Giving Notice

The following are a few pertinent themes discussed at the recent J.B.C. Institute Chief Diversity Officers Forum that tie into the work of diversity practitioners and most of which are addressed in Giving Notice: Read more »

What are simple steps employers can take to eliminate workplace bias in an inclusive manner so that all employees can truly experience equal and fair opportunities and treatment?

In Giving Notice, Freada Kapor Klein describe five steps that add up to a comprehensive approach.

1. Policies – There is no substitute for creating a customized approach that reflects your business and your workforce. What behaviors are appropriate and which are inappropriate? How do certain behaviors undermine morale or the business achieving its goals? As previously mentioned, unifying policies are better that separate policies for different issues. Policies should describe all the behaviors that drive people out the door—the types that we covered in the Corporate Leavers study—including subtle bias, mistaken identity, stereotyping, bullying. Having a policy is essential, but that alone is not sufficient.

2. Complaint channels – In addition to formal complaint channels, it is also essential to create a safe and anonymous or confidential vehicle to receive complaints from employees. “Employee Resource Groups” are often formed as an alternative to formal HR channels. They can provide a place for employees to receive advice. Employees need a place to go with the subtle, day-to-day problems that we heard in our study before they’re ready to walk out the door.

3. Training has to be mandatory and customized for different constituents. Educate employees on how to speak up and how to best be heard. Educate managers that every action or inaction sends a message. If an employee is having lunch with her/his manager and a client, and the client makes a racist/sexist/homophobic joke, if the manager automatically laughs and is agreeable, that sends a resounding message about what matters and what doesn’t matter to the company. Complaint handlers also need to be trained on how to respond to various situations brought to their attention.

4. Sensing and monitoring mechanisms – Each company requires customized surveys for their specific business. Generic downloaded policies and surveys will not reflect a company’s specific sector and culture. If information collected is truly anonymous, employee trust will remain intact. After stories and data are collected from the majority of employees (one must have a high participation rate for success), they can be presented to senior management. Also, Employee Resource Groups should be tapped for information on how the company is doing and the company’s reputation on the street. They should keep track of online blogs and public company assessment sites to stay informed of issues that are published about the organization.

5. Commitment from top – If you don’t have that, you cannot excel at steps 1 through 4. Every time senior management looks the other way when a star revenue producer continues to be a bigot, it undermines every effort already undertaken by the organization. Companies should follow the NFL “Rooney Rule” – whenever interviews are being conducted for a coaching position, there has to be at least one African American candidate. If the NFL can do it, everyone else can do it, too. If companies end up having a slate of candidates that is not diverse, there is no possibility that the organizations’ leadership will reflect society-at-large. If they require a few people of color (of all backgrounds) to be interviewed for all positions, then companies take a crucial step towards leveling the playing field for diverse candidates.

As reported by the New York Times, the well-known military contractor, Lockheed Martin, agreed to pay a former employee a hefty $2.5 million- the highest amount received by any one person in the settlement of a racial discrimination case filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. When the former employee complained about the racial slurs and threats he endured from coworkers and a supervisor over a period of two years, he was simply told by a company manager, “That’s just boys being boys, and that’s the way it is here at Lockheed.” Unfortunately this type of negligent response is not all that uncommon, as reported by hundreds of frustrated employees who participated in the Level Playing Field Institute’s Corporate Leavers study. In this case, Lockheed Martin will have to pay the high price, not only monetarily, but undoubtedly in terms of reputation and business as well. The following are a few practices prescribed by Giving Notice to companies such as Lockheed who are in dire need of a thorough diversity makeover:

• The character and culture of an organization are shaped from the top. Ensure that the CEO and management are fully committed to creating and maintaining a diverse culture and equitable workplace for all employees.
• Undertake a comprehensive audit of company practices (e.g., systems, policies, performance reviews, etc.) to look for hidden bias and hidden barriers.
• Conduct an anonymous, rigorous survey and focus groups focused on perceptions and experiences of all employees. Ensure that there are clear guidelines of openness and confidentiality.
• Analyze the data by demographic groups and business units.
• Develop a systematic plan to address any results that indicate problem areas.
• Institute a new approach based on frequent and regular communications, briefings, mentoring, and regular employee reviews.
• Develop interactive training programs for all levels of the organization focused on hidden bias and barriers in the workplace.
• Continue to conduct company audits, surveys, and focus groups so that employee feedback and overall improvement efforts remain ongoing.
• Revamp exit interview processes to ensure opportunities for organizational improvement are properly captured and addressed.

DiversityInc often reports on similar themes addressed in Giving Notice relating to diversity issues in the workplace and useful advice for employers and employees. Recently, they interviewed a few leading business professors regarding advice for employees of color seeking to build successful careers in Corporate America. One tip that stands out in particular is that before job seekers proactively search for and select jobs, they should conduct serious introspection about who they are, what their real interests are, what an ideal company culture would look like to them, what challenges they are seeking, and what personal happiness means. These personal considerations are fundamental to ensuring the best employer-employee “fit” and avoiding job mismatches. Jandle and Associates, an outplacement counseling firm, found that more than 40 percent of survey respondents reported mismatches as the top reason people get fired (Giving Notice, p. 111).

In light of soaring job dissatisfaction rates across multiple industries, Chapter 7 of Giving Notice recommends that job seekers conduct a comprehensive evaluation of potential employers using the following key criteria: daily worklife; assignment, development, and mentoring; the company/firm culture and value; the gender, racial, ethnic, religious, and cultural climate; inappropriate conduct issues; corporate citizenship; and other diversity issues.

Based on your personal experience, do you have any additional tips for job seekers?

Giving Notice tracks the work experiences of three individuals— Eric, Kristen, and Miguel, who faced barriers in the workplace from the first interviews with their company to the less than satisfactory exit interviews. While their employer failed on multiple accounts to provide fair opportunities and a level playing field for these three hardworking employees, one would think that at the very least, management would attempt to learn from its mistakes by investing in a truly effective exit interview process. However, according to the departing employees, the employer demonstrated minimal interest in the exit interview, and thus an even further lack of commitment to ensuring positive experiences for all employees.

Training + Development Magazine recently featured an article by Freada Kapor Klein about the importance of maximizing employers’ exit interview processes to help understand what steps can be taken to improve the organization and retain current and future employees. The following are a few tips for conducting more effective exit interviews:

• Give employees a choice of who conducts their exit interviews. Make sure their options reflect diversity in demographics and position.
• Don’t just follow a checklist. Allow for creative, open-ended questions (e.g., “What three things could have been done to help you stay?”).
• Find out your company’s reputation by asking departing employees whether they would recommend your organization to a potential recruit. Does their answer depend on the business unit or the recruit’s gender, age, race, ethnicity, or culture? Also ask whether they would recommend your company’s products or services to friends or family.
• Provide departing employees with an anonymous way to offer more feedback.
• Have someone knowledgeable about your company’s culture interview employees 6-24 months after they leave. This allows them to reflect on what your company did well, what they miss, and what you could have done to make them stay.

Bottom line: When taken seriously and done properly, the exit interview process can serve as an invaluable tool for developing and strengthening retention strategies.