safety that is an everyday lived experience for so many. Being harassed, treated badly, treated differently, being murdered…by those on a higher rung on the ladder that is the caste system and is deeply embedded in the United States of America happens often in society and is inevitable within the workplace. Abuse is more often the rule and less often the exception making safety a luxury for those who are considered a part of a minority group. Let’s break this down a little bit.
The caste system is pretty well known in India but less so in the USA despite the racial hierarchy that has persevered and been conserved for centuries. Isabel Wilkerson defines caste as the granting or withholding of respect, status, honor, attention, privileges, resources, benefit of the doubt, and human kindness to someone on the basis of their perceived rank or standing in the hierarchy. The caste system says that being a minority of any kind begets discrimination of some sort.
This discrimination in the workplace looks like an environment or culture that is siloed complete with people feeling like they don’t belong. This means that even when invited to show up wholly there is hesitance. This means that justice has not been favorable most of the time. This means that pay is not fair. This means that experimentation (the kind that benefits some at the expense of others) is the reality when asked to try something new. This means safety is a luxury. Research and history make evident that there is lack of culture, belonging and safety in the workplace for the Black community and also spotlight negative effects on all. Considering there are far reaching consequences of groups of people not feeling safe one would think…. Well, that’s for another day.
Right now, we will highlight 3 things that will support feeling safe in the workplace.
- Assess the board. The idea(l) here is that board members are taking into account all stakeholder needs, not just shareholder needs. Shareholders often look different than stakeholders. Things that make you go hmmm.
- Consistently announce and/or display individual accolades throughout the organization. This allows people to feel heard and acknowledged.
- Invite people to bring their whole self to work. This means asking questions to assess whether or not there is openness or freedom to express as needed. When a leader asks employees “what don’t we talk about” and is met with silence more work may need to be done.
When your employees feel safe everyone benefits as does the organization. Ensuring people feel safe is a process that is ongoing and personal.S
