Hiring Women of Colour - WIN London Mind Salons
WIN: Women in Innovation believes that positive, constructive, and critical conversations about female leadership are vital to build community, drive innovation, and support gender equality in business. And to continue to facilitate rich conversation and knowledge sharing from our remote settings, WIN London launched Mind Salons; online breakfast discussions centred on specific challenges faced by women in innovation.
As part of a 3-part series on race, this month the Mind Salons posed the question ‘How can we Diversify the Workplace and Create an Environment for Women of Colour to Thrive?’
When looking at the innovation industry, we feel we must acknowledge that our industry is homogeneous and predominantly white. In the midst of a historical and empowering social, political time and with keeping WIN’s mission to close the gender gap in innovation in mind, we believe there is one topic that can’t be overlooked: race.
In the articles Women of Color Get Less Support at Work. Here’s How Managers Can Change That., Dear White Boss and Racial Reckonings and My Experience at Cosmopolitan the authors discuss the challenges that people of colour and women of colour face at work and in the hiring process. Using the articles as a prompt to inspire open and intimate conversations, the WIN London community got together to reflect on racial discrimination and the impact it has on our industry.
So, what can we learn about the challenges women of colour face in the hiring process and how can we champion women of colour to bring their authentic selves to work in the innovation industry? In our Salon discussion we unearthed the 3 steps to take on the road to diversifying the industry:
C.J. Burton/Getty Images via Harvard Business Review
Take stock of diversity and inclusion in your work environment
Traditionally, the innovation industry has a stark homogenous make-up. In recent years, there has been a real desire to shake things up and diversify the team make-up, yet change is slow. This is reflected in a recent The Telegraph article that shared that only 11 of the Big Four consultancy firms’ 3000 partners are black. To drive change in your work environment, the journey has to start with understanding the current status quo. This means taking a look around, understanding who your team is composed of, and the practices that you follow to hire and the historic success at retaining people of colour.
Ask yourself:
Who is represented in your work environment? And more importantly, who isn’t?
What have the recruitment processes been thus far? How able has your organisation been at retaining people of colour?
Talent is equally distributed, privilege and representation are not
Mind Salon Attendee
2. Look beyond your standard hiring criteria
Hiring practices in the innovation world tend to conservatively focus on a specific background or profile - whether its a specific university or similar experience. On a human level this makes sense, not only does it provide ease and speed in an industry that is fast-paced but it also provides a sense of safety. Humans are wired to like and look for those who are similar to them. But it is exactly this limited focus and desire for the same ‘cultural fit’ that undermines diversity. In their online publication, management consulting recruitment specialist, Elysian, recommend changing recruitment expectations. Diverse candidates get a better opportunity for a spot at the interview table if companies shift from a long list of candidate capabilities to a shortlist of ‘non-negotiables’ and by opening up candidate reviews to talent from new backgrounds by focusing on capabilities rather than being attracted to big universities or company names.
Ask yourself:
What are the core competencies or qualities that you look for in a new team member? How can you widen your requirements to attract more diverse talent?
How could you ‘blind’ yourself from your traditional markers of successful candidates? What personal details (e.g. name, education or workplace) could you blind out during the recruitment process?
It’s easy to assume that other people experience the world the way we do. More specifically, it’s very easy for white managers to assume that their colleagues of color face the same basic set of challenges they do. On one level that’s true: The work itself is the same. African-American and other nonwhite managers have to make their numbers, motivate employees, hire and fire, and plan for the future. But on another level, these managers frequently contend with an atmosphere of tension, instability, and distrust that can be so frustrating they lose the desire to contribute fully or do their best work; they may even drop out altogether. Their white bosses and coworkers are simply unaware of the “miasma,” as Keith Caver and Ancella Livers call this noxious and tenuous environment. They’re often puzzled when their nonwhite colleagues quit, seemingly out of nowhere, or appear to overreact to what seems like a minor incident—but which is really the last straw.
–Keith A. Caver and Ancella B. Livers in Harvard Business Review
3. Retaining people of colour and women of colour requires making inclusion is everyone's job
Many work environments aren’t aware that people of colour often face additional challenges or burdens at work due to their race or minority background. These experiences can come in various forms but are woven together as a theme of additional emotional labour. From being more doubted, scrutinized on their work, or having to represent the company’s diversity efforts through interviewing other diverse candidates, many minority groups can experience being ‘alone’ in their work environments. Privileged people can share a hidden language and cultural reference points that shape a group experience that can leave minorities feeling excluded. To drive belonging and ensure retention, systemic support is required to make sure that people of coloured are seen and listened to.
Ask yourself:
How can you contribute to an inclusive environment for everyone?
What initiatives, whether mentoring, buddy’s etc, can be put in place to ensure support and visibility for people of colour?
I’ve been thinking a lot about gratitude—mainly, how Black and brown people are expected to feel it and express it in white spaces; about how I often did—and still reflexively do. Looking back at my own experiences, I was valued to the extent that I helped make white institutions appear more diverse, yet the perspectives I brought were devalued: they were often sidelined as either “niche” or too controversial because they did not support the dominant narratives of white managers or editors. I was welcome so long as I didn’t demand much, and so long as I continued to demonstrate how thankful I was to be there.
– Prachi Gupta in Jezebel
Thank you to WIN’s Georgie and Justine for hosting such thought provoking Mind Salons. And thank you to the WIN London community for attending the session and sharing your insights and experiences. Keep an eye out for upcoming Mind Salon invites.
The Mind Salons are designed to be replicated so that you can engage and develop your own community. At the end of the race series we will be sharing a Mind Salons Toolkit covering all three topics so you can host your own sessions.
If you have any suggestions for topics or themes for future Mind Salons or would like to (co-)lead a session, don’t hesitate to reach out, we’d love to hear from you!
Editorial: Joëlla Bril
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