Part II – How Workplaces and Leaders Can Support Women of Colour
Welcome to part two of our series on how workplaces can support women of colour.
We know that workplaces are often hostile environments for racialized and marginalized folks, and that the combination of gender and race means women of colour face even more dire circumstances, ones that lead to dissatisfaction, poor mental health, and lack of growth.
The future we envision centres women of colour, their lived experiences, challenges, and needs; it’s one that sees them in leadership roles, and in positions of power and influence. To achieve this, the onus cannot be on women of colour alone. It is our institutions that are systematically and inherently racist and misogynistic – and so it is very much the responsibility of those in power to create changes that can have better impact.
In part one of this piece, we relayed three key ways leaders can show up for women of colour. These included upping your feedback game, keeping work hybrid, and being intentional about DEI. In this second part, we’ll share three additional ways organizations and leaders can better support their WOC employees.
Illustration by Liu Liu
1. Be Transparent about Hiring Practices
The Pay and Progression of Women of Colour Literature Review illustrates the multiple barriers WOC face in the workplace, showing how structural bias begins well before WOC even enter the workplace. In order to combat racist structures and unconscious bias, it’s crucial that we honour and implement transparent hiring practices that help level the playing field. Here are some ways to do this:
Create job descriptions that outline the requirements and roles and responsibilities as clearly as possible. Writing for Veremark, Ana Ecaterina Tan-Fernandez advises that you “begin with a comprehensive and objective analysis of the job to identify the skills, knowledge, and behaviours needed.” She goes on to recommend that we “identify the assessment criteria related to the requirements of the job,” and think about pathways to growth for the role.
Think intentionally about your interview process. Train your staff on unconscious bias and psychological safety. Ensure candidates are aware of the entire process, including the different stages and what is expected at each. Keep your interview panels diverse, and tell candidates beforehand who the panel members are. Document everything, and create a scorecard where you can assess based on quantifiable metrics, rather than personal opinion.
Make sure the salary band is revealed on the job ad. One of the biggest challenges for racialized women is salary negotiation and fair pay. For example, compared to white British men, WOC “consistently earn less per hour with pay gaps ranging from 10% for Indian women and 28% for Pakistani women.” In her piece for HerMoney, Javacia Harris Bowser writes that “Black women make 63.7 cents for every dollar earned by their white male counterparts.” The message is crystal clear– pay equity should not depend on one’s negotiation skills and abilities.
“In order to combat racist structures and unconscious bias, it’s crucial that we honour and implement transparent hiring practices that help level the playing field.”
2. Promote WOC to Leadership Roles
In The Pay and Progression of Women of Colour Literature Review, promotion is highlighted as one of the biggest challenges for racialized women. WOC are severely underrepresented in management and leadership roles. According to the report, over one-third of WOC are “being unfairly passed over for or denied a promotion at work.” Research consistently confirms that the higher we go, the whiter it gets, making it extremely challenging for WOC to reach the top. Here are a few things we suggest:
Just as with transparent hiring processes, it is crucial that promotion criteria is also clearly set out. This is to minimize any “interpretation” – read bias, making it clear for both higher-ups and employees what the expectations around getting promoted are. Make sure there is a promotion policy employees can access.
Check-in with your employees and design a promotion strategy and growth plan that prioritizes their timelines, goals, and aspirations. For this to happen, you need to be in direct conversation. Create space for WOC to express their visions and goals at the organization and in their careers. This isn’t just important for WOC; retaining talent is beneficial for employers as well. Remember, when WOC leave, they leave with their drive, expertise, and passion, criteria that is hard to replace.
In her piece for Forbes, Aparna Rae, Co-founder of Project Feast, advises employers to “recognize quiet competence.” Aparna notes that while the “modern workplace and mainstream leadership expectations reward and promote showmanship,” for a lot of WOC and those from non-white cultures, self-promotion doesn’t come easy. Leadership should take this into account and promote based on potential and talent, rather than who is the loudest person in the room or most vocal about their skills and contributions.
“Creating workplaces that are intentional and mindful about diversity, equity, and inclusion takes time, effort, and practice. It requires us all to think about our positions of power and privilege.”
3. Invest in Women of Colour
As the saying goes, put your money where your mouth is. If you want to create inclusive workplaces that level the playing field, then one of the most important things you can do is to properly invest in WOC and their professional growth. Here are some ways you can do this:
About one-third of WOC indicate that they have been “unfairly denied training or development opportunities which would enable promotion”, according to The Pay and Progression of Women of Colour Literature Review. This number jumps to more than 50 percent for disabled WOC. Where we spend our money is an indication of what we value. Organizations can’t claim to care about inclusivity if they don’t adequately invest in it. Ensure WOC receive the training and education they need in order to grow at the organization.
Money talks, that’s for sure. But it’s not just about money. One of the most important ways you can invest in WOC is by creating opportunities that lead to growth. Identify stretch projects that can allow WOC to stretch beyond their recurrent level of knowledge or skill. These challenging positions and projects can help WOC learn, grow, and ultimately, get promoted. Keep in mind though, to provide necessary support, and not set up WOC for failure.
Creating workplaces that are intentional and mindful about diversity, equity, and inclusion takes time, effort, and practice. It requires us all to think about our positions of power and privilege. Organizations, CEOs, and those in leadership roles play a big role in combating our biased workplace structures. The system is rigged, and they are meant to exclude WOC. But together, we can redesign them and build better, ensuring that WOC have equal opportunities to grow and thrive.
Coming up Next
As we head into a new season, we want to take a minute to pause and reflect. For many of us and our communities, the past six months have been extremely challenging and heartbreaking. In our next blog, we reflect on strategies to take care of ourselves while in the pursuit of collective liberation.